Wondering about having a nanny - I have a few questions

[IdrisTheDragon]

DS (4.3) and DD (2.5) currently go to a childminder but only for the next few weeks as she needs to stop due to looking after a sick relative.

I have been having a preliminary search and am already worrying I won't be able to find anyone, especially as DS is at school in the mornings only, and given their ages (ie DS is under 5) I know this has an impact on ratios.

Although I haven't thought about a nanny before, I am now consdiering it. My questions

1. I work 3 days a week. Do nannies like to work 3 days a week?

2. I would be very happy if they had children they brought with them - what sort of price difference can it make? I am looking at live-out by the way.

3. There is another girl currently at the childminders, only one day a week. Would a nanny be happy for her to be there as well one day a week (thus keeping DS and DD and her together).

4. How much non-child work do nannies do? Could be a biut of an advantage (although does it mean you just have to tidy a lot?

5. How long does the process of getting a nanny take?

I am having a quick look on nannyjob and it looks like it could be possible. Haven't looked at amounts yet really though.

Thank you for any thoughts .

i have used nannies before. we once did a nanny share with the family next door which worked ok. we had 2 shared days and 1 sole day each. we split the cost 50/50 (which becasme an issue after their 2nd child). Nannies don't seem to mind so long as you are clear about responsibilities at interview. They will sometimes do ' nursery duties' ie child based housework but generally not your housework, though some do when the kids are all at school. i had a nanny with own child and paid her the same rate. if you share you need to think about covering nanny sickness, holidays and child sickness.
you could also take a look at www.findasitter.co.uk

and www.nannyshare.co.uk

Thank you - will look at those later .

1. I work 3 days a week. Do nannies like to work 3 days a week? Some prefer it and some will do 2 days with someone else.

2. I would be very happy if they had children they brought with them - what sort of price difference can it make? I am looking at live-out by the way. Don't know.

3. There is another girl currently at the childminders, only one day a week. Would a nanny be happy for her to be there as well one day a week (thus keeping DS and DD and her together). That is up to you to tell her that is part of her job.

4. How much non-child work do nannies do? Could be a biut of an advantage (although does it mean you just have to tidy a lot? Nannies should do any cleaning and tidying that is linked to the children. You don't tidy up because a nanny is coming but obviously don't leave it a mess.

5. How long does the process of getting a nanny take? How long is a piece of string?

where are you based? Gumtree is good, or it is for London anyway. There are plenty of people looking for 2/3/4 day a week nanny work. I had a 4 day a week nanny when I 1st went back to work, and it worked very well. Nanny was a great housekeeper too, it's lovely to come home to sparkly clean kitchen, laundry done etc. Some will nannyshare too..... I found the issue with that was getting the m all out and about to the park etc. Depends on their ages etc.

our 1st 2 nannies, we hired the 1st person we interviewed each time (we were lucky). This last time, it took us about a month, augh, my work became a total hobby for a while, as I tried to find someone suitable...

hi this is the kind of job im looking for what area do you live in?

You will be able to find someone for three days I'm sure - some older women don't want to work full-time, and some others fit it around another job.
Problem I had was that the ones with another job sometimes found it hard to fit mine in when they moved on from the other position, so I think there is often less chance of getting someone longterm.

I have never been quoted much less for bringing their own child IME.
Tax can be complicated for them, and become prohibitive if they are doing several jobs I think.

im looking for a part time nanny job and i have my own child! where are you?x

More messages since I left this (was having meetings at work ).

I am in on the Beds/Herts border angisnuts and alr . Even if you're not anywhere near me, it's nice to know that I'm not thinking about something totally unreasonable....

On 3) we haven't talked to the parents of the other girl yet (only found out on Thursday) but will speak to them and see if they're interested in the possibility.

We have about a month to try and find alternative childcare - DH is able to take some time off work too so have a bit longer.

I love the idea of a clean sparkly kitchen

I will keep investigating and at least don't feel as bad about it all as I did on Thursday.

we employ a live-out nanny 3 days per week and share her with another family for whom she works 2 days.

it is wonderful (though expensive) for us and quite tricky for her IMO.

She is a wonder round the house but i feel terribly guilty at how much housework she does. Must clarify this in her contract.

The golden rule is to advertise/look for exactly what you want. We found our nanny via Gumtree/local.

With regard to 2... you could offer less to someone who brings their own child, as the job then becomes effectively a nanny share. This has been talked about before, so you may find some message threads about how much less you may be able to offer. It may not be that much, 20%, 30% perhaps.
With regard to 3... this is a nannyshare and so you would need to get on with the other family well, and sort out who is paying what. This would not work with situation 2, as that would be 3 families effectively sharing... which can raise legal issues (though chances are no one would actually mention it to Ofsted).
With regard to 4... it will depend on how many children they are caring for - but generally I'd say that you could expect a nanny to put a few loads of children's washing on each week, load/unload the dishwasher, vacuum, but don't expect them to polish your fine silver!
With regard to 5... a month is possible, but it would mean that you would be looking for a nanny who is not currently employed (at least on the days you want them to work) as a nanny who is employed, will need to give their employer notice - which could be a week, or month or possibly more.
You will need to act fast. Be as specific as you can about what it is you are wanting, and place adverts locally plus on nanny job sites. Also, some sites will let you search Nanny CV's, so you could contact local nannies directly.

iris you must be near to me. my ex nanny is now a student and is looking for some work. she has her own child. so i know you could get people interested in this kind of job. get some interview questions together and see the anny alone first and then with your children afterwards. you will geta gut feeling. my advice is avoid agencies as they charge a lot and you may be able to get someone quickly yourself. word of mouth is good too - try an advert up in playgroup type places as well and tell everyone you know that you are looking!

The Lady magazine is also good for posting ads and they have some nannies advertising for positions too.

Hi i am a temporary nanny and the family i normally work for have gone away for 5 weeks so i have some free time on my hands. I live in beds ,which area are you in ?

We're in Bedfordshire ....although we don't need the childcare until April.

Have been replying to some adverts on nannyjob - will have to see if anyone replies...