Can anyone tell me a bit about nanny sharing, please?

[OhExpletive]

I'm pregnant with my second child. DS goes to a fab CM who also cares for another little girl of the same age. Her mum is also expecting DC2.

CM is thinking of giving up due to work petering out and wanting to do something different for a while. Which is a shame because we think the world of her, and being precious fussy demanding fairly high in our expectations of a childminder there isn't a lot of choice locally.

I'm just wondering about the logistics and financial implications of arranging a nanny share, eventually, with this other family. We aren't close friends but socialise a bit and our kids get on really well together. How does it all work? And how much cash am I going to have to fork out (bearing in mind we're paying under a fiver an hour for excellent childminding, but can't afford much more and am hoping to return to work on much reduced hours after this one)?

Depends where you are in the country as to wages, but I'd say you'd be pretty lucky to find a nanny share and pay less than a fiver an hour all in. Remember you have tax, mileage, food, activities kitty, increased electricity bill, maybe a payroll company to factor in as well as the nanny's wage.

OK, thanks ... that's helpful. Payroll would hopefully be easy enough due to the skills of one of the parents involved

I do realise when we have 2 kids we're going to be paying more than a fiver an hour! But we'd definitely struggle to pay double that, for example, so we're going to have to negotiate good second child rates with a CM or think a bit laterally.

Hmmmmm food for thought.

Does anyone else have anything to add?

There is quite a lot in the archives about Nanny Shares, so worth doing a search - then ask a more specific question, as I think the lack of a specific question may be why you are not getting many responses.

You need to have a contract between you and the other family, which sets out things such as agreeing on when you take holiday, what happens in the event of someone wanting to leave the arrangement, details of who is paying for what, whose home the care will take place, plus many more things.

If the care DOES NOT take place at your home, then it's not really any better than a childminder... as you are still taking your children to the other persons home - not able to leave them in bed, leave them in PJs, leave them eating breakfast etc.

From what I've read on here about nanny shares (as I've never done a nanny share), the nanny will usually be paid more than if they worked for just one family. However that increased amount is then split between the two families - the split may be 50/50, though more likely to be 60/40 I suspect if all care takes place in one home (the person providing the location pays less, as they have all the heat, light, wear & tear costs).

And how much cash am I going to have to fork out (bearing in mind we're paying under a fiver an hour for excellent childminding, but can't afford much more and am hoping to return to work on much reduced hours after this one)?

It is hard to give figures until a lot more detail about the share has been decided. Also it can vary on location and the level of experience the nanny has.

As you are paying under £5 an hour now for 1 child, I would expect that the cost in a nanny share may not be that much less than what the childminder would charge for 2 children. This is due to all the added on costs that come with a nanny, such as Employers NI, activity budget, mileage payments - where as your childminder may be charging an inclusive fee.

How much do you actually pay your childminder now... and what is included in that? For example... your childminder may charge extra for meals, though that cost may be not be more than it would cost a nanny to make the meal at home and could be less cost... as the childminder may be splitting the cost of the meal between more children.

Apart from for cost reasons... why do you want a nanny share?

Thanks so much - I didn't mean to be lazy and not search, it's just that the info I seek is so general ... which is, as you say, the issue!

We're currently paying £4.50 an hour. We provide a packed lunch but the CM provides fruit and milk. She also provides a vast amount of craft kit, activities and gifts (!) at no extra cost - I believe we are getting exceptional value for money.

The main reason a nanny came to mind wasn't for any potential extra convenience but because CMs are thin on the ground locally. We share similar general parenting outlooks with this other family (who I haven't broached this with at all, it's simply a passing thought I had) and I guess because the kids already get on well and are of similar ages and will be attending the same preschool it seems logical to take Mohammed to the mountain. I feel a nanny might fit round the kids better than many of the local CMs whose mindees really do spend an awful lot of time being shipped up and down to and from schools, nurseries, playgroups etc.

Cost would probably be our biggest barrier, although as you say CM fees are likely to be comparable. I would imagine care would take place in the other home as ours is a bit tiny for four kids.

From the archives:
Advice needed on nannyshare expectations
Going to a nanny share but confused if our nanny should be paid more
How would you split the costs of this nannyshare
Nanny Share : anyone done it, doing it
Nanny share experiences, the good the bad and the ugly
Nannyshare - please share your wisdom
Nannyshare - hourly rate
positive nannyshare stories

Oh goodness, wonderful - thank you and I am ashamed now

Thanks again

We're currently paying £4.50 an hour. We provide a packed lunch but the CM provides fruit and milk. She also provides a vast amount of craft kit, activities and gifts (!) at no extra cost - I believe we are getting exceptional value for money

In my area, childminders typically charge £5 per hour per child. Some are still at £4.50 but £5 seems more usual. Then there are additional charges for meals.

So if you are anywhere near me (Surrey/Berkshire border) then I'd say £4.50 per child is a good price. With two children you would be paying £9 per hour... which could be similar to the cost of a nannyshare once you have taken into account all the costs involved, especially if you are not providing the place of work, thus your share percentage is higher.

It is a shame that your childminder is considering giving up, as by the sounds of it she is good.

We're at the other end of another country . She's not the cheapest locally but it's not an unusual fee round here. And yes, she's bloody fantastic. I'm gutted because she's one of the very few people I'd be "happy" (given we use childcare out of necessity rather than want) leaving a baby with. A real credit to the profession.

Thanks a lot for your help, really useful and food for thought indeed.

Have a look at nanny job listings sites - may help get a feel for what salaries are being offered to nannies in your area.
sites like:
www.nannyjob.co.uk
www.childcare.co.uk
www.gumtree.com (find your nearest City)