Live in nanny advice - outside of London - whether to go with agency nanny or independently sourced nanny - (in our situation only need part time nanny)

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Been weighing up the pro’s and con’s

Solo parent household. Baby is 8 months.

Only really need part time. At most 4hrs a day.

Have tentatively been looking at nanny agency who can place a local nanny to come in for these hours a day.

This is what they said re costs involved;
£20 per an hour.
If she worked 3 – 4 hours per a weekday at £20 per an hour she would work 15-20 hours per a week and her costs would be
£300 - £400 per a week.
Our agency fees are £70 per a week.

I’ve been contacted by a nanny on an independent website (childcare website) local to the area seeking a live in role but ideally she’d like a full time role.
Yet to hear from her what she’s looking for fee’s wise.
(I imagine she’s not be classed as ‘self employed’ so there comes all the extra admin of navigating being ‘employer’ and all that comes with that)

I know there’s so many options and variants when it comes to these things and trying to work out what would work out best.

If I found the perfect live in nanny it would be someone who was studying also or looking for other work to go alongside just a part time nanny role in our home. Or just simply looking for a part time nanny live in scenario for whatever their own personal reasons may be. But I know that’s easier said than done when looking for part time live in.

I do see the benefits of a live in role as being a small family unit (just my daughter and I), my daughter would have a wider home life environment which will always be nicer for her.

But there’s also the predicaments of (from some posts I’ve seen) of it can go wrong.

Any advice from those with experience of any of the above would be great fully received 🙏

I tried part time nursery and the amount of times she has been sick in her first two months has been crazy. Also the hours don’t really co incide with the hours I’d need.

it’s a tricky one to navigate but whether it’s an outside nanny or live in. I think that’s the route we’re going to try to go for for now (rather than childminder or nursery).

If she does the same 4h for you on the same days each week you have to employ her whether live in or out.

The agency live out nanny I’ve so far been quoted for is classed as ‘self employed’ so not employed by myself if that makes sense (as in I don’t have to go through the admin of PAYE and all that etc)

In what way would the nanny be self employed? It doesn't sound like you're offering a self employed role?

Why is the agency charging a weekly fee? Would they be acting as the employer?

This is really unusual, unless the agency aren’t providing the same person each week?

Or they may provide a service where you pay the nanny net, and the agency pays all the additional costs/deductions.

I would be very wary of a nanny wanting to live in and work part time. How have they even found you? Did you advertise for someone? This is much more common with an au pair.

I’ve seen and experienced this before when I got an emergency maternity nurse through an agency for some help when my daughter was in and out of hospital in her early months. I think when it comes to ad hoc work and not a set permanent role they set it out like this.

It’s set out a lot like this in many diff industries these days. They vet their people they’ve got on their books. Find person suited for the role. And the person turns up for said work and is paid as self employed.

The agency weekly fee is extortionate in my eyes. But it seems the way with most in this industry.
The part time nanny coming for few hours a day with the pay set up structure I posted they sent over is based on a non permanent position. As I wanted to test it out for a few months to see if it suited us and the lady they sourced for the role also likes to be on a flexible basis and she prefers to do couples hours with multiple positions throughout the week etc to work around her other commitments.

Same hours and days is an employed role

Some nannies illegally say they can do this self employed as work for several families over the week

You would be better off finding a cm who could offer a morning or afternoon session

4hrs isn't a lot and for a nanny depending what hours you needed say 8/12 she then needs to find a 1/7 position etx - which makes it hard

Can you condense you hours depending what you do and have 2 x 10hr day

Hiya, answered a little bit of what you mentioned to previous poster. I think because it’s classed as ad hoc not a permenant position. They’re self employed as they work around the place doing a few roles for different families.

For the live in nanny enquiry. It was an enquiry through childcare uk website that a lot of nanny’s post themselves on. It’s for connecting families and Nanny’s etc direct. I’ve used it in the past for ad hoc baby care when I had to take my mother to hospital. They are (when doing ad hoc work here and there) and not a live in position self employed. A bit like when you hire a decorator or any other type of ad hoc work commissioned. They manage their own PAYE as they’re not in a permanent position with one role. But there are nanny’s on there also looking for permanent positions and some are live in which is where you have to use the services of perhaps companies like ‘Nannypaye’, ‘Nannywage’, ‘Nannytax’ to help navigate that apparently.

