First time traveling with nanny -- how to pay?

[Anonymous]

Bring a detailed breakdown of the hours you will need, as well as travel arrangements and sleeping arrangements and the location of the hotel and ask her what she thinks would be reasonable.

As a nanny, I charge for travel time if I am supposed to sit with the family, but not if I can sit by myself.

I would charge for all overnights if you wanted me to share a room with the baby, but if the baby will be in your room when I am not in charge of her, then I would charge less. My overnight fee is generally half pay for hours between 7pm and 7am.

I would want you to pay for all meals, either by giving me free rein to order room service or via daily stipend. And I would expect to be paid for all my normal hours, even if you don’t need me, as well as all overtime hours at time-and-a-half.

So for example if you all arrived on Wednesday, I would expect to be paid for my normal working hours Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (even if you all spent most of those days doing family stuff without me), and still be paid overtime rate for all the weekend hours.

BUT every nanny is different so ask her what she prefers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Realistically we will only need her Friday afternoon and evening, all day Saturday and Saturday night, and Sunday morning."

Only need her Friday afternoon-Sunday morning?

Correct. We may fly there Wednesday for example, and fly home Monday morning, so we will only need her for the time when we're at wedding-related events.

And I’m sure you’ll expect her to work Monday when you return so you can rest 😒 I have nothing nice to say to you OP besides the fact that I hope your nanny finds another family and moves on from you.

I agree. Pay her OT and extra for weekend work. You need to cover ALL expenses.

[Anonymous]

There is a lot to consider here. Do you pay payroll taxes etc. or do you usually pay her under the table?

You'll have more flexibility if she is amenable to being paid under the table for the trip. Then you can negotiate a flat daily rate and pay ALL expenses/meals.

I'd definitely make sure she really wants to go. I have friends who lost a good nanny because they pressured her into going on a "fun", paid vacation with their family. You really have to view this as a work trip for the nanny, rather than a vacation and pay her accordingly.

[Anonymous]

If OP is happy to hire another sitter for date nights but Nanny wants to do it for normal rate I think that’s fine. I think OT rate is more for mandatory hours. OP for travel you should pay for travel time, work hours, a d a flare rate per night for sleeping. You don’t need to pay her hourly for sleeping imo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bring a detailed breakdown of the hours you will need, as well as travel arrangements and sleeping arrangements and the location of the hotel and ask her what she thinks would be reasonable.

As a nanny, I charge for travel time if I am supposed to sit with the family, but not if I can sit by myself.

I would charge for all overnights if you wanted me to share a room with the baby, but if the baby will be in your room when I am not in charge of her, then I would charge less. My overnight fee is generally half pay for hours between 7pm and 7am.

I would want you to pay for all meals, either by giving me free rein to order room service or via daily stipend. And I would expect to be paid for all my normal hours, even if you don’t need me, as well as all overtime hours at time-and-a-half.

So for example if you all arrived on Wednesday, I would expect to be paid for my normal working hours Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (even if you all spent most of those days doing family stuff without me), and still be paid overtime rate for all the weekend hours.

BUT every nanny is different so ask her what she prefers.

Thanks for this. So what if we left on Wednesday and she didn’t get there til Friday, meaning she had off all day Weds and Thurs, but then worked over the weekend? Can we just pay her her usual 40 hours, plus any hours she works beyond that? I.e. she’s not working the 18 hours on Weds-Thurs that she normally would be, so can we count those towards her work on the weekend instead?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bring a detailed breakdown of the hours you will need, as well as travel arrangements and sleeping arrangements and the location of the hotel and ask her what she thinks would be reasonable.

As a nanny, I charge for travel time if I am supposed to sit with the family, but not if I can sit by myself.

I would charge for all overnights if you wanted me to share a room with the baby, but if the baby will be in your room when I am not in charge of her, then I would charge less. My overnight fee is generally half pay for hours between 7pm and 7am.

I would want you to pay for all meals, either by giving me free rein to order room service or via daily stipend. And I would expect to be paid for all my normal hours, even if you don’t need me, as well as all overtime hours at time-and-a-half.

So for example if you all arrived on Wednesday, I would expect to be paid for my normal working hours Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (even if you all spent most of those days doing family stuff without me), and still be paid overtime rate for all the weekend hours.

BUT every nanny is different so ask her what she prefers.

Thanks for this. So what if we left on Wednesday and she didn’t get there til Friday, meaning she had off all day Weds and Thurs, but then worked over the weekend? Can we just pay her her usual 40 hours, plus any hours she works beyond that? I.e. she’s not working the 18 hours on Weds-Thurs that she normally would be, so can we count those towards her work on the weekend instead?

You have to be a troll. There’s no way.

[Anonymous]

Do you like your nanny?

[Anonymous]

PAY HER OVERTIME.

Sorry, you sound like a terrible, amoral boss.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bring a detailed breakdown of the hours you will need, as well as travel arrangements and sleeping arrangements and the location of the hotel and ask her what she thinks would be reasonable.

As a nanny, I charge for travel time if I am supposed to sit with the family, but not if I can sit by myself.

I would charge for all overnights if you wanted me to share a room with the baby, but if the baby will be in your room when I am not in charge of her, then I would charge less. My overnight fee is generally half pay for hours between 7pm and 7am.

I would want you to pay for all meals, either by giving me free rein to order room service or via daily stipend. And I would expect to be paid for all my normal hours, even if you don’t need me, as well as all overtime hours at time-and-a-half.

So for example if you all arrived on Wednesday, I would expect to be paid for my normal working hours Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (even if you all spent most of those days doing family stuff without me), and still be paid overtime rate for all the weekend hours.

