Nannies! Get what your worth

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, thanks. I was already making a great hourly rate with benefits before Covid hit. A better PSA to nannies is to up your skill set with a degree and teaching/tutoring experience to always earn a great wage.

I have those qualifications and people still offer me $17 an hour!!!!??????

What people offer and what you accept are two very different things. You should be in the $30 an hour range.

Where are you finding jobs in this area?

Make sure you have:
An up-to-date background check with driving record (no moving violations, maximum of 1 speeding ticket 10 mph over or less)
Up-to-date Infant/child cpr/first aid (in person or combined, not online only)
Resume that can be tweaked for each family
Reference list that can be tweaked for each family
Paid on the books, no problem for those who have security clearances
Solid references that speak about education, social and life skills gained with you, not any housekeeping tasks
Make sure your references can unequivocally state how reliable you are, and that you made their child’s life better while also making their lives a little easier
References should be able to state that you are professional (no complaining about your family, discussing weekend plans)
Just having a degree in ECE or child psych isn’t enough. Follow up with networking and educational opportunities for yourself (discipline styles, parenting styles, education through play, etc)
Be confident, but stick to your guns. Have a 2-4 minute phone call before meeting, and clarify date, hours, number/age of children, special needs, and rate range. They should confirm your education and experience, and then you let them know you’ll have a folder for them to keep, with your background check and other information in it. (Only leave it if you still want the job when the interview is over.)

OK thanks this is good advice. Sometimes when I meet a family and the kids are adorable (which is pretty much everybody) I forget about negotiating for myself and instead focus on their needs. I have to work on balancing that.

[Anonymous]

I partially agree with you Op. I never settled before the pandemic, so I don’t have to price gouge now. I set my rate based on my experience and what I want to take home after taxes. If a family cannot afford my rate I simply move on. I don’t negotiate down unless they are offering lots of PTO (at least 4 weeks for me to come down on my rate slightly). I’m married and have a savings so I’ve never had to settle for a job or stay at a job where I was unhappy. I feel bad for the nannies who didn’t know their worth before the pandemic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, thanks. I was already making a great hourly rate with benefits before Covid hit. A better PSA to nannies is to up your skill set with a degree and teaching/tutoring experience to always earn a great wage.

I have those qualifications and people still offer me $17 an hour!!!!??????

What people offer and what you accept are two very different things. You should be in the $30 an hour range.

Where are you finding jobs in this area?

Make sure you have:
An up-to-date background check with driving record (no moving violations, maximum of 1 speeding ticket 10 mph over or less)
Up-to-date Infant/child cpr/first aid (in person or combined, not online only)
Resume that can be tweaked for each family
Reference list that can be tweaked for each family
Paid on the books, no problem for those who have security clearances
Solid references that speak about education, social and life skills gained with you, not any housekeeping tasks
Make sure your references can unequivocally state how reliable you are, and that you made their child’s life better while also making their lives a little easier
References should be able to state that you are professional (no complaining about your family, discussing weekend plans)
Just having a degree in ECE or child psych isn’t enough. Follow up with networking and educational opportunities for yourself (discipline styles, parenting styles, education through play, etc)
Be confident, but stick to your guns. Have a 2-4 minute phone call before meeting, and clarify date, hours, number/age of children, special needs, and rate range. They should confirm your education and experience, and then you let them know you’ll have a folder for them to keep, with your background check and other information in it. (Only leave it if you still want the job when the interview is over.)

I have a degree in English and have never had a problem finding a well paying job. My actual education never even comes up during an interview.

[Anonymous]

No housekeeping duties. Those are the "nannies" that earn $17 per hour.

That's only $2 below minimum wage! I guarantee you their housekeeper and gardener are making more than that. But YOU are taking care of a child. Perhaps even educating them. So get what you are worth!

At $17 per hour the family has probably cycled thru many nannies. They leave as soon as someone offers them $20, which they will.

[Anonymous]

^^ oops, >>above<< minimum wage!

[Anonymous]

My sister traded off a raise of $32 per hour (3 kids) from $30 for an extra week vacation (she wants 2 weeks in winter as she is a skier) plus one week each other season.

