nannys and short days

[SparkyUK]

I'm due back at work in a few months and am looking for childcare for DS. We'd love a nanny and are trying to find a way to afford it. We're investigating a nanny share and also getting a nanny who has her own child.

I've realised though that as I will be working from home a few days a week, and my DH has a late start to his day, that some days we may only need 7 hours of care (say 9:30 to 4:30). Will nannies be put off by this as the usual hours are 10-12 hours a day? Seems like a good way for us to save 50 pounds a week or so.

Also, would it then be annoying to the nanny to be asked to work later some days? I know this will depend on the person and her (or his) other commitments but I also don't want to ask someone to do something that is unheard of or would be seen as taking the piss. Do people pay by the hour nannys and short days really, or is it an hourly rate but you pay by the day and so if we need between 7 and 8 hours a day, we should pay for 8 and sometimes be home early.

Argh. First of all, it's nanny's or nannies but never nannys.

Second of all, I think I started typing in the middle of another line at the end there and it all looks a bit jumbled. What I meant to ask was:

Do people really pay nannies by the hour (varrying day to day - like clocking in and out) or do you pay an hourly rate but for a set hours a day (pre-arranged/agreed). For instance, if we need between 7 and 8 hours a day, will we pay 7 somedays and 8 others and 7.5 on others, or we should pay for 8 and sometimes be home early and the nanny gets a bit of paid time off (which is totally fine - just want to know how it works).

Apologies - I'm operating on very little sleep (see other post!)

always state and pay the most hours you may need, and if you are home early then let the nanny go, and this will please the nanny lots

you can work out an hourly rate or say if it is an 8hr day say that the daily rate is £64 (about 8phn)

when you say work later, do you mean babysit or that the hours will be say 4-midnight insted of 9-5

obv pay depends on your area, and the experience of the nanny, if you do decide to go a nannyshare route then make sure your hours are roughly the same as the other job, or the nanny may find her self working 12+hrs a day to cover yours and their hours

By work later I just mean that if the tubes are running on schedule, I can be home by 5 but if things go to pot then it might be 5:30 or 5:45. Should I say the day is 9 to 5:30 assuming that this is what will happen at leat once a week? It's just frustrating as we are trying to keep the costs low enough that a nanny is actually afforable. That's why I was wondering if anyone paid actual hours worked rather than pre-arranged hours. I think the actual hours worked would only change 1 or 2 hours a week, tbh...

A friend did a nanny share with a family who had very different hours and it worked (for awhile at least) and they paid by the hours and different rates for one it was for one family or two. But I guess this is the exception rather than the rule.

You're asking for quite a lot of flexibility there - most nannies accept that there will be the occasional day when the boss is home late, but once a week isn't occasional in my view. I think really you need to state the later time rather than the best case scenario as the standard hours, and then if the nanny has to stay later than that pay overtime or give her time off in lieu.

To be honest, if a nanny is going to be this much of a financial struggle for you, maybe it isn't the best option for you. A childminder will be more affordable.

If you aren't going to pay her the full rate because she's working less hours then you can't expect her to be on standby for you. For example she might do babysitting or take an evening job in a pub/restaurant. We once had a less than full time nanny who was a lifeguard at our local pool in the evenings.

If you want her to be available just in case then you need to pay her to be sure that she is available.

With regard to the coming home late bit, I'd say try to have contracted finish time to be on the side of caution. While that may mean you get home typically 30 mins earlier, that will give time for handover, nanny finishing off some domestic tasks, or you letting your nanny leave early (thus building up some browniepoints for when you call saying there are no trains/tube and you're walking home).

Short days can work if you are consistent with the timings. So if DH always always always leaves late on a Tuesday, then nanny can start late on a Tuesday. But if DH leaves home at various times on various Tuesdays, I don't feel it will work.

Is a nanny the right type of childcare for you? With one child, a nanny is an expensive option in my view. Other forms of childcare are lower cost... but the hours those kinds of childcare are open may not suit you.

With a nanny there are hidden costs, which you need to consider... so if you are struggling to work out how to pay the salary, I'm concerned that you will struggle once you have calculated all the costs - such as Employers NICs, Payroll Agency (unless you do the payroll yourself), Nannies weekly expenses kitty, Nannies travel costs taking your DS to activities/places of interest, nannies food during their working hours, additional heating and lighting costs.

good point about including time for handover, tidy up etc. I definitely think for the days I'm not wfh, I would schedule the later time.

Getting a nanny is just one option I'm considering. Because we could have these reduced hours in someways it's not that much more than the nurseries and childminders around here (especially as they charge for a full 10 or 11 hour day and the part-time day rate is more than the full week/5 iykwim). Anyway, I'm more just trying to figure out what the costs would be rather than how we'd pay it - sorry re-reading me op, I did make it sound like we'd be checking the sofa cushions!

I have just got a new nannying position

working 11.30am - 6pm

this suits me fine,as i have 2 children of my own, so i can still see them off to school etc in the mornings

then I only need after school care for my youngest, for 3 hours

I will be paid an hourly rate

sparky - I think if you offered 9.30-5.30 and advertised that you are happy to accept someone collecting and bringing her own children after school to you, then I think you will get a lot of interest from reliable, experienced, older nannies. That way it also doesn't matter if every now and then it is 5.45 when you walk through the door.

Remember though that you would need to work out what happens in school holidays in those situations... your call.

Asking for 'flexibility' (ie 'banking' unused hours and then using them at short notice) won't work unless you are paying a good wage to start with and can employ someone without any commitments of their own. Better by far IMHO to employ someone with commitments than without, because commitments = reliability (and less alternative options for them).

I would suggest you say the day starts at the earliest time you need to leave (well 10mins before that) and ends at the lastest time you will be home (again 10mins over that)

so if earliest poss time you will ever need nanny to start is 9.30 and the lastest you will ever be home is 5.30 (unless by prior agreement the nanny agrees to babysit and stay later) then the hours need to be 9.30-5.30 and if you are home early take the opportunity to get changed, chat to nanny and let nanny leave early.

so yes pay for the 8hrs.