is $30 per hr a new reality?

[Anonymous]

Nannies want to be paid a higher hourly rate than babysitters and so that’s going up. When you start paying teenagers $20 an hour, then a nanny will want higher wages too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agency here. We are primarily placing at $27-32hr with really great candidates. Our last client paying $25hr was around Thanksgiving and they lost 2 candidates to higher offers but did end up securing someone at $25hr on the 3rd offer.

My agency personally doesn't post our available positions. Some agencies only post their best jobs and (unfortunately) some agencies have been known to post completely fabricated jobs to attract higher quality candidates. This "bait and switch" is a huge pain point in the nanny world for nannies applying at agencies and can give them a bad rap. If you have one child and don't require any household duties aside from child-related dishes, tidying, food prep, and laundry, you should be able to secure good long term candidates in the $27-30hr range.

I hope that's helpful!

I had a local agency quote me $35/hour for one child. Did some digging and couldn't find any satisfied customers of the agency, and in fact many who said their assigned caregiver stopped showing up or would sporadically no call/no show and the agency was never able to provide backup care in a timely manner (as their website promises!). I wouldn't have an issue paying $30/hour for a quality nanny but I won't commit to that rate for unprofessional, unreliable behavior. That's more than what a starting classroom teacher makes for a class of 25+ kids!

But the teachers have health care and a pension. Let's compare apples to apples.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I do realize that $30 per hr is not what you'd call high paid job, although still a hefty sum for any family to pay. My concern is where it is heading, are we talking $35 per hr in a year? Will the nanny demand adjustment after a year? if the inflation is high overall, she might! I guess the agency would have something in the contract regarding raises. What if nanny does not like the raise of let's say $1 per hr because by that time the starting wage will be already $35 with the agencies? my head is swimming. What if she leaves for better paid job?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I do realize that $30 per hr is not what you'd call high paid job, although still a hefty sum for any family to pay. My concern is where it is heading, are we talking $35 per hr in a year? Will the nanny demand adjustment after a year? if the inflation is high overall, she might! I guess the agency would have something in the contract regarding raises. What if nanny does not like the raise of let's say $1 per hr because by that time the starting wage will be already $35 with the agencies? my head is swimming. What if she leaves for better paid job?

A professional nanny is a luxury service, so you’re going to pay luxury prices.

If a luxury service costs more than you want to pay, doesn’t mean the service is too expensive, it means it’s out of your budget.

Yes, a professional employee, providing a luxury service, should expect reasonable salary increases.

“Oh but what will we do about childcare?”

Well, if you’re in the kind of profession where you absolutely must have individual luxury care…then you’re also in the kind of profession that can afford to pay your family help appropriately. If you can’t afford to pay your family help appropriately…you’re probably not in the kind of profession where that kind of family help is an absolute must have, and rather is a nice to have, in which case…you can’t afford the thing you want. Thus, select an option that meets your needs and your budget.

But stop trying to play lady of the manor and complain about how the serfs expect a salary they can live on, so you can live your UMC fantasy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'll never cease to be amazed at how little we value the people who care for/educate our kids.

I bet you wouldn't blink at paying $30 an hour to the guy who fixes your car.

The mechanic we use gets $125/hr. and he's worth every penny. I paid $35/hr for my mother when she needed full time care and worth every penny.

I agree that far too many cheap out for child care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'll never cease to be amazed at how little we value the people who care for/educate our kids.

I bet you wouldn't blink at paying $30 an hour to the guy who fixes your car.

If I had to pay for my car to be fixed for 40 hours every week at that rate, I would take the bus.

Caregivers should be paid well, yes. And childcare should be high quality and affordable.

Somehow other countries make it work.

I’m unaware of any country with wages as high than in the US for white collar workers. I’d prefer high wages and a few years of high childcare costs.

I'd prefer that basic necessities including childcare and healthcare not be so expensive and difficult to access and would gladly take a pay cut to support such programs.

People who choose not to have children pay taxes for public school but they should not be responsible for your poor choice to have children that you cannot afford.

[Anonymous]

I think agency pricing is a bit out of whack with what you could find if you search on your own. I’m in Bethesda and pay $26/hr for one child. I know a family that pays less for two kids, but their nanny is young without much experience. Also I have had nanny candidates offer a lower rate if I pay them beneath the table, which is crazy to me, but people do it. And yes, I think the expectation is $1/hr raise every year and maybe somewhere around a $5/hr raise per additional child.