She is a high-demand nanny with offers galore, but she loves her current family. DC area.

[Anonymous]

IME everyone earns their money. If you’re making absolute top dollar, there are costs.

[Anonymous]

Wow yet another string of snobby nanny posts . Some families are hard working but can not afford $30/hr. Wanting to put your kids in private school doesn’t warrant paying higher for a nanny . You’re not a rocket scientist you’re a nanny . Get off your high horses and be thankful you have a job during this time , many nannies are currently jobless .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow yet another string of snobby nanny posts . Some families are hard working but can not afford $30/hr. Wanting to put your kids in private school doesn’t warrant paying higher for a nanny . You’re not a rocket scientist you’re a nanny . Get off your high horses and be thankful you have a job during this time , many nannies are currently jobless .

There is so much irony in this post I don't even know where to start. I guess only rocket scientists and WOH parents deserve to eat and have a place to sleep. And no, no nannies who wish to work right now are jobless. However lots of folks in this area are scrambling for childcare. Your statement drips of snobbery and ignorance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow yet another string of snobby nanny posts . Some families are hard working but can not afford $30/hr. Wanting to put your kids in private school doesn’t warrant paying higher for a nanny . You’re not a rocket scientist you’re a nanny . Get off your high horses and be thankful you have a job during this time , many nannies are currently jobless .

There is so much irony in this post I don't even know where to start. I guess only rocket scientists and WOH parents deserve to eat and have a place to sleep. And no, no nannies who wish to work right now are jobless. However lots of folks in this area are scrambling for childcare. Your statement drips of snobbery and ignorance.

Agree.

The audacity of a parent claiming nannies aren’t worth anything but, suddenly has money for private school like public schools don’t exist. Do you go to expensive private schools and call them snobby and overpriced? Cry me a river about how hardworking you are. Newsflash, nannies are working hard to raise and keep your child alive while you are not there. Or maybe you don’t think raising kids is hard work. If you don’t want or cannot afford a nanny put your child in daycare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow yet another string of snobby nanny posts . Some families are hard working but can not afford $30/hr. Wanting to put your kids in private school doesn’t warrant paying higher for a nanny . You’re not a rocket scientist you’re a nanny . Get off your high horses and be thankful you have a job during this time , many nannies are currently jobless .

Anyone with higher education and more experience and skill earns more than someone without. It’s not rocket science, PP, simply the reality. Parents who want more than a warm body pay more. Nannies are hardworking, too.

[Anonymous]

Have any of you seen what paraeducators earn per hour in Montgomery County? It's $17-18/hr, plus decent benefits.

There are families who will pay top dollar for nannies, sure, but the vast majority of nanny jobs are more mundane. And there are TONS of prospective nannies for whom $20/hr is a fantastic living. If you are paying a nanny $20/hr, for a typical 45-50 hour work week, legally (meaning overtime for hours beyond 40) then you're paying an annual salary of $50-60k.

That is a good living, and far better than many professions.

If you can command $30/hr that's fantastic for you. But that is on the far end of the bell curve, not the median.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have any of you seen what paraeducators earn per hour in Montgomery County? It's $17-18/hr, plus decent benefits.

There are families who will pay top dollar for nannies, sure, but the vast majority of nanny jobs are more mundane. And there are TONS of prospective nannies for whom $20/hr is a fantastic living. If you are paying a nanny $20/hr, for a typical 45-50 hour work week, legally (meaning overtime for hours beyond 40) then you're paying an annual salary of $50-60k.

That is a good living, and far better than many professions.

If you can command $30/hr that's fantastic for you. But that is on the far end of the bell curve, not the median.

Paras work with school age kids as a support to a teacher. They are never in some charge of a child, with nobody as back up. Their education and experience requirements are minimal.

Preschool teachers have more stringent requirements than nannies. Yet nannies make more than most preschool teachers. It’s falls back to some charge and no backup.

[Anonymous]

As a nanny I can command more money than I did as a preschool teacher. I can negotiate better benefits, hours, PTO etc. I'd love to get back into the classroom again but I am simply not able to financially. I also form life long relationships with the families I work for that are invaluable.