how to find help & what are the pay levels etc

[smilesandsun]

Hi I'm thinking of getting a 'mothers helper' to help me with my two (aged 5 and 2) a few afternoons a week. Dutuies would mainly be looking after the 2 yr old but also some tidying up after playtime is over.

Where should I look for someone like that and what are the general pay levels?

thanks

thanks. what are the certificates etc i should be looking for (we're new to this)

thanks

There are no general pay levels. Minimum is National Minimum Wage which varies depending on your employees age. Maximum salary is whatever you like.
www.nannyjob.co.uk can be a good place to start looking at childcare adverts in your area, this will give you some indication of what jobs are around and salaries being offered. If you have a local www.gumtree.com for your area, then that is also a place to look at adverts. On both Nannyjob and Gumtree you can place your own advert (at a cost, though Gumtree is still free in some areas).
Also advertise locally, newsagents shop window type thing - as the job may appeal to a local student, mum with older children etc.

A mother's help isn't likely to have certificates. They aren't a childcare professional.
You should check ID documents (to confirm to yourself that the person is who they claim to be, plus confirm their eligibility to work in the UK), you will need their home address plus National Insurance Number for the payroll. If they have recently left a job, you need the P45... otherwise you will find a P46 in your employers pack which your employee will need to complete. You may find that your job may pay below the NICs threshold (£95 a week I think currently, without looking it up). HMRC New Employers Helpline can advise you about tax side of things, see: HMRC PAYE Intro

If you want a part-time qualified nanny, then you should be looking for at least NVQ Level 2 qualification in childcare. You may want someone Ofsted registered (this will then enable you to part-pay using Childcare Vouchers if you employer provides those). If the person is Ofsted registered, they will be able to show you their Enhanced CRB check (which Ofsted do at time of initial registration to check the persons criminal record). As a private individual you are unable currently to get a CRB check done on your employee.

wow thanks for the help, there is so much to learn! Here I was thinking that it would be totally simple.

Thanks again!