How does a nanny share work?

[bean612]

I'm thinking a nanny might be the best option for 9-month-old DD - trouble is, we can't really afford one. A nanny share sounds like a viable option, but I'm not really sure of the process. Ideally I'd like to hire a nanny, then advertise for a share, mostly because I think trying to settle DD with a new person would be miles easier in her own home, ie. an environment that she's used to (I've had real problems leaving her with other people, esp. outside our house). Any advice gratefully received! Thank you.

A nanny share is when you share a nanny with another family and the children are care for concurrently.
So I think you are best trying to find the share family, then both of you are involved in recruiting the nanny. That way you will know far better what the nannies duties will be. Also if you want your DD always cared for at her home, then you will need to find a share family who is happy to have their child/children at your home every day, rather than at their home.

The clue is in the name: it has to be a share! I think if you pick an nanny and then expect some other family to fall in with your plans then it is a recipe for disaster. First find the other family and make sure that you have compatible values or else the poor nanny will be pulled in two directions all the time (you only have to look at MN boards to see the numerous things that parents of PFB get het up about). Then jointly interview her and jointly employ her so you are both liable for the wage (otherwise the other family may leave and you have 100% of the bill). Also, think of it from the nanny's POV: would you like a job where there was only 50% of a job description and the other half was 'TBA with some unknown party'?

You also have to think about costs beyond the nanny's salary. When I did nannyshare (two young babies of very similar age) we had an agreement that care was in the one house (for continuity/stability for the DC) so we split it so that the house-with-care took the extra running costs (eg heating) and the other family took the extra capital costs (eg highchair at home and the other house)

Hi Senua - well sure, obviously the two families have to be like-minded and in agreement about what to ask of/expect from the nanny. I wasn't expecting some poor family to be dictated to by me, and I'd like to think I'd be a considerate enough employer to make sure the nanny had one consistent job description. I've seen plenty of nanny share ads where a family already has a nanny but is looking for a share (perhaps because the original share family has moved on, who knows), so I didn't think this was a particularly unusual way of doing it. But your comments about extra costs to think about is very helpful, thank you.

I'm still a bit confused about one thing - does a nanny share mean you and another family hire a nanny and she looks after the children of family 1 on, say, Mondays and Tuesdays, and family 2 on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays? Or does it mean both families hire a nanny for however many days a week required, and the nanny looks after the children of both families at the same time? Sometimes it seems to mean one, sometimes the other. I was hoping for the latter option, so that then the cost can be shared...

A nannyshare is when the nanny looks after both families children at the same time. So nannies wages & tax and ni are sorted out jointly by both families.

If 2 families employed the nanny for 2 days with one family and 3 days with the other then it is 2 seperate jobs and tax and ni (and splitting tax codes?) should be done seperately by the individual employer. I don't know what would happen if there was an overlap ie family 1 on Mon, Tues & Weds and family 2 on Weds , Thurs & Fri. Is there anyone around who knows?