Nannies and Xmas holidays

[lobsters]

I'm still working out costings on getting a nanny and was wondering how those of you who are nannies or have nannies deal with working over Xmas. Is it normally given as additional leave or does it come out of the normal leave allowance?

For the next few years I imagine I will take quite a few days off over Xmas and New Year to spend with DD, I'm unsure whether it's best to offer 20 days leave plus Xmas and bank holidays, or 25 days leave which it is expected will include Xmas plus bank holidays, what is the norm?

LaQuitar

a nanny friend of mine worked Xmas eve 2008(though was allowed to go early for the one and only time that year)

Not only were both parenst around and at home, but so were both sets of grandparents...

if she wanted the day off it needed to come out of her holiday (she can choose 8 days a year) and had already used one of those days to attend her grandmothers funeral (she could have taken the funeral unpaid if she had chosen too)

oh dear laquitar...and oh dear ladyg actually....
we do four weeks holiday plus bank holidays off (two weeks her choice, two weeks ours).
i get six weeks holiday a year and usually take one of these over christmas or NY (i dont automatically get any time off at xmas) but basically i feel that she shdnt have to work if im there - on the "extra" weeks i will usually ask her to come in one day so that i can go get hair cut/do stuff i cant do with ds with me (christmas shopping anyone?) and then just give her the rest off anyway. im usually so desperate for more time with ds that i cant imagine why on earth i would want her to be looking after him on my holiday while i was lolling about surfing the net...
so she actually gets loads more holiday than is in the contract. but i find its worth it as a way of keeping her happy - goodwill always worth having..

we do 4 weeks plus bank holidays

when we are on leave, we always let the nanny have leave so in practice, she has a lot more than 4 weeks

Lobsters

Even if you get lots of leave, you might well find it useful to give your nanny less holiday than you in the contract. If she is sick, for example, you might need to use a day of your holiday. Then if she is not sick, you can give her a "free" day off as people have discussed here.

My other tip re Xmas, especially if you are employing a nanny from far away, is to ask at interview what her plans are. I interviewed a great South African once, but she took 3 weeks' of her holidays (not 3 weeks, but 3 weeks of working days so actually over a month) over Christmas to go home every year. I would find it very difficult to take that much time off work at that time of year - once maybe as a special favour but not regularly. And if my current nanny is going to see her parents at Christmas, she needs a day off on Christmas Eve to travel there.

Usually I've had 28 days (flexi-banks) and christmas, but I do see this as a bonus. I have never been just given a whole day off paid at short notice (oh, except snow!). Although I would enjoy one if offered I might end up feeling guilty if it happened too often or like they might expect the same from me in someway.

I've experienced parents who wouldn't dream of having me around if they were e.g. letting me leave if they got in early. And also parents who want to do things with us- play games, take me along to doctor etc. I find this a bit stressful to be honest, even if parents are lovely. I don't see the point but they obviously do.

Then again I've had some parents who have had a day off who expect to be with their children and let me e.g. cook/laundry while others have thought this strange behaviour and insisted they do these (children's) things so the children can get the best out of the nanny's attention/activites, as that is my priority role. So everyone is different/normal.

Not all parents work anyway BUT if my job is sole charge I don't expect them to be in the house when I am there or at least completely out of sight/earshot of charges- in bed, office etc.

It's the little things that mean a lot. I was in a job once which I'd had since October. Apparently I hadn't been there long enough to accrue enough holidays to have the time off between Christmas and New Year. Then all of a sudden they decided I HAD earned three days, and gave me them off in between but I worked Christmas Eve (which meant I couldn't travel to my parents for Christmas Day as they lived at the other end of the country), even though the Mum and Dad were both off and rolling around the floor with the three children. And then, to add insult to injury, they didn't let me give the children their Christmas gifts until my official finish time had passed - ie 6.15pm - so I ended up staying late and didn't get home until 8.15pm on Christmas Eve.

Then in my next job I had officially 2 weeks of my choice and 2 weeks of theirs. I took one week of my choice, but they went away A LOT and I ended up having extra holidays of their choice. However, when it came to Christmas they wouldn't have it that I still had holidays of my choice remaining, and told me I had to work in between Christmas and NY.

So, I made plans to do some Night Nannying in London in that time, thought I might as well fill the time constructively.

Then, on my last day before Christmas they decided they didn't need me after all. So, I could've spent more precious time with my parents - but ended up having to drive back down to London the day after Boxing Day to honour my 3 nights of Night Nannying, and sitting in all day on my own because all my other nanny friends had gone home for Chritmas.

I resigned from both jobs upon my return after Christmas.