How much to pay a nanny in Silver Spring/Kensington for 1 child?

[Anonymous]

OP - good luck getting useful info here!

I am quite certain what I'm about to tell you will trigger slamming but here goes.

I live in Kensington. I have twin toddlers and a nanny who has been with us since they were 3 months old. She works 8-6 M-F. She is a citizen, drives, has her own car, has prior experience with multiples, has been a nanny/caregiver/housekeeper for more than 20 years, is in her late 50's, and we found her through a neighborhood listserv. She had impeccable references that have completed reflected our experience with her.

We started her at $600/week. (This was more than she specified when we asked her rates.) This year she got a raise to $650/wk. We have a contract w/ her which specifies holidays (10), vacation (2 weeks), sick leave (5 days), basic parameters of the job, notice to be given in event of termination of the job by either side, etc... We pay her through a payroll company so we pay all taxes, withholdings, etc... - totally legal. In addition we contribute to her monthly health insurance costs.

It has been a surprisingly affordable solution for us, and I'm sure people will say we're not paying enough. But we're paying more than she requested and we have room to give her annual raises, bonuses, etc... at this level.

She is fantastic - a real gem, and I hope she's with us for several more years (which is also why I'm glad we have some financial room). We offer her stability, respect, babies (now toddlers), lots of autonomy/trust in how she wants to "parent" them, and guaranteed income.

We interviewed nannies who cost more, and I certainly had budgeted for more, but in the end the one that fit best with us also happened to be affordable. Maybe we got lucky, but I know several other mothers (who work outside the home full-time) in MoCo (all with twins or more) who are paying in the $600-700 range per week. It can be done, legally and totally above-board, without feeling that you have to be ashamed of what you're doing as an employer or that you're not getting quality care for your child(ren).

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

$12/hour average rate for twins is just as much NOT the norm as is the $30/hour rate we see quoted here. I hope your nanny ISN'T with you for much longer because she deserves more than you are paying her.

[Anonymous]

If the nanny can support herself, that's great. Sometimes you help her by putting her in a basement room, other times she's able to share a small apartment with 3 other families. I have no idea how we could manage that. Do you?
Does she live-in with her parents, or what?

[Anonymous]

There's no nanny doing $12/hr for twins.

[Anonymous]

Which country did she come from?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Which country did she come from?

+100

[Anonymous]

I am going to wager PP's nanny is indeed foreign-born. But so what? it is not like US-born nannies have a corner on being great nannies. MOST nannies are not US-born. And if you want a long term nanny instead of someone for just a copule years while they are in grad school or saving for grad school, then you're better off most of the time not hiring a US-born nanny. that's a generality and of course there are exceptions (as i am sure someone will chime in to post), but this board is about broad advice and situations that on avg are true.

[Anonymous]

11:07 here. Yes, she is foreign born - which has been a great asset. Our babies are growing up bilingual and our nanny has a lot of "old world/practical" experience, attitudes, and approaches to managing kids that I really respect. Nationality doesn't matter to me - care, safety, trust, and fit do and she's a fantastic fit for us. The fact that she brings some diversity in experience and additional language skills to our family is nothing but a plus.

[Anonymous]

How do you go about doing a through background check on a foreigner?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:11:07 here. Yes, she is foreign born - which has been a great asset. Our babies are growing up bilingual and our nanny has a lot of "old world/practical" experience, attitudes, and approaches to managing kids that I really respect. Nationality doesn't matter to me - care, safety, trust, and fit do and she's a fantastic fit for us. The fact that she brings some diversity in experience and additional language skills to our family is nothing but a plus.

Not to mention you got her a at bargain! Barf at your diversity, old world experience bull. She came cheap and you love her for that.

[Anonymous]

God the nastiness. It's absurd.

Re doing a thorough background check - she's been in the country (and a citizen) for decades. I had 15 years worth of references for her (and I spoke with them all).

Beyond all the nastiness I fully expected about the wages, the bias/opinions re being foreign are pretty awful.

OP - I'm checking out of this thread. I hope my info was useful and wish you the best finding childcare. Maybe screen for whether prospective nannies know about/are active on here? I'd consider that a major concern if I had to hire again.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

You're just salty people called you on your "absurd" rate, and the fact that you are taking advantage of someone who happens to not be from this country. An American born nanny would not accept that crap, and this is why people correctly assumed that you were taking advantage of a foreigner.

[Anonymous]

What is absurd, is a law school graduate, charging $400.00 an hour!!

[Anonymous]

I believe it is the same few bitter nannies on this board who keep posting. The truth is, the "foreign" nannies rarely chime in on any of these nanny discussions because even if they communicate fine in English, it is probably harder for them to type out responses as clearly. It appears these boards are skewed by the "American born college educated" nannies, who may or may not deserve a higher pay. The reality as someone else said is that most nannies in this area are not American born or college educated. I am not saying that is a good or bad thing, but something worth considering when nannies post on DCUM. You are only getting responses from the "American" nannies, SOME of whom seem to feel more entitled and bitter.

This is a capitalist society. Teachers are underpaid, often even less than nannies. Doctors and lawyers invested a lot of money in school, and whether they should or not are paid higher. Some business people, even higher. Such is life in America. If you want to keep working as a nanny, get over it. Otherwise, try to find something else to do.

[Anonymous]

Look, 11:10, we are over it. Now you, need to get over it, and stop trying to shut us down. If you don't like it, you may disagree, but not force others into your control.