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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

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Original poster

If your nanny got a parking ticket

52 replies

snickersnack · 17/09/2008 16:53

Just out of interest, if your nanny gets a parking ticket in your car while she?s in charge of the children, do you pay? Or would you expect her to? She?s just left me a message to say that she got a ticket this morning while dropping off at a playdate and to apologise. Which makes me think she assumes I?ll pay. Which I probably will, as it?s the first time, but don?t want it to become a habit?is it just a cost of having a nanny that I hadn't budgeted for?

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stitch · 18/09/2008 07:01

nanny, it is not my choice to do the school run either. but i have kids, andi take them to school. you have a job that requires youtake the kids to school.we both have presumbably passed our drivign tests, and know the highway code, and are legally bound tofollow it.
whether you are a mom, or a nanny, makes no difference when out and about with the kids. the person committing the legal offence is the one in charge of the car. they should pay for their misdemeanour

stitch · 18/09/2008 07:02

you park further away!!!!!!!!
or you walk!

AtheneNoctua · 18/09/2008 08:26

The parking restrictions around schools are usually there for the children's safety. Lot's of cars coming and going in the place lots of children are walking is a recipe for a tragedy. Don't you think it's a tad selfish to think you deserve to park near the school completely disregarding the highway code? And do you think this is an appropriate lesson to be teaching your charges?

Look, Little Johnny, I know we are not supposed to do this but we are going to because we don't want to walk half a mile to get here. And how are you going to explain the difference when little Johnny thinks it's okay to break the rules at school. I would expect a nanny of all people to know to lead by example.

Now, I'm not saying that parking illegally in itself discredits your nanny skills. But, every day? Surely you should have a rethink about what kind of example you are setting. Why don't you take the bus? Or walk? OR get some bikes? Or just park further away?

overthemill · 18/09/2008 08:31

nannyl - sorry but you have a choice: break the law or not break the law. You park somewhere else and walk the extra or you leave earlier. simple

i suppose you could get a job where the beastly parents didn't have children?

nannynick · 18/09/2008 08:41

Near where my mum lives, there is a school with yellow lines outside. About 1/4 mile away there is a residential street, where parents would park at school drop-off and collection time.
The local council put a single yellow line on that road, with signs indicating that the restriction was between 8am and 10am.
Clearly that council wants to stop parents parking in that road when they drop their children off, for some reason - yet don't mind them parking there when they pick up in the afternoon. I'm surprised the council got away with it - surely people protest still these days. A yellow line at this could be claimed to be sexist - as the majority of parents dropping off at school, will be mothers.
If there is a yellow line somewhere that you feel it should not be, ask others in the same situation and go on mass to the local council to demand that the times are changed, or the line is removed. Complain, Complain, and keep complaining.
If the line is there for a safety reason, then then council will be able to give you the reasons for why it is there, plus probably traffic research (traffic counts, accident stats). If the line can't be removed/changed, then the council may be able to make alternative arrangements for parents who only need to park for 20 minutes twice a day.

As a nanny I would respect the rules. But if I objected to the rules, I would find out why it was there and complain if necessary.

marcelthemonkey · 18/09/2008 08:44

I"ve never had a parking ticket (yet) but have had a fine for stopping inside a box junction. Since it was my employers car the letter was sent to her but i apologized and paid it. I could have said i wouldn't have got a fine if i hadn't been taking my charge home from an activity but it was my fault for stopping in the box not my employers so it never occurred to me to ask them to pay
Maybe your nanny was just letting you know and said sorry because she feels bad and wanted you to know not because she expects you to pay. NannyL it is your choice to do the school run - you took the job

MatNanPlus · 18/09/2008 08:52

The nanny should pay, i got one for using the bus lane at MB's insistance and DB paid it after finding out the reasons or it's issue.

I had a school run job job to do and the nearest parking was almost a mile away, i noticed alot of nearby drives were empty at school drop/collect times, so took it upon myself one weekend to knock on doors and ask if it would be possible to use their drive as had twins littlies and 1 of the families where happy for me to park on their drive for those minutes, the children gave them a bouquet at easter, summer and christmas as a thank you, made our walk to school gate all of 3 minutes.

nannynick · 18/09/2008 08:52

snickersnack - is the car the nanny was driving owned by you, or by the nanny? If owned by you... perhaps they were just letting you know, as it would be your REG that was recorded.

plantsitter · 18/09/2008 08:57

So has she actually said she wants you to pay it? Maybe she was just telling you in case you get something through the post as presumably it's your car. I would give her the benefit of the doubt and then if she is expecting you to pay, discuss it. With her.

Original poster

snickersnack · 18/09/2008 10:38

It is our car.
She definitely definitely assumed I'd be paying - don't think she was just letting me know in case something came through the post!

