What do live-in nannies do at weekends?

[deliakate]

Sorry so ignorant, but do they stay at your home, or go to theirs (assuming you don't need them at the weekend)?

I live in and have the option to stay at work or go elsewhere - I tend to go home most weekends, but if I need to might spend a night in my room at work.

Thanks. What time do you typically start work in the mornings?

I'm trying to work out options of getting help with DS, in anticipation of being pregnant with no.2, and not sure what kind to look for.

I start work at 7.30 and my boss leaves between 7.30-7.45 most mornings. My charge has usually been up about 40 minutes by the time I start work and she will have attempted to do breakfast/teeth/getting dressed.

I live in and I stay the weekend unless of visiting. Just a point though - just because a nanny is live in does not mean they are at your beck and call. Just because I am in at the weekend does not mean my door is open or I am available unless agreed in advance. It would have to be a complete emergency (life or death) for me to agree to work.

some live-in nannies dont have another home to go to, so they stay at your home as its their home as well.

Thanks. Tbh, tavvy, your post scares me a bit. I am the last person in the world who would expect something for nothing, but I obviously need to make sure I find someone who isn't going to presume otherwise!

"Go home" to where? Most live-in nannies won't have another home tucked away somewhere else.

Why do you want a live-in nanny? What advantages do you see that giving you over say a live-out nanny, or a childminder?

Consider things like the hours of childcare you need... are they such that it isn't suitable for someone to come to your home each day?

Consider the increased loss of privacy of having someone else live in your home. Evenings for example... Weekends (as you have already identified).

Consider the cost of providing someone with a roof over their head. The room(s), Heat, Light, food & drink... all those and probably more 24/7 (Do live-in nannies get food 24/7, or only when on duty? Suppose it depends on the contract)

god can i just ask the Nannys here, if you live in is it difficult to switch off, say if the kids knock on your door before you are due to start work? or you can hear lots of pandamonium in the house but its your day off, do the parents ever hint for your help, how do the kids know if you are off duty?
isnt it really tricky?

like one awful pick up time for a cm when kids can really play one off against another

god can i just ask the Nannys here, if you live in is it difficult to switch off, say if the kids knock on your door before you are due to start work? or you can hear lots of pandamonium in the house but its your day off, do the parents ever hint for your help, how do the kids know if you are off duty?
isnt it really tricky?

like one awful pick up time for a cm when kids can really play one off against another

We used to tell our children and explain to each of our au pairs that if they wanted privacy to shut their bedroom door. If their bedroom door was open it was ok for one of the kids to knock or to engage them in conversation. Many of our au pairs were happy to keep their doors open most of the evening. We did tell the children not to do it too much otherwise it wasn't fair on the au pair and by and large they kept to that agreement.

We used the same sort of arrangement if I am spending time in the living room with DH late in the evening. If the living room door is open - which it is most of the time, we don't mind anyone coming in for a chat.. if the door is closed it generally means we are watching a film and want a little time to ourselves unless it is an emergency.

I didn't mean to sound harsh. It's a touchy subject for live in nannies and for me is a no go zone on account of past experience.
I tell the children I am off duty if they want me to do something (nicely of course)
Parents can hint as much as they like but unless they ask directly I'm not likely to venture upstairs regardless of what I hear (I have a seperate flat)
You get very used to switching off. The family are my work life and I will be dedicated to them during the hours of my contract. Outside of that I have another life.

You'd be amazed how many parents do think a live-in nanny should be on call. I've had full blown tantrums from parents thrown at me because I was out and they decided they wanted me on my designated time off. They'd had an impromptu invitation somewhere. I've always been happy to do on call but I like it specified in the contract say on call 24/5 etc

I have the reverse problem. I am always telling the kids that the nanny's door is off limits in the evening and on the weekends. But, she keeps inviting them in so it's impossible for me to work out when to pull them out and when to let them carry on. Sometimes I go in and say "X is off duty. Out you go..." and she's says "No, it's okay..." so I back off.

I like the open/closed door idea. That puts it all in nanny's control. But, she has never complained about them coming in. I just hope she isn't letting them in when she doesn't really want them there.

I'm live in too... it's taken some years of experience to figure out the balance between politeness and courtesy, and disturbing me on my time off. I'm happy to have a chat with my bosses if I see them in the kitchen over the weekend, but they have (so far) been pretty good at leaving me be on my off duty time. I only have a day and a half off a week so I need that time to decompress, get my stuff done, have a meagre social life etc. Like Tavvy I devote my contracted working hours to the family, but on my time off I want as little to do with work as possible! I keep my door closed, and go about my business discretely as the other side of the coin is the weekend is also THEIR family time and they don't need me hanging around them either!