[Anonymous]

How much are you nanny families making? We have a household income of $250k and I felt the squeeze of a nanny (we paid $60k / year gross to her).

Also side note I feel that the counter argument “well, then, you should just raise your own stupid kids” gross. Is it just me? Like it feels extortion-y or made to invoke the inherent feelings of guilt that many working mothers have. There should be a wide variety of options for working parents who have various HHIs. “Raising your own kids” is a perfectly valid choice, but this is 2023 not 1950…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think agency pricing is a bit out of whack with what you could find if you search on your own. I’m in Bethesda and pay $26/hr for one child. I know a family that pays less for two kids, but their nanny is young without much experience. Also I have had nanny candidates offer a lower rate if I pay them beneath the table, which is crazy to me, but people do it. And yes, I think the expectation is $1/hr raise every year and maybe somewhere around a $5/hr raise per additional child.

This is what was tough for me. Because nannies are making such good money, I found that it attracts a lot of inexperienced and just plain bad people looking to make $30/hr with no understanding of expectations. I’ve had to week through A LOT of young applicants to find folks with actual experience nannying.

[Anonymous]

pp, you would not have this problem with agencies.Their requirements are pretty tough and they run all kinds of checks including credit score.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How much are you nanny families making? We have a household income of $250k and I felt the squeeze of a nanny (we paid $60k / year gross to her).

Also side note I feel that the counter argument “well, then, you should just raise your own stupid kids” gross. Is it just me? Like it feels extortion-y or made to invoke the inherent feelings of guilt that many working mothers have. There should be a wide variety of options for working parents who have various HHIs. “Raising your own kids” is a perfectly valid choice, but this is 2023 not 1950…

There is a wide variety of options. Apparently you just feel entitled to the one that you want.

And your "this is 2023 not 1950" is more than "kind of gross."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We paid $25 per hour 10 years ago. That doesn’t seem like too big of an increase in a decade to me.

+1! How is it only $30/hr now with all the inflation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How much are you nanny families making? We have a household income of $250k and I felt the squeeze of a nanny (we paid $60k / year gross to her).

Also side note I feel that the counter argument “well, then, you should just raise your own stupid kids” gross. Is it just me? Like it feels extortion-y or made to invoke the inherent feelings of guilt that many working mothers have. There should be a wide variety of options for working parents who have various HHIs. “Raising your own kids” is a perfectly valid choice, but this is 2023 not 1950…

There is a wide variety of options. Apparently you just feel entitled to the one that you want.

And your "this is 2023 not 1950" is more than "kind of gross."

+1. I wouldn’t have a nanny if I had your HHI.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'll never cease to be amazed at how little we value the people who care for/educate our kids.

I bet you wouldn't blink at paying $30 an hour to the guy who fixes your car.

If I had to pay for my car to be fixed for 40 hours every week at that rate, I would take the bus.

Caregivers should be paid well, yes. And childcare should be high quality and affordable.

Somehow other countries make it work.

I’m unaware of any country with wages as high than in the US for white collar workers. I’d prefer high wages and a few years of high childcare costs.

I'd prefer that basic necessities including childcare and healthcare not be so expensive and difficult to access and would gladly take a pay cut to support such programs.

People who choose not to have children pay taxes for public school but they should not be responsible for your poor choice to have children that you cannot afford.

This is why I am pro choice. Allow women to abort the kids they cannot afford!!! This is common sense!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How much are you nanny families making? We have a household income of $250k and I felt the squeeze of a nanny (we paid $60k / year gross to her).

Also side note I feel that the counter argument “well, then, you should just raise your own stupid kids” gross. Is it just me? Like it feels extortion-y or made to invoke the inherent feelings of guilt that many working mothers have. There should be a wide variety of options for working parents who have various HHIs. “Raising your own kids” is a perfectly valid choice, but this is 2023 not 1950…

There is a wide variety of options. Apparently you just feel entitled to the one that you want.

And your "this is 2023 not 1950" is more than "kind of gross."

“Wide variety of options”… eh. Where I live, people have to get on daycare waitlists at 8 weeks into their pregnancy to ensure a spot at 3 months post partum. People are routinely applying to daycares while trying to conceive. Vouchers for daycares have years long waitlists. People figure it out, but even on these forums, I’ve seen posts from nannies basically saying if you don’t have a nanny, you are screwing your kid’s life. So what is it? Are daycares ok for the children of nurses, teachers, public servants? Who are the nannies for? Big law partners and plastic surgeons?