BUT every nanny is different so ask her what she prefers.

Thanks for this. So what if we left on Wednesday and she didn’t get there til Friday, meaning she had off all day Weds and Thurs, but then worked over the weekend? Can we just pay her her usual 40 hours, plus any hours she works beyond that? I.e. she’s not working the 18 hours on Weds-Thurs that she normally would be, so can we count those towards her work on the weekend instead?

What does your contract with the nanny say? If you go on vacation (without her of course), do you pay her anyway? You can ask her anything. It is likely she is not going to like this plan, but I would refer to your contract and make sure you are following it.

[Anonymous]

God, these response are all so stupid. Pay her $10,000 and not a penny less. Otherwise burn in hell. Ask her whether she wants to go and what she thinks is reasonable. Our au pair used to be so excited to go on any trip with us. When I babysat for families i was thrilled when they asked me to go on vacations with them.

[Anonymous]

I don't think you can count Weds/Thurs "off" because if you left on regular vacation, you'd still pay her, right?
I agree with others - you probably can negotiate a flat rate for each of the days + meals + all accommodations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:God, these response are all so stupid. Pay her $10,000 and not a penny less. Otherwise burn in hell. Ask her whether she wants to go and what she thinks is reasonable. Our au pair used to be so excited to go on any trip with us. When I babysat for families i was thrilled when they asked me to go on vacations with them.

An au pair is not a professional nanny. I assume that when you were "babysitting" you also weren't a professional nanny working 40 hours per week. OP's nanny may be perfectly happy not making her usual rate while on vacation, or, she might want to get paid overtime. OP hasn't had that conversation with her. OP seems to be flying by the seat of her pants which makes me think this nanny has never been a nanny before (or is being paid under the table), otherwise, there would be something in the contract about traveling, pay during vacations, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bring a detailed breakdown of the hours you will need, as well as travel arrangements and sleeping arrangements and the location of the hotel and ask her what she thinks would be reasonable.

As a nanny, I charge for travel time if I am supposed to sit with the family, but not if I can sit by myself.

I would charge for all overnights if you wanted me to share a room with the baby, but if the baby will be in your room when I am not in charge of her, then I would charge less. My overnight fee is generally half pay for hours between 7pm and 7am.

I would want you to pay for all meals, either by giving me free rein to order room service or via daily stipend. And I would expect to be paid for all my normal hours, even if you don’t need me, as well as all overtime hours at time-and-a-half.

So for example if you all arrived on Wednesday, I would expect to be paid for my normal working hours Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (even if you all spent most of those days doing family stuff without me), and still be paid overtime rate for all the weekend hours.

BUT every nanny is different so ask her what she prefers.

Thanks for this. So what if we left on Wednesday and she didn’t get there til Friday, meaning she had off all day Weds and Thurs, but then worked over the weekend? Can we just pay her her usual 40 hours, plus any hours she works beyond that? I.e. she’s not working the 18 hours on Weds-Thurs that she normally would be, so can we count those towards her work on the weekend instead?

I hope this is a troll, but if it's not... NO you can't ship her off to some random place and then not pay her during the day. She may not be working the hours those days, but she'll be at some hotel in a random city. And pay overtime, you crook.

If she has to travel with your family, she should 1) not incur any costs associated with travel (i.e. meals, her own room, transportation) 2) be paid for all the days she is on the road or away from home 3) be paid overtime for more than 40 hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bring a detailed breakdown of the hours you will need, as well as travel arrangements and sleeping arrangements and the location of the hotel and ask her what she thinks would be reasonable.

As a nanny, I charge for travel time if I am supposed to sit with the family, but not if I can sit by myself.

I would charge for all overnights if you wanted me to share a room with the baby, but if the baby will be in your room when I am not in charge of her, then I would charge less. My overnight fee is generally half pay for hours between 7pm and 7am.

I would want you to pay for all meals, either by giving me free rein to order room service or via daily stipend. And I would expect to be paid for all my normal hours, even if you don’t need me, as well as all overtime hours at time-and-a-half.

So for example if you all arrived on Wednesday, I would expect to be paid for my normal working hours Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (even if you all spent most of those days doing family stuff without me), and still be paid overtime rate for all the weekend hours.

BUT every nanny is different so ask her what she prefers.

Thanks for this. So what if we left on Wednesday and she didn’t get there til Friday, meaning she had off all day Weds and Thurs, but then worked over the weekend? Can we just pay her her usual 40 hours, plus any hours she works beyond that? I.e. she’s not working the 18 hours on Weds-Thurs that she normally would be, so can we count those towards her work on the weekend instead?

my god

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:God, these response are all so stupid. Pay her $10,000 and not a penny less. Otherwise burn in hell. Ask her whether she wants to go and what she thinks is reasonable. Our au pair used to be so excited to go on any trip with us. When I babysat for families i was thrilled when they asked me to go on vacations with them.

An au pair is not a professional nanny. I assume that when you were "babysitting" you also weren't a professional nanny working 40 hours per week. OP's nanny may be perfectly happy not making her usual rate while on vacation, or, she might want to get paid overtime. OP hasn't had that conversation with her. OP seems to be flying by the seat of her pants which makes me think this nanny has never been a nanny before (or is being paid under the table), otherwise, there would be something in the contract about traveling, pay during vacations, etc.

Why is babysitting in quotes? The professional nannies in DC are a joke. All of you paying them 50-60k a year to stare at their phones while your kids eat dirt in the playground are idiots.