Would anyone want this job (live in nanny/house keeper)?

[Anonymous]

OP, I’d stop trying to add detail and justify it. I don’t have an opinion either way but the PPs aren’t going to let up.

If you’re on DC, I could see this being very appealing to a university student. With so many classes with online options now, their schedules are much more flexible than they used to be. Take off the heavy cleaning (like scrubbing bathrooms, I think many would be fine with light cleaning) and find someone who plans on summer classes so you’re not dealing with an internship schedule change.

I’m in chicago and currently have a 40hr / wk nanny who is also a full time college student. She pays for a studio in downtown chicago. I’m certain if I said “you’ll have the same net cash at the end of the month as now and can work half as much by living in our free, private apartment” she’d do that in a minute. I’m not sure if those economics would get to $20 an hour or what, but you get the idea

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really don’t think that op understands how much nanny rates have increased since the pandemic. Private childcare is a luxury. I live in LA, and prior to covid, you could maybe get someone undocumented for $20-25/hr. Now that’s $25-30 for just childcare. Me? I have a degree and 20 years experience. Prior to covid, I charged $30-35/hr. Now I charge $40-45, and won’t even do date night sitting while the kids are asleep, for under $35. Times have changed, op. You got lucky once with your low rate, but I don’t think that will happen again.

OP isn't offering just $20 an hour -- she is offering $20 an hour plus free housing and utilities.

But still, OP, I'd think most folks would rather make $30-35 an hour, 40 hours a week, and pay for their own (more private and not a a basement) housing than your offer, particularly because it will be hard to fill the mornings with as lucrative a position (hardly anyone wants a just-mornings nanny).

It's not free housing and utilities. It's for OP convince. Nanny still has to pay her own insurance, food, car/insurance, cell phone and other basics for $20x15-20 hours a week at the worst schedule ever to get a second job. Its living in a basement apartment with OP and her family above, which probably isn't soundproof.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. The last time I commented was 6/6:30 am this morning.
Thank you everyone for your helpful comments. I understand what I had in mind might not something anyone would want. I may just rent our basement and hire a nanny for a higher rate. I could potentially ad an hour or two more per day, but I really don’t want 2 employees. My priority is to find someone that will both clean and drive the kids around. And I will hopefully be able to find someone willing to do that.

I think you are overly focused on "not having 2 employees". We had a nanny for 6 years, and during that time we also had a weekly cleaning service. "Managing" the clean service was totally totally NBD; like basically all I did was transmit payment each week. If you would just be willing to hire a separate cleaning lady/cleaning service, you would open up your candidate pool because, really, who is likely to have afternoons plus one whole day a week free??

That being said, even if you take out the cleaning piece, I'm not surprised that you've had little interest. Even with free rent, your rate and hours are just too low and too limiting for finding additional employment. Do what you said, rent the basement and hire a part-time nanny/baby-sitter for more like $30 an hour (the latter is what you said you are currently doing anyways, right?). Then also use a cleaning service.

This exactly. NP.
(FWIW I have exactly the same experience with the cleaning service -- find someone and it's a dream. Also professional cleaners do a much better job), these are like two separate jobs - hiring someone to both clean your pool and do your taxes would also be a tough gig. It's much easler to just accept that and hire the pool boy and the buttoned up accountant, and to be much, much happier with the result.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe I did not explain myself well enough. I did not post a job offer yet. I posted the same original message I posted here in the general discussion in the nanny forum. I was trying to educate myself and whether there was anything I should have considered. Nobody answered in the nanny forum and I decided to try my luck here. I am not in a huge rush since my nanny won’t be leaving for months, my mom can help some and while everyone thinks the babysitting work is a huge amount of work, it really isn’t.

While nanny picks up 3 kids from school 3 days a week (I pick up and take care of my youngest 2 days), 2 of those days my older kids are in a 2 hours long activity near home. We basically drop them off and we are back home for 1.5 hours before we have to pick them up. I take care if the little one 2 afternoons a week (pick him up and take him to activity). I also take care of older 2 on 2 other days (take them to activity, supervise homework, etc.)
There is only 1 day a week where the nanny has all 3 kids in her own for 3 hours. She does however make dinner for all three kids 5 days a week (I hate cooking and feeding kids).

Anyway, while the schedule I admit is complicated, it does not change throughout the year since the kids are all in the same activities the whole year. It’s working out really well for us.

I don’t need a nanny with a graduate degree to drive my kids home or to activities and make them dinner (or clean my house). I need someone reliable and trustworthy. We also speak multiple languages at home so English proficiency is not a must.

OP are you from a culture that uses a lot of domestic help? I grew up in DC among a lot of expats. They were always shocked by the differences in how Americans viewed domestic help vs back home. Maybe this is a case of cultural disconnect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I don’t see how the live in situation is to MY benefit. It makes absolutely no sense. Neighbors rent their basement unit for $2000+ per month. I think I will still try to advertise the position and see what kind of response I get. If DCUM is right and the deal is bad, I will rent the basement and raise the pay to $30+

Dear OP - Why don’t you rent your basement for $2k and use that money to pay a part time nanny/housekeeper more than $400 a week It’s the same to you - you get a nanny/housekeeper and someone living in your basement with no real financial gain. Nanny can dedicate 20-25 hours without a losing quality of life. everyone wins

[Anonymous]

OP you do t seem to understand that if a full time nanny job is whatever per hour then part time is maybe 40% more per hour. Sure I can get a full time nanny for $30 or $35/hour but I can’t get a part time one. Go ahead and rent your basement out and take in $24,000 annually. Don’t forget to make it legal and count it on your taxes. Then pay a cleaning person for a day a week and then hire a babysitter for whatever it takes for 20
Hours per week. Also re-read your rant about how few hours it is and how they can go home in between. Are they supposed to shop for and make dinner for 3 kids in that 90 minute block of free time?