Nanny with own child -issues regarding extra hour pay

[julinka]

Hi everyone,
I hope I could get some help.I have been looking after a child since January and bring my boy with me,they are the same age,it has been going great but recently instead of 10 hours,it is becoming more like 11 hours every day and once a week 12 hours.When it happened initially I didn't ask to be paid extra as I felt so happy to have job and so on.Her husband is a builder and on 2-3 occasions it happened he was at home for a week as he didn't have a job.I would come bit later and instead of 10 hours I would do 5-6h.But never had an off day or anything.I am not getting paid on holidays and I have to pay my own tax and they only pay me 5 pound and hour.I decided to write her message when 3 days in row I did 12 hour shift.Then,I did mention to her I want to know in advance about hours as it affects our family life,plus get paid extra.I start 6.30pm and finish 7pm!Then nothing happened so I have sent an e-mail with my explanation and asking to be paid for extra hours.I was shocked to receive an e-mail saying we never agreed to do 10 hour shift(we had an oral arrangement),plus saying she thought the days her hubby is at home make up for those extra hours and then saying they haven't got much money when her hubby doesn't work(she has a very good job).And then suggested she would pay me for extra hours but would only pay me half the day when her hubby is off work(we agreed she would still pay full as it is the same in nursery you have to pay)I have spoken to few parents about it and I feel so used,especially I treat her child as my own.I do not know what else there is to do to make communication better.Any advice would be very much appreciated.Thanx J

Thank you poppy34.

I do realize that.I suppose as you said I thought nothing was wrong when I did my Tax return.I will definitely learn from these mistakes and make it better next time.

Appreciate your posts everyone.

Well hope job hunt works out fwiw if it is difficult with current employer can you get pre ml refs from old job? I think in circs if you explained your issues here ad other refs stacked up it wouldn't be a Bar to employment.

I do have a great references from schools I worked for and hmm not sure whether to mention this experience to a possible new employee or just just ignore it altogether.

When I worked for a teacher, when I left I left at the end of a school term... I left in the early July so giving them entire Summer holidays to find a replacement. So if you find another position quickly starting say in the summer school holidays, then you could give notice and say you will leave at the end of this term.

As an employer I would want to know- you can turn it into positive thing as presumably you have dealt with balancing your own dc needs with charges , how you balance activity requirements for both of them, equipment food etc you bring and that which gets provided, what do you do if your dc sick etc. That way you can use the months you have worked, had sole charge etc to show you can do job despite difficult employment circs.

Fwiw I am amazed/ saddened at some stories of how shit employers can be. As you say it's a massively important and trusted job so you would want to be completely straight and fair with your nanny.

only give the number of your current employer to the new parents once you give your notice.
trust me if any new parents warm to you and beleive that you are honest and hardworking they wont mind about your reference.
you should even tell them how your current employer treats you and i am sure they will understand.
by the way how old are you and your child and also how long have you been working for your current employer?
(sorry to be nosey)

Julinka - most nannies I interviewed brought written references from previous employers but not including their current employer. By the time we'd chosen one it was pretty much a done deal - we really liked her - and the reference was just 'is this person a serial killer or is she okay?' type call - took about two minutes - with her present employer.

Also, I was told by the nanny we employed about her current service conditions (appalling) and was quite prepared to be given a lukewarm reference because they didn't want her to go. But it's actually illegal to make derogatory statements unless you have evidence of them. I would suspect your employers will just say 'yep she's lovely, we're sorry to see her go'.

Finally, there's an issue regarding HMRC in that if you have not paid your NI and Tax, your next employer can become liable for it and it comes out of your wage packet (ie they deduct it from your pay. I had this happen to me when a previously employer miscalculated my pay two years earlier . No warning, nothing, just got a letter from HMRC one day. And the HMRC don't give a stuff if you weren't getting NMW they will still take their part!

We found our nanny on Gumtree, and also used childcare.co.uk

Good luck, go find another job. Lots of nannies bring their own child, they tend to charge 50p or £1 less an hour than the normal rate (here it's £8 net so £7/£7.50 with a child of your own).

I am 29 and my son is 14 months,child I look after is 16 month.Initially it was hard as they both were learning to walk when I started to work for them in the beginning of January,but I can say I am experienced now and taking them to babygroups,1 o'clock clubs twice a day and cook for them every day.

I do bring a lunch once,twice a week from my home and also fruit and snacks.As I am trying to balance it fairly,not to use their food all the time.The woman I work for can't cook so not sure she really appreciate it,but never mind.

I might take your advice nannynick.

And yes I would love to be more than anything honest to the possible new employer about my current situation.

Thank you for the positive encouragementwhomovedmychocolate and the information .
It does make a sense and maybe I am just worrying too much :-) Just have to stay positive.

poppy34
My son hasn't been sick yet(fingers crossed)despite her daughter being on antibiotics and looking after her whilst not well and I have never taken a sick day.

Hello there!

I am a nanny too with my win 14 moths old coming with me to work. He has been with me since he was 8 weeks old.

What this family is doing to you is unexceptable! You can not be self emplotyed as you are a nanny. the national minimum wage is above your wage and you are entitled to 4 weeks paid holidays (28 days incl bank holidays full time).
A nanny having their own child can usually offer so much more! they more empathic, discreet and patient they can understand how the mum feels leaving their child at home. You are able to offer a playpal straight away that teaches their child how to share, important social skills and gives her a potentially life long bond with yours. A nanny with own child gets an avarage 7-9 GBp NET per hour. You must also write down the hours you work and whilst you may agree to take time off when hubby is at home, you can;t be expected to work unreasonable hours without notice! Change your job immediately.
Lots of families will be happy to have you, ttrust me.
there is a fab website.www.childcare.co.uk you can find other parents there too.

Keep me posted on updates, would love to know what is going on.

XXX

Vikiseed - this is an old thread - where did you find it?

I was reading and thinking know what my reply would be - leave - and low and behold there was my reply saying that

I would also say that some nwoc won't get £7-9 nett - some nannies I know struggle to get that wage without bringing their own child

Plus we always talk in gross wages on mn :)

I agree with the advice of getting a new job!!

When I worked for a head teacher they worked out what I would earn in a year and then divided it by 12 as they get paid very mouth it was easier for their finances and helped me not pay more tax and then have to claim it back.

You also need to be employed so you can get maternity pay.

I use to bring my own food for me and my dd and only claim mileage when it was for their children if I was going somewhere which was for mine child but that hers would enjoy I paid.

I was their nanny before having a child so we had a really good relationship and they trusted me
If you can find a good nanny job it can be really good to take your dc but you must be happy, your child must be happy and you must agree with the way they are bring up their dc

Good luck