How appropriate jump ship for another offer?

[Anonymous]

Honestly, you have only been with your current nanny family just a month so I don't see that you are invested heavily with them yet. It would be so different if you had two years with them.

While I do value loyalty, you also must remember that ultimately this IS a job for you and that you are the only one who will look out for your best interests. No one else will, trust me.

I say take the second family's offer and give your current family notice this week. The sooner the better, I advise.

However as happens very frequently, the other family may let you go sooner than a month's time. Do you have a cushion financially for the next four weeks? If so, good for you. If not, perhaps you will need to switch up your budget a bit for the next month.

Whatever you opt to do, I wish you the best OP.

[Anonymous]

OP the answer is pretty simple.

Do what you need to do, jump ship if you want, no one is going to say you can't do that.

But remember, you went on interviews, conversed on the phone or over email, made promises, etc. You and the family that hired you both agreed on certain things, such as wanting the job and wanting to work together for a year or more. There is such thing as common decency. If the family that hired you got a call back from an amazing nanny who originally told them she couldn't take the job and fired you after a month to hire her instead you would not be happy and everyone would think they are scum. If you bail on them you are the scum.

Think about what you are asking, it's only for a $1 an hour more..... how petty. I hope no one ever hires you again as you will obviously bail at any moment chasing 50 cents here or a dollar there.

[Anonymous]

Just a couple thoughs to consider, not trying to sway you in either direction.

1. If things end badly with family 2 for some unforeseen reason, it's going to be a lot tougher since they live close by and you'll probably see them out and about, walk by their home etc. Just something to keep in the back of your mind.

2. How long do they plan to use a nanny vs how long does the other family plan to use a nanny? Is either family on a daycare waiting list? How old is child 2 compared to child 1? Personally, I look at longevity of a job as part of the whole.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP the answer is pretty simple.

Do what you need to do, jump ship if you want, no one is going to say you can't do that.

But remember, you went on interviews, conversed on the phone or over email, made promises, etc. You and the family that hired you both agreed on certain things, such as wanting the job and wanting to work together for a year or more. There is such thing as common decency. If the family that hired you got a call back from an amazing nanny who originally told them she couldn't take the job and fired you after a month to hire her instead you would not be happy and everyone would think they are scum. If you bail on them you are the scum.

Think about what you are asking, it's only for a $1 an hour more..... how petty. I hope no one ever hires you again as you will obviously bail at any moment chasing 50 cents here or a dollar there.

Do you know how many people leave their jobs for an offer with better money, a shorter commute, etc.?

I'm no leaving solely for the money. I have a better fit personality wise and no commute. As others have said, this family would drop me in a heartbeat if he had to. I am not their slave and they do not own me. I making a decision that is the best for me and my future happiness. This does not make me evil or scum. This makes me a human being searching for a better opportunity in life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP the answer is pretty simple.

Do what you need to do, jump ship if you want, no one is going to say you can't do that.

But remember, you went on interviews, conversed on the phone or over email, made promises, etc. You and the family that hired you both agreed on certain things, such as wanting the job and wanting to work together for a year or more. There is such thing as common decency. If the family that hired you got a call back from an amazing nanny who originally told them she couldn't take the job and fired you after a month to hire her instead you would not be happy and everyone would think they are scum. If you bail on them you are the scum.

Think about what you are asking, it's only for a $1 an hour more..... how petty. I hope no one ever hires you again as you will obviously bail at any moment chasing 50 cents here or a dollar there.

Do you know how many people leave their jobs for an offer with better money, a shorter commute, etc.?

I'm no leaving solely for the money. I have a better fit personality wise and no commute. As others have said, this family would drop me in a heartbeat if he had to. I am not their slave and they do not own me. I making a decision that is the best for me and my future happiness. This does not make me evil or scum. This makes me a human being searching for a better opportunity in life.

Nanny here who thinks you should give notice and take the job with family #2. Sounds like a better fit overall.

That being said, this poster is right. It's a crappy thing to do, and it a family came on here with the same situation people would be calling them all sorts of names. That's life though and sometimes you have to make crappy choices. Good luck OP.

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry, OP. I am a nanny and I do not think you should ever quit a job after only one month to take a better and closer offer. It simply isn't right.

What would you say to the MB/DB who fired a nanny after a month because they found someone a dollar an hour cheaper who lived closer?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sorry, OP. I am a nanny and I do not think you should ever quit a job after only one month to take a better and closer offer. It simply isn't right.

What would you say to the MB/DB who fired a nanny after a month because they found someone a dollar an hour cheaper who lived closer?

The parents are climbing their ladders of success.
Why shouldn't nannies do the same?

[Anonymous]

I think 16 to 17 jump is not worth it for the cost of tarnishing your reputation. If you stay a few weeks and get another 18 offer, are you going to move again?

You need to stick around a decent amount of time, at least 8 months.

professionals who jump from one company to another every year are often ignored because companies know they will jump ship again after a year. Same goes in nanny business.

if you were a nanny that I like, sure, I"d love to have you and might make a $17 offer like that MB but if I found out you skipped out on a $16 family after 5 weeks, I would trust you less in the long run and know that something similar might always happen to me too. That expensive Christmas bonus that I would give to someone I cherish, why would I bother when I know that she would skip out on me the moment someone offers $1 more? It could be the words "sure, help yourself to the last of the filet mignon(or whatever delicious) in the fridge." If I know you are going to leave, I will not be as invested in the relationship. I'll keep those filet mignon for myself for later, whether I end up eating it or not. I just won't be that interested in investing in our relationship and making sure you are happy.

