I feel trapped in my job.

[Anonymous]

I would suggest before trying an agency why not try advertisting on craigslist...instead of psying a agency a fee. I would also recommend writing up your own contact for parents to sign before u start any work. ...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would suggest before trying an agency why not try advertisting on craigslist...instead of psying a agency a fee. I would also recommend writing up your own contact for parents to sign before u start any work. ...

She doesn't have to worry about agency fees...parents pay those. Reputable nanny agencies do not charge nannies any fees.

OP- you need to get the car situation straightened out before contacting agencies. You'll need to have a definitive answer for the agencies on whether or not you will have a car. I used to live in L.A. and know how crappy the public transportation is there...although many nannies and housekeepers do seem to get around just fine on it. I'm not sure what area you live in, but you're right about many families wanting the nanny to have a car to at least get to work. It's just easier to have a car when you live in L.A. because it opens up more options. I often worked for families whose houses would have difficult, but not impossible, to access by public transportation. The commute would have been very long and would have involved a fair amount of walking on hilly streets (which I generally did anyways during the course of a work week).

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like they think of your car loan as part of your compensation.

[Anonymous]

I don't understand why you assumed that you could decrease your hours to go to school without decreasing your pay. I have known many salaried workers who decreased hours, either from full-time to part time, or part-time at x hours to part-time at y hours. All expected that a decrease in workload brought a corresponding decrease in pay. It's unfortunate that the parents did not address this when the change in hours was discussed and I can understand being upset about that. But I don't understand why you believed that you could cut your hours in half without a change in pay.

[Anonymous]

You are basically working 1/2 the time they are paying you. I can see their issue regardless of how they are doing financially. You should never have taken a loan via an employer and should refinance ASAP regardless. I would find a second job and continue to work with them or just find a new job with the hours you need. You are not a full-time salaried employee. Your salary was based upon your hours, as all are. Families needs change. You need to be flexible and know when to find a new job.

[Anonymous]

I am confused about why you thought they'd pay you for twice the hours you're working...seems kind of entitled to me.

[Anonymous]

This situation is very confusing.

How much are you making per week and how much do you need to survive?

[Anonymous]

I don't see why you can't post who's name the car title is in? Or any other details like what your old rate had been, new salary was etc.

You say you got paid more to be "on call" and so that you wouldn't need a second job, but you were never on call if you had classes that you were going to on a regular basis? It could easily have been a second job during that time, as you were not available (unless you would take time off school if they needed you, and no one who is wanting to further their education will sacrifice fees paid for missing classes).

If the car was done with their own loan and nothing was in your name, then it is their car. You would be foolish to sign something that states you pay full monthly loan prices to them where at any point the car might be taken back by them and you lose out on all the money you put into it. I would only sign something like that if it also included that I would get back x amount of money from THEM. It's like you are defaulting on a car payment. It would be their decision to not let you keep the car even if you could pay. The car should have been treated as you making monthly payments to them for the sale of the car in which you would have partial ownership of it at any point during the whole thing.

I think you need to cut your losses and move on from the whole thing. If you need the money you would be losing, then a new job sounds best. As for hourly versus "salary", hourly doesn't have to mean different rates each week if you negotiate guaranteed hours. I agree that you should look for a live-in position with use of family car and then look for a second position as well if needed above what the first gets you. Or find a way to refinance that car and get 1-2 live-out positions and just be done with this whole mess.

[Anonymous]

I also do not understand why you feel like you should still get paid the same. From what I understood you work 15 hours and get paid for 30 hours which they pay for your availability, in case kids are sick or doesn't have school right? Am I correct? So if you go and sign for classes during the time you are supposed to be on call then you are no longer on call. Are you going to miss class or an exam if the kids are sick or doesn't have class? I assume not, so you are no longer available those hours they were paying you before, therefore you shouldn't get paid to be on call when you are not. Unless the situation is different and your classes are at night or during hours you are not on call, you are being entitled. Very entitled!

[Anonymous]

MB here. Entitled and not very mature.

[Anonymous]

Nanny here-

You definitely sound entitled and immature. What kind of an idiot makes an agreement like that about a car? Soooo if you don't get a loan, they get the car back plus all you've paid on the car? Dumb dumb dumb.