do nannies work only afternoons?

[theory]

We've been in a good nannyshare but it's coming to an end (the other family pulled out, nanny refused job for just our family), and we are thinking of putting our DD in nursery this fall. We've found one nursery we really like, but it's a bus ride away and, frankly, I'm not looking forward to picking up DD after work (it's not on the way) and hustling home during rush hour. I imagine she'll be exhausted, and by the time we make it home, it will be a mad dash through dinner-bath-bedtime.

My question: do you think it would be possible to hire a nanny for the afternoons only- so, DD would do morning sessions at nursery and spend afternoons at home (say 1-5:30/6?

I proposed this idea to the nanny we found to help when the share collapsed, and she said this would never work for her because she wouldn't be able to find morning work. Makes sense to me, and so I'm wondering if the whole idea is really not worth pursuing? What do you think?

Nanny probably wouldn't be able to find only morning work but you can always advertise and try!

How old is your DD? Would a cm be an option or do you want her to start going to nursery?

It may be harder to find someone, but not impossible. I worked 12-7 in a previous nanny job and was quite happy with that. Are you not able to find another family to share with?

A friend of mine works similar sort of hours and as the salary is lower than she had been looking for they give her guaranteed weekly babysitting at an agreed hourly rate to boost her salary.

Best of luck!

Years ago, when I was a nanny, I used to work just three hours in the afternoons, after school. So I don't think it's impossible to find someone willing to do this because I used to! How easy it will be is another matter.

Could you not and find another nanny share? Would probably be the quickest route to getting what you need.

You could try advertising for one at the nursery you have chosen?

I think it would be possible and would work. In Septemeber i am returning to studying and I'm hoping to get something similar to fit around my studies as i will be finished lectures by 1.30. Good luck.

its a lot harder to find an afternoon nanny as it is quite hard to fit 2 jobs together

saying that a nwoc may be more flexible and cheaper

out of curiosty why wouldnt your nanny work for just you? or do you mean you couldnt afford to pay her the same as was a share?

once you have had a nanny it is very different going to a nursery

you have to get up and ready both you+children

leave earlier to get to nursery/esp if travelling by bus

if child is ill then nursery wont accept them

have you thought about a nwoc fulltime or a cm rather than nursery?

How old is your DD? What would happen if she was ill and couldn't go to nursery - if you only had a nanny for afternoons would she be able to work mornings at short notice?

Think that it could work; as a nanny I wouldn't mind a job that was 12-7 as Jezebel said, but you would need to think carefully about it. If you are planning on more children in the near future, would it be worth it financially to have a nanny then? Also don't forget that nurseries are quite strict on timings and won't take your DD if she is ill.

Thanks, everyone. Sounds possible - worth looking- but not easy to find.

Nanny from the nannyshare refused to work just for one family because she didn't want to take a paycut. We offered her less than she was getting for the two, and said we'd try to find another share right away, but she said she couldn't live on the reduced salary even in the short term. I've thought about finding another share, but the arrangement for the one we had were pretty exhausting tbh...we did the search together, both sets of parents, took ages to agree (and we didn't really agree), then both families had to move house in the middle (the other family quite far away), so lots of negotiating and emotional tumult. Plus the nanny was often sick.

I'm sort of torn about nursery for DD. She'll be almost 2 if we start in the fall, and while I really, really like the nursery and I think she'd enjoy it/benefit from it, I'm concerned about the logistics, the commute, etc. My thought was that having nursery and nanny could be the best of both worlds.

Would you consider a nanny with her own child? That might increase your pool of candidates wanting part time work, and the hourly rate could be 10-20% lower.

Sure, if in our house (is that how this usually works?), then I think nanny + her own child could be great.

Yes, it's just the same as employing a nanny without her own child. There are plenty of pitfalls but if you've already experienced a nanny share you probably know about them already - who provides her child's food, what if her child is ill, what if your child is ill, who provides extra highchairs/double buggy etc.

One thing about the combination of nanny and nursery - what would happen if your daughter is too ill to go to nursery? Would you take just the morning off work, or would you need the nanny to be "on call"? I think if you need the nanny to be on call you might have to pay some sort of retainer for those hours.

Hi its not hard at all to find a afternoon nanny, ive done lots of afternoon work, i have found them on Gumtree, word of mouth and adverts i have seen i shop windows.Maybe you can just put a advert up. It wont be hardGood luck x