New to UK and wanted to know what is included in live-in nanny/housekeeper salary? Vacation? sick days?

[Mamax4]

This is in reference to the discussion about nanny salaries- when ppl say it is, for ex, "1,083 gross per month for live-in" does this mean 11 months per the year and 12th is paid vacation? Do you sign standard contracts (that maybe someone would have an example of?). In Italy, I pay Euro 800/month for 5.5 days/week NET to the nanny, plus one month paid vacation plus one month bonus at Christmas, so it averages to almost 900 net/month. For me, the employer, there are "social charges" to pay to the state of about Euro 100/month. And there is a standard collective nanny contract that we must respect, which includes severance pay, etc.

Every single one of my Italian friends has a 'domestica', and not a single one of the British people I know. Good luck finding someone that can answer this!

I would assume that gross figure would be per month including the 20 statutory days of holiday.

I think it may set you back more than 900 euros/month.

Depends how long the days are, but 5 days full time will probably set you back at least £1500 per month. Vacation is part of this pay.

"Severance pay"? "Vacation"? Are you American?

I have a contract which I can happily share if you CAT me.

In the UK, a full-time employee (someone working 5-days per week) is entitled currently to 4.8 weeks paid annual leave. This will rise in April 2009 to 5.6 weeks. Holiday Calculator Info about Bank Holidays

When a monthly salary is quoted, that salary to me is the amount paid each month... so yearly cost is monthly salary x 12. The salary is paid during holiday period.

In the UK you would pay Employers National Insurance, on top of the salary. As the employer you need to deduct Employees Tax and Employees National Insurance from the Gross wage, giving your nanny the Net (take home) pay. You have to produce a payslip of some description. You pay HMRC (the tax collector) the Tax and NI you have deducted from your nanny, plus the Employers NI. For more info on UK taxation with regard to having an employee, see HMRC: Introduction to PAYE.

In the UK there is no standard contract. You can agree your own. However there are Statutory Entitlements, such as Holiday Entitlement. Example contract - you will need to revise this to meet your circumstances.

Blimey, where have you found a nanny for 800 euros a month? Is she Italian? I used to pay a Sri Lankan "babysitter" the same, for only 5 days a week, and that was 2 years ago. Is your nanny extracomunitaria? Or are you simply somewhere cheaper than Milan? I'm intrigued.....

Athene - severance pay (or liquidazione, as it's called here) is the norm in Italy, it's actually a percentage of your salary that you employer theoretically puts in a savings account for you, to give you in a lump sum at the end of your employment.

I jnust never hear the term severence pay in the UK. Thought she might be American, which is of course a good thing.

Every time I mentioned to someone in the UK that I had received severance pay from previous jobs they assumed I'd been sacked and not that I'd simply changed jobs. I don't think there's a direct translation as it doesn't exist in the UK. Tis a weird thing but there you go....

Um, I'm American and have only ever heard of the term severance pay, not as a saving scheme, but effectively as a payment at the end of a contract - i.e. sever the contract.

Are there conditions in releasing the funds? Is it set up as a trust fund? In whose name is the account held?

Theoretically the money is supposed to be squirrelled away in an account for you, in practice companies use that money for whatever they need and take out a loan to cover the funds if you decide to leave your job. It sounds a bit odd, but then Italian labour laws/taxes are a bit odd to most anglo saxons.

Actually, a bit odd to 90% of non-Italians.

There are no conditions to releasing the funds, the money is the employee's. An employee can even ask for an advance on it, but for very few reasons - buying a house is one, paying for dental work is another, not sure if there is a third.

Makes sense - call it a pension scheme and everyone will understand! Americans and British companies have been dipping into pensions for ages!

Yes, it's like that but a Govt sponsored thing and obligatory.

There has been a recent attempt to encourage people to divert the money into private savings/pensions schemes, but the take up wasn't very high.

HEllo, fellow American. That what severance pay means to me too (severance US =redunddancy UK)

But don't you only get it if you've been made redundant, as opposed to leaving a job of your own will? I never got any severance from any of the jobs I had in the UK (disclaimer - it was a looong time ago).

The TFR in Italy is unconditional, that's why I thought there was a difference.

You're right - if you leave on your own free will, it's usually a resignation (i.e. employee terminates the contract) but if your employer terminates the contract, discussion of 'severance packages' comes into play. Obviously an employer can terminate the contract for a number of reasons, but your point is that the payment is unconditional.

Wow - dental work being a reason to draw on the money

You'd understand if you saw how much Italian dentists charge.....

nannyjob.co.uk/employment/taxation.htm

here'a about aupair scheme

www.ukba.homeoffice.www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/workingintheuk/aupairs/

wh ich includes 'Please note the au pair scheme is due to be deleted later this year when the new points-based system Youth Mobility Scheme of Tier 5 is launched.'

gov.uk/workingintheuk/tier5youthmobilityscheme/

I would suggest you look at the nannytax website. www.nannytax.co.uk It is much simpler. And then I would recommend you contract nannypaye.co.uk to do your taxes. It is very simple that way and not very expensive.

In the UK, a nanny is an employee just like any other employee. So she gets 4 weeks hols (which you can choose or you can be generous and let her choose some). She gets SSP (statutory sick pay and I strongly recommend you put SSP only in a contract). You pay her her net salary each month and deduct the taxes on her behalf. Then you pay some more outrageous taxes of your own. Then you come on here and cry when you write the check to Gordon Brown each quarter... unless you are the nanny, in which case you smile all the way to the bank whilst coming onto here to remind all us synical employers that you are worth it!

@ AtheneNoctua :DDD

ps. the aupair posting should have gone somewhere else, sorry

Thanks, ladies! I am laughing, but yes, I am an American living in Italy (for a decade) considering moving to the UK. And, yes, I have become very spoiled by the availability of domestic help, but I do have 4 kids and I'd be toast without help. Thank you for all of the links and sample contract, will peruse all when get a breather. I still have no idea, however, what I should expect to pay for a live-in nanny/housekeeper, if all is done on the books. (All of my kids will be in school/pre-school, but there is always a lot of people coming and going and the nanny/housekeeper will basically do a bit of everything- child mind, cook, clean, etc., depending on what is needed at the moment.)

Ohhhhh...

You will find many English nannies don't do cleaning chores. You might want to bring an Italian with you.

Ok, I am sticking to the Eastern Europeans, then. Ie, I am willing to pay the correct wage, but I can't have a "staff", so whoever I employ has to basically split my job with me: I cook and childmind and sweep the yard and do laundry, and I am a lawyer, so surely my hired help could be just as flexible. I am not complaining- every country is different- so I'll just have to hire non-British help. Thanks for the help, ladies!

So, when are you arriving? Where are you going to live? (general area, not address)

We have a crowd of nanny employers who regularly meet-up in the city / West London. You would be welcome to join us. (and I can always use another American in the crowd)