I've said I'll pay it. More keen on maintaining good relations than taking a stand, though you're all right that it was her responsibility. I had thought about the speeding ticket analogy - no way would I pay that, and parking isn't much different. I can understand how it happened - they have just changed all the rules round there, and parking can be a bit fraught. Plus I think things were tricky yesterday - children being awkward and she wasn't well. She was very apologetic, so I hope it doesn't happen again. Thank you for your views - I feel pretty confident that if it does happen again and I ask her to pay, I'm in the right.

OP posts:

NewTeacher · 18/09/2008 11:00

My au pair got a ticket yesterday. She shouldnt have been using the car at that time as everything locally is accesible by walking.

So I told her she would have to pay. I'm paying it initially and taking £5 from her wages each week.

She has accepted it was her mistake and is happy to pay a little each week.

imananny · 18/09/2008 12:31

snickersnack - maybe its worth saying now that you are happy to pay this time, but make clear that if it happens again, or if she gets points/fine that you wont pay, or she might expect it

HarrietTheSpy · 18/09/2008 13:05

I think the main point to come out of this thread is that we should all add this to our lists of things to potential talk about with potential employees/employers when car usage is being discussed!!!

PinkChick · 18/09/2008 13:39

SHE parked illegally whether or not she was working at the time, so no i wouldnt pay, she could have found a proper parking spot if shed tried.

Original poster

snickersnack · 18/09/2008 14:46

Next time we employ a nanny, there are a LOT of things I'm going to talk about before she starts that I didn't discuss this time round.

OP posts:

gladders · 18/09/2008 14:47

personally think I'd pay the first one for the sake of an easy life, but would make it clear no more......

imananny · 18/09/2008 15:11

Next time we employ a nanny, there are a LOT of things I'm going to talk about before she starts that I didn't discuss this time round

sounds interesting - like what?

nannyL · 18/09/2008 18:30

ok...

my job is a NANNY... i park where the parents would park

there is NOWHERE to park that isnt double yelow lines.... they are double yellow because there are gates that are unused and ALWAYS locked... the gates belong t the museum and were used before the vuilding itself became a museaum.... the double yellow lines go in fron of the gates AND miles either side for if the gates were used which they never ever ever are.

if my bosses tooktheir own children to school they would park where i park... it is not dangerouse and doesnt block any view becuase the gates are not opened at all ever.

if when i get a parking ticket my bosses WILL pay and are fine with it...
they accept a couple of parking tickets a year on top of the school fees, not that i have had any yet.

it is the middle of a busy city centre...
there is NO alternative parking and the school run takes me 2 - 3 hours per day, so i wont leave earlier and walk for literally miles either.

I park my car in a safe place not blocking anyone, and when a pedantic traffic warden enforces it, rather than walking past likehe NOMALLY does, and i get a tickt my bosses will pay and wont bat an eye lid

they have the same parking problems when they do the school run...

oh ad if i walked to school i would never actually make it there or home

Simplyme · 18/09/2008 18:47

I started my first driving job in london around 6 years ago. On the start of the job my boss told me that they would pay first ticket and I must pay subsequents... I was thinking hmmm they must have had a problem with past nanny to bring that up!

I have had 4 tickets in 6 plus years of school runs/play dates etc. 3 were not my fault and successfully contested so no fine.

1 was clearly my fault. I was having a ditsy moment as parked the car and walked away without even thinking about getting a pay and display ticket!!!

Needless to say I told my boss but also paid for it straightaway as was def my fault.

Original poster

snickersnack · 18/09/2008 20:29

imananny - she's great, she really is. She's wonderful with the children, reliable and friendly. Which is really all that matters. But there are things that I'd do differently, which aren't deal breakers, but that I now feel too awkward to raise - like no commercial tv [ - I really need to get over that one], she drives places when I'd probably get the bus, she probably feeds them fish fingers a little more regularly than I would. But all in all she's really very fantastic.

OP posts:

AtheneNoctua · 19/09/2008 07:45

NannyL, so realistically, could you take the bus or the train? I mean in the city centre next to a museum? Surely there is public transport that doesn't require a parking space.

Sycamoretree · 19/09/2008 07:58

No, I wouldn't (and haven't) paid my nanny's parking tickets. Most people who drive for their jobs also pay their own tickets. (cab drivers, delivery drivers etc).

jurahasfoundthehiggsboson · 19/09/2008 09:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

imananny · 19/09/2008 14:45

snickersnack - friendly, reliable and caring are good qualities to find in a nanny - keep her

regards to fish fingers, dont buy them and then she cant feed them to your children

fridayschild · 19/09/2008 15:53

We use the nannytax contract. That says very clearly that if nanny gets a parking ticket, nanny pays.

I would pay for tickets if nanny drove a DC to the GP/hospital and couldn't find a space in a hurry. I have never paid for parking tickets on playdates. I had a nanny who tried this on, and when I said she should pay, never got a ticket again.

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