what does a nanny mean, when they say "rate is negotiable"

[workingmom2000]

How negotiable is it really? I've been quoted £8 net per hour from most nannies and they all say they're willing to 'discuss' the salary expectations. How much could I negotiate down the rate?

hmmmmmmmmmmm

this depends,might be easier to discuss a daily rate, rather than hourly

for a nanny to drop form £8 to say £7 for a 50hr week, is obv £50 and most nannies i know cant do that

so maybe instead of £400 (5 10hr days) you could say salary is £370 a week

The employer sets the salary in my view, not the employee.

If the employer has not stated a salary in the job advert, then applicants can name their own price - which the employer could accept, or negotiate.

The first step for a nanny employer, is to negotiate rate to GROSS not NET - as agreeing a GROSS wage is important to the Employer.

Then you drop it as low as you feel you can go... if they are just out of college, or coming from a nursery job, then start at just above NMW ... say £6 Gross. Then let them negotiate upwards. At some point you will reach a compromise.

Personally I far prefer it when an employer advertises the wage they will pay.

I agree with nannynick. I think employers should set the wage and the nanny can accept or reject on those grounds.
I've had so many interviews where I've been asked and when I've quoted the going London rate the family have just stared at me then told me they want to pay £100 net a week or something like that.
For me negotiation depends on how much I've decided I'm interested in the position at interview. If I'm not interested and they ask what I'm wanting to be paid I name a higher price than if I am interested to deter them but that's just me being too wimpy to say it all sounds hellish, no thank you

half the problem is that an agency may tell the nanny one hourly rate and find its not what the parents expect

i always ask the salary before going for an interview as if they cant afford me, no point me going and wasting their time as i cant afford to negotiate down

I would never interview someone without having already set out the salary in advance. I always say starting salary is X net (negotiable for exceptional candidates only), with salary review after 6 months.

FWIW if I was hiring now I would probably be offering a much lower starting rate than £8 (unless the hours are really unsociable) - there are far more nannies looking for work these days, and I think £8 an hour is far too high in this climate unless the nanny has, say, 10+ years experience. For someone just out of college I'd not pay more than £6 an hour net, and I would probably advertise at the £6.50-£7.00 level.

You could try a lower rate during a 3 month trial period for the nanny, with an agreed increase when her probation ends. I have done this before - match nanny's current pay in the probation period and increase it afterwards.

This does help you gauge how keen people are to take the job. It's also quite a soft way to open negotiations, I think, if you are both being terribly British and finding it hard to discuss money. Oh, and it saves agency fees too, if that's relevant to you.

The fact that they are 'willing to discuss' the rate is a sign of the times. Lots of nannies out of work or wondering how secure their jobs are. You are in a strong position to set the price you want to pay (within reason!). You don't say where you are in the country, but in London nannies were still looking for £9 net an hour (£10 net in some cases) typically when I was interviewing a few weeks ago. However, they didn't get the job and I offered it to a recent college grad (childcare diploma) with a few months nursery experience. She happily accepted £7 gross per hour. I wonder if any of the other nannies I interviewed (all of whom had been 'made redundant') are still looking for a job paying £9 net per hour or more? I would definitely use the opportunity to negotiate a gross rate which will be more convenient for you and then I would gauge what to offer based on level of experience, current salary if they are in a secure job at the moment etc. For those without much experience (maybe one or two nanny jobs) my starting point for negotiation would be £8 gross per hour and see what reaction you get. You can then move upwards if you want to.