Nanny going on vacation

[Anonymous]

In the past I charge my family for 24 hours and after 8 hours, OT of course. I know it sounds like a lot, but I’m away from my home where I could have otherwise done other things (paying bills, running errands etc) just because I might not technically work all 24 hours doesn’t mean it’s a “vacation” for me. I also let them know that in one day I can only work up to 12 hours, even though they’re paying me all 24. Like I said I’m away from my home, my bed, my family.
Every nanny might see this differently , so I suggest talking to her and asking her how she wants to get paid and how much.

[Anonymous]

Long time nanny here who only recently started traveling with my employers. I think your offer is very fair once you add a daily fee for being away ($100-200). On a personal note, I offered my employers a rate of $100 when on duty and $50 when not and I am kicking myself for it. My time away is far more valuable than that!

Things to consider:
- Travel time is paid in addition to mileage.

- All meals should be covered unless she wants to take an evening and go to dinner on her own.

- It would be nice for you to offer her activities to do in the area, such as a snorkeling trip, if you are not doing that as a group.

Al in all, I think you are being fair and considerate. I would email her your proposal and ask what daily fee she would require in addition to her base pay and OT pay.

[Anonymous]

My hourly rate was $22/h. So I would ask to get paid for my hours plus any OT. I also add $200 per day for the inconvenience of having to travel with them.

[Anonymous]

So you are paying her regular weekly wage, and then also time and a half for each hour worked, so she gets paid 65 hours for the week while working 25 with guaranteed hours of 40. Is that correct? OT for 25 hours is equivalent to normal pay at 37.5 hours so it sounds like she is getting close to 2x pay for traveling with you Vs. 1x pay if she doesn’t. That sounds pretty reasonable as compensation for being away from home. Some of the other posters quoting 24 hour rates... i’d say that is only applicable if she is sharing a bedroom with any of your kids and so doesn’t get any privacy and probably lower quality sleep. Otherwise it sounds excessive and if my nanny told me that was what she required for any time she was away from home, I would take it as a hint she really doesn’t want to travel with us.

What kind of activities would the nanny be able to do in her off time at this location? One nice gesture might be to get her some tickets to an activity she can enjoy there if you know a bit about her interests as a thank you gift, and also to ensure she has a bit of fun on her work trip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So you are paying her regular weekly wage, and then also time and a half for each hour worked, so she gets paid 65 hours for the week while working 25 with guaranteed hours of 40. Is that correct? OT for 25 hours is equivalent to normal pay at 37.5 hours so it sounds like she is getting close to 2x pay for traveling with you Vs. 1x pay if she doesn’t. That sounds pretty reasonable as compensation for being away from home. Some of the other posters quoting 24 hour rates... i’d say that is only applicable if she is sharing a bedroom with any of your kids and so doesn’t get any privacy and probably lower quality sleep. Otherwise it sounds excessive and if my nanny told me that was what she required for any time she was away from home, I would take it as a hint she really doesn’t want to travel with us.

What kind of activities would the nanny be able to do in her off time at this location? One nice gesture might be to get her some tickets to an activity she can enjoy there if you know a bit about her interests as a thank you gift, and also to ensure she has a bit of fun on her work trip.

I have a bad feeling that the nanny is going to look upon this vacation week (that she got back double time for but had to be away from home) as mostly "work" while the employer is going to look at it as mostly the nanny mostly being "off" but getting paid.

[Anonymous]

OP, offering her her normal weekly pay PLUS overtime pay for all hours she works while with you is perfectly acceptable. Encouraging her to drive herself and suggesting she choose to minimize her time away, paying mileage for her drive both ways, and giving her PTO to recover from this work trip tips your offer into great territory. I didn't see if you would suggest she could attend family events or skip them to either explore on her own or just relax, but that would be good as well.

I would suggest is that you also pay her for her drive time to and from your vacation spot, since that is time she is using for your benefit rather than her free time. I am sure you have already thought of this, but trying to stick with the schedule you give her but asking her for some flexibility and assurance by her she will be paid for all time spent working would be best practice as well.

Your offer is very fair and generous, better than many parents offer.

Ignore the posters who apparently can't read or comprehend that you are offering double pay and so forth. ?