How to go about getting a housekeeper/nanny

[SippingSipsmith]

Hi

Does anyone have any advice on how to set about getting a housekeeper/nanny? My DT are 8 so it'll be mainly housekeeping.

I've had a cleaner before but someone let me down and then we had lockdown. I live in a large Victorian house which is never clean. After lockdown it's really got me down. I don't mind a bit of housework and quite enjoy it but I'm always chasing my tail with it and parts of the house are a mess.

I need a cleaner again but probably 6 hours of work a week here. It got me thinking of the possibility of a housekeeper to come in the mornings but I have no idea what min hours are attractive - I was thinking 3 hours (mornings) maybe 4/5 days a week. It would be a help if they could help with the kids as well, my DH is always working I just need another pair of hands as feeling so guilty I'm always too busy for the kids. I'm a SAHM but we've just got a puppy and I'm drowning.

• does anyone have one?
• what's a normal hourly rate?
• if I go through an agency do I have to do holiday and sickness pay and tax? Would rather not have all that workload
• what would be an attractive number of hours?

Thanks for any info

I'm in Herts if that helps for info on pay or agency rec. thanks

Does your area have a Facebook page? You could advertise for a Mother's Help position to include some housework, laundry and childcare.

I don't know that you'd be able to avoid your obligations as an employer but there are agencies that can sort out payroll. You don't have to recruit via them.

@nannynick might have some advice.

E en if you don't go through an agency you will still have to pay sick pay and NI because you will be an employer. There are agencies who work it all out for you though.

If your twins are 8 won't they be at school in the mornings?

Thanks.

What sort of cost is NI etc please? Or where can I find the info?

Yes twins at school but it would be good to have someone on board who doesn't mind watching them in the holidays if I need to pop out and help with holiday activities and mornings out that kind of thing.

Be great to build a relationship with someone who can do extra babysitting if needed and available. Just someone who comes to know our family well.

We did it several ways. Our first we advertised in the local paper but got someone by word of mouth that we were acquainted with already. The second was through local advertising in corner shop and newspaper.

The third was via the school the children were moving to. She had been on a temporary TA contract settling a little girl with Down Syndrome and needed something afterwards. We’d spoken with the headteacher ahead of our move and she came highly recommended. Initially I thought she was too young and lacked things I thought essential - driving and cooking - but she was brilliant and learned to cook after a few months of hiding pizza boxes thinking I might disapprove.

An agency will just introduce you to candidates, you can use a payroll company to work out tax etc.

Probably looking at £12-£15 an hour, maybe more. Just school hours would be attractive to someone with their own children.

We have just recruited a housekeeper for 12 hours per week. We tried Care.com but found applicants were too far away or not suitable ( lots of cleaning agencies). We had a bad experience with finding someone local through Facebook ( but I think that was bad luck). There’s a huge demand for cleaners and housekeepers where we are ( rural Essex, but affluent) and good people are hard to come by. People go to great lengths to hold on to the good ones! In the end, it was word of mouth for us. A friends’ nanny/ housekeeper now doing fewer hours and looking to pick up a couple of days work. If you can find someone this way, it’s always worked best for us ( we’ve had an excellent nanny and cleaner in the past too). We pay £15 per hour. Friends in St Albans pay £17 an hour for 30 hours per week nanny/ housekeeper.