Rest breaks etc etc etc

[LouHasSixWhiteBoomers]

I was wondering if I could get your opinions/advice etc please.

As a nanny are you entitled to a certain amount of time off between shifts (I heard a rumour it was 11 hours)?

If you are contracted to work 7am to 7pm but work until at least 10pm every night and technically have hours off during the day but don't really as you have to be on call when the kids are at school so can't realyl go anywhere anyway, should you be paid more as you are really working 7am to 10pm?

Also, some days you start earlier then your rostered shift would you charge OT?

Thanks

In theory and an ideal world we nannies are probably supposed to but it never works that way in my experience.

"If you are contracted to work 7am to 7pm but work until at least 10pm every night "

Surely you are not required to work during non contracted hours, or if you are, you are paid additional for it (and you discussed the appropriate rate before you too / were offered the job).

"technically have hours off during the day but don't really as you have to be on call when the kids are at school "

Surely you are not on call during time for which you are not paid?

I'm not sure what this has to do with rest breaks, which I would say you are probably not entitled to as a nanny. You just fit them in when kids are watching telly, at school, sleeping, playing in the park (within your sight), etc. Just like parents and childminders do.

do you mean a certain amount of hours betweent shifts. as something like that use to apply in my partners wrks. if he wrked late one nite he was not allowed to do the early opening up shift apparently it was in some law or something but his wrk got round it my getting them to sign to say that they did not want there .....(howver many hours) break between shifts. which that should have had and imagine every1 would.
i think unless you are live in then wrking till 10 then starting at 7 is a bit much whats the point going home.

Was reading some old threads on here (while bored sitting here waiting for the new stove to be delivered) and read something about the above points and thought I would ask for more clarification.

The job turned out to be more then expected when I started. Very different to contract. Family are lovely so have no pushed the issue but am not getting really sick of it.

Thanks for the advice. Will just bide my time I think until I quit.

"Will just bide my time I think until I quit"

Really? Do you not think it'd be better to speak to the family and explain your concerns. Being "on call" for school emergencies is not your own time, therefore you should be paid for it. Wokring later in evenings than your contracted hours is working overtime, you should be paid for it.

The family are lovely so you don't want to push the issue, but you are happy to quit and give them the hassle of finding a new nanny and for thier kids to have to get used to someone else, rather than sorting it out with them? I find that a little odd.

That came out wrong. Was annoyed to be finding out that I would be working late again. Am going to mention it but was just tired and cranky.

In cse this is any help, form an employer's point of view, I would expect the nanny to work late (overnight) on occassions when DH and I both have to travel for work. But, if it was something like a social occassion I forgot to mention I would be quite happy for the nanny to say she was busy and unable to work late.

And if I was repeatedly asking at the last minute I would expect her to get a bit annoyed with me.

You are refering to the european working time directive; unless your employers have asked you to sign an exemption you are subject to it. Many of us in long hour jobs have to sign up to be exempt.

Anyway, you should be able to google in but in essence you should have 11 hours between the end of one shift and the start of the next. You should also only work a 48 hour week (I expect this one catches out most nanny employers)

Talk to your employers, they may not realise how unreasonable they are being. Are you their first nanny?

Are you saying that nannies have a right to clock off for a break while they have small children in their charge? And if so, who should look after the kids?

I think nannies fit in their breaks where they can, just like mums and dads do. You know like they sit on the beck whilst at the playground, or they sit down and have a cuppa whilst the kids are playing in the other room or napping.

I do like the idea of "right kids i'm just going to sit downstairs with a cup of tea for 20 miins...amuse yourselves wont you...it's my break time"

I often end up working late, due to the nature of the parents jobs sometimes it can be last minute, but the youngest (7m) is in bed by 7.30 latest and older 2 (7&9) by 8.20 so after that i can have a bit of time to tidy up etc then sit down

I just fit in a cup of tea when mindees pootling around on the floor (i will someday drink a hot cup ) or when she's sleeping...but if shes having one of those days where she doesnt sleep at all and is tired or teething etc then i dont get a break...but oh well nor do mums or childminders if there kids are doing the same

a nanny job is not an average 9-5 job with breaks scheduled at 10 1 and 4...why are you "on call" when the kids are at school?

when im with youngest mindee we sometimes go out to activities etc that mean it would take an hour or so to get to the kids school in the event of a problem...oh well so be it! i cant stay in the local area on the off chance one of them might be ill etc!school!

Talk to them if you dislike it that much but saying "Will just bide my time I think until I quit" is a shit attitude!
if your unhappy tell them, then they can change or at least be aware etc rather then dumping them in it because you didnt say something earlier!

Anyone who works in a household or similar doing care duties (eg nannies, au pairs, housekeepers) is specifically exempt from the working times directive (and incidentally also exempt from the minimum wages directive). So you have no legal redress for long hours, or lack of rest breaks.

That said, I do not understand 'have to be on-call' when the kids are at school? This time should be your own. If the parents have specifically said that you have to be available if one of them is sick or something? If so then you need to discuss this - do they pay you extra if you work these hours? Are you technically able to say 'No' if they asked you to cover for a child being ill?

If the kids are at school then presumably you are working from 7-9.30 (say) every morning, and 3.00 to 8pm bedtime every night, then 2 hours babysitting each night? That adds up to 42.5 'heavy' hours and 10 'light' hours a week, which sounds perfectly reasonable to me for a live-in role, unless you are being asked to work weekends and the hours between 9.30 and 3.00 as well? Obviously if you are having to fill the in-between school times with housework then that is a tough ride, but generally I always understood that live-in nannies are expected to do between 50-60 hours a week. live-out nannies 40-45 hours.

Re European time directive I think that doesn't apply in same way to domestic workers

in the ideal world everyone should get 10hrs rest

but doesnt work like that

i have been known to bs till 12 and then back at work by 8am the nextday - yes i can stay, but prefer my own bed/not to be woken up at 7am by children

yes if you are on call when children are at school,then you should be paid a full time wage