[Anonymous]

OP here again. I understand both sides, but I can only look out for myself. DB of family 1 just took a job with a rival company because of a significant pay increase.

Fam #1 child is 17 weeks. Fam 2 child will be 12 weeks when I start. I've been a weekly sitter for fam 2 for the last 6 weeks. Fam 2 MB and I would be friends if we were similar age. Fam 1 and I do not have that relationship.

I am only in the nanny field for 1.5 more years. I will then be entering grad school in NY. For me the short commute, more money to save, and the good relationship is worth leaving for. I want to love the last year or so of my nanny career and I don't think I can have that relationship that I like with fam #1. Fam 2 knows my plans and is find with that.

Fam 1 will move on. It's only been a month. The best move for me is fam 2 until my move. They are also offering more benefits. Fam 1 doesn't offer OT or paid holidays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here again. I understand both sides, but I can only look out for myself. DB of family 1 just took a job with a rival company because of a significant pay increase.

Fam #1 child is 17 weeks. Fam 2 child will be 12 weeks when I start. I've been a weekly sitter for fam 2 for the last 6 weeks. Fam 2 MB and I would be friends if we were similar age. Fam 1 and I do not have that relationship.

I am only in the nanny field for 1.5 more years. I will then be entering grad school in NY. For me the short commute, more money to save, and the good relationship is worth leaving for. I want to love the last year or so of my nanny career and I don't think I can have that relationship that I like with fam #1. Fam 2 knows my plans and is find with that.

Fam 1 will move on. It's only been a month. The best move for me is fam 2 until my move. They are also offering more benefits. Fam 1 doesn't offer OT or paid holidays.

I've never left a job for another offer before. I honestly only took this current job because my last one ended abruptly when MB lost her job. I needed the income and it was an ASAP start date.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here again. I understand both sides, but I can only look out for myself. DB of family 1 just took a job with a rival company because of a significant pay increase.

Fam #1 child is 17 weeks. Fam 2 child will be 12 weeks when I start. I've been a weekly sitter for fam 2 for the last 6 weeks. Fam 2 MB and I would be friends if we were similar age. Fam 1 and I do not have that relationship.

I am only in the nanny field for 1.5 more years. I will then be entering grad school in NY. For me the short commute, more money to save, and the good relationship is worth leaving for. I want to love the last year or so of my nanny career and I don't think I can have that relationship that I like with fam #1. Fam 2 knows my plans and is find with that.

Fam 1 will move on. It's only been a month. The best move for me is fam 2 until my move. They are also offering more benefits. Fam 1 doesn't offer OT or paid holidays.

You are entitled to do what you want. One day when you are older and you are on the other side, you'll realize this was not a decent thing to do to others. You'll be sorry. Go ahead, make the dumb mistakes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sorry, OP. I am a nanny and I do not think you should ever quit a job after only one month to take a better and closer offer. It simply isn't right.

What would you say to the MB/DB who fired a nanny after a month because they found someone a dollar an hour cheaper who lived closer?

The parents are climbing their ladders of success.
Why shouldn't nannies do the same?

No parent "climbs the ladder of success" by leaving one job after one month for a dollar more an hour. It simply doesn't happen. It makes the person look like a flake and is simply bad business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Take the job you want, OP. One month isn't a long enough time to have bonded with either the baby or the family. Give a lot of notice and know that they will find the right nanny for them.

Unfortunately family one would have already rejected their runner up picks and may have even paid a fee to care.com or an agent. And now the mom is back at work, which is likely a serious career hence she didn't drop out of the work force. How they must go back to the drawing board, run another search process and likely take vacation days off of work to interview or do a shadow day.

Don't expect them to gush all over you when you make your announcement. The best case is they treat you civilly over the remainder of your time there. Ultimately they'll be disappointed. Does your contract say one month notice? Many do since it is very disruptive to be blindsided by a quitting employee. If no good nannies are available the mother or father might have to tell their office they need more time off.

[Anonymous]

This is also a great reason to have a probation period where either party can terminate the relationship without penalty! I used to set mine at 4 weeks but bumped it up to 6 recently.

And don't let anyone make you feel worse. Yes, it's a crappy situation, but you have to make choices for you, not them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is also a great reason to have a probation period where either party can terminate the relationship without penalty! I used to set mine at 4 weeks but bumped it up to 6 recently.

And don't let anyone make you feel worse. Yes, it's a crappy situation, but you have to make choices for you, not them.

How is this a great reason for that? She randomly got an offer a few weeks after starting, it's not common.... if she had gotten this offer 8 weeks later she would bail then too. Either way she is just a petty and horrible person and really shouldn't be a nanny. If OP wants to chase dollars and jump ship to whatever the best offer is at the time then she should work at McDOnalds or something and not work closely with a family and small children and jump in and out of their lives at her whim.