I’ve heard from some career Nannie’s on my local new mums speaking highly of childcare uk website to find independent people rather than through an agency. And like I said found a great ad hoc baby nurse / nanny on there in past. But I’m just apprehensive when it’s someone coming into the home, if the fit will be right, and the whole rigmarole of then being an employer managing their paye etc etc

self employed if you say each week 'I need these hours' and she can say 'yes I can do tuesday but not wednesday this week, next week I can do three of the days you want, the week after I'm busy'

if you want her to commit to same hours/days each week she's employed

Unfortunately I tried nursery and she was off sick more than she was there. She also has special needs and it takes a specific place that would cater to her needs best. And the hours just don’t work with travel time and their fixed morning or afternoon slots on the very few specialised nurseries I can find who could take her.
Prefer it was a one on one person caring for her tbh.

Will check with this nanny agency who offered ad hoc nanny but it seems the norm that some of these Nannie’s on their books who come to you for few hours a day have a few families their working for and working it around their own family life. And seems legal their of self employed status on that basis.

Yes I think that’s how it’s based. As they said she can be flexible each week, can you. So that must be how they work it on that basis. Which tbh I can be flexible and works for us like that also. So may be best solution.

It's a very specific role, I'd be surprised if any nanny wanted 4 hours a day

What sn does she have ?

Employment status is specific to the job and not the nanny.
If someone is working 4 hours a day for you on a permanent basis then that would be an employment situation. Check with HMRC if you're still not sure.

I would advertise for exactly what you need on childcare.co.uk, then set yourself up as an employer - you can use a company like nanny tax to make it easier.

If she can genuinely pick and choose her hours each week then may be s/e. But otherwise unlikely. If you get it wrong, all the penalties are on you and not the agency so be careful....

What's hours do you need and will they be the same every day /week

Look on childcare co site but also on your local Fb page and say looking for a nanny for hours and days you need

I'm admin on my local fb group for nannies /babysitters

It’s not a specific role, she would just get better one on one attention with a nanny situation at this stage.

Prefer not to share on public forum. Just mainly looking for advice regarding people who’ve personally experienced live out live in / ad hoc or more permanent hours type nanny scenario x

Thanks. Mentioned to previous poster if it’s ad hoc, varying hours like through nanny agency or on childcare website with varying hours and not permanent it’s classed as them self employed if their doing flexible hours for multiple families.

But yee if set same hours every week same days etc and or long term and live in the whole setting self up as employer.

just really wanting others who’ve gone down either route how they found it I think.

Will quote this to the agency when speak to them thanks

Unless you desperately need live-in, go for live-out. There is so much more to contend with in a live-in situation. Keep it simple and go for nannies from an agency where they employ them/they're self employed.

You do need to be careful with employment status, but posters saying that if she comes on the same day every week then she must be employed are incorrect. Most cleaners will come at a regular time, on a regular day every week and they're all self employed. What you've described sounds find as self-employed work.

I used to be a nanny before I had my own children and I am looking to go back to work. I would be delighted to find a job for four hours a day. You will find someone. Gut feeling and compatibility is more important than qualifications. I used to get jobs before ladies with NNEB as I had experience and was very good at what I did.

If you could do 10-2 then you may find a nanny easier who has a older child at school who wants to do less hours /but earn money

Tho will then will need to bring own child in holidays

I would imagine that if you are employing them through the agency then it would be like employing an admin person through an agency. You dictate the days and hours you need and pay the agency. The agency then pays the temp through an umbrella company, which mean they are classed as employed by the umbrella company but working for you. Their contract is with the umbrella company/agency and your contract is with the agency. All perfectly legal and above board. All tax, ni etc is paid through the umbrella company.

in these circumstances you are not the direct employer.

i would much rather do this for four hours a day than have someone live in my home, I would imagine that the agency will be able to provide cover if the nanny is sick or on holiday.

4-hours per day, where the start time varies and each side can decide on a whim to cancel, is not going to suit many people.

Fixed hours of 10-2, 9:30-1:30, that may appeal to someone local who has a child at school.

Live-in: do you really want someone else living at your home?

I do part-time nanny work, live-out. Live-in would not suit me, it may be fine for others but I like having my own space.

If you had a cleaner who came for 4 hours every day at the same time each week then you would need to employ them as well.
Usually cleaners tell you when they're free, tell you when they're going to be on holiday and have multiple clients a week, that would be a SE situation.

As I said, employment status relates to the job not the individual.