The $15 per hour nanny

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Costco pays its average worker $20.84 an hour.
Imagine what their above average worker earns.

Yes, of course.. And Safeway pays $9-10 an hour.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I make $13/hr and with my hours that ends up giving me around $550 (take home, I don't pay taxes) per week. I live in a much, much cheaper area than DC. To give you an idea of cost in my area, I am looking at apartments right now and will probably be getting something for around $800/month (and I will be splitting the rent with my fiance).

I am an experienced, professional career nanny and what I am making now is actually more than what I was making in my last nanny position. I am very happy with what I am making and don't secretly despise my employers because they have more money than I do.

I know that it is hard for some people to believe but there are nannies out there who have wonderful working relationships with their bosses and who don't hate or resent them. There are also nannies out there who are happy with what they are making and who aren't living paycheck to paycheck or struggling to pay their bills. And believe it or not there are actually nannies out there who enjoy the work that they do.

I make $13/hr right now and I wouldn't switch positions even if I were to be offered $18 or $19 doing something else. I come into work every morning and am happy to be here. The are tons of perks and I really, truly do love children. I don't understand why it is so hard for someone to believe that someone would actually want to be a nanny.

Thank you for your post ! You are a great Nanny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I make $13/hr and with my hours that ends up giving me around $550 (take home, I don't pay taxes) per week. I live in a much, much cheaper area than DC. To give you an idea of cost in my area, I am looking at apartments right now and will probably be getting something for around $800/month (and I will be splitting the rent with my fiance).

I am an experienced, professional career nanny and what I am making now is actually more than what I was making in my last nanny position. I am very happy with what I am making and don't secretly despise my employers because they have more money than I do.

I know that it is hard for some people to believe but there are nannies out there who have wonderful working relationships with their bosses and who don't hate or resent them. There are also nannies out there who are happy with what they are making and who aren't living paycheck to paycheck or struggling to pay their bills. And believe it or not there are actually nannies out there who enjoy the work that they do.

I make $13/hr right now and I wouldn't switch positions even if I were to be offered $18 or $19 doing something else. I come into work every morning and am happy to be here. The are tons of perks and I really, truly do love children. I don't understand why it is so hard for someone to believe that someone would actually want to be a nanny.

Thank you for your post ! You are a great Nanny.

If you can pay rent on what you earn in a week, that's great. Here in the DC area, you can't if your getting paid only 15-16 an hour. Not every nanny has a boyfriend to live with.

[Anonymous]

....Not to mention the fact that most mothers around here will not even hire you if they think you might get pregnant within a year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Costco pays its average worker $20.84 an hour.
Imagine what their above average worker earns.

Yes, of course.. And Safeway pays $9-10 an hour.

That explains the poor service.

[Anonymous]

Who can afford to live on $15/hr in the Washington, DC area?

[Anonymous]

Pasting from another thread by request:

I see a lot of back and forth between the MBs and nannies on this board about pay. At the end of the day, no one is right or wrong but perhaps MBs don't know what it costs to live in DC. For a parent who can not afford a nanny, cost has no bearing on their ability to pay. Some parents do have a choice, however. For parents who have the ability to pay a competitive wage, you might benefit from knowing why your nanny, even at $15 feels undervalued.

Here is where my money goes:

Apartment: $1,500
Metro fare to nanny job: $160
Health insurance: $250
Groceries: $170 - 200 (with coupons)
Phone: $70

That is $2, 180. I have not put anything aside for emergency saving or factored in my cost of transportation just to get to the grocery store. That is without me going any place except my job, buying personal care items, or covering the copay at a doctors visit. I have not included the cost of my internet service. There are no utilities in that number, like my electricity or water. Just to function in my nanny job, that is all that $2, 180 covers.

A job that pays $15 an hour at 40 hours per week grosses $2,400 per month. After taxes, I have to decide whether which utility I can live without this month.


If you can not afford to pay any more for your childcare, I pray that we both find a way to break out of this month to month nightmare. If you are in a position to pay your nanny a living wage, I hope you will do so now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pasting from another thread by request:

I see a lot of back and forth between the MBs and nannies on this board about pay. At the end of the day, no one is right or wrong but perhaps MBs don't know what it costs to live in DC. For a parent who can not afford a nanny, cost has no bearing on their ability to pay. Some parents do have a choice, however. For parents who have the ability to pay a competitive wage, you might benefit from knowing why your nanny, even at $15 feels undervalued.

Here is where my money goes:

Apartment: $1,500
Metro fare to nanny job: $160
Health insurance: $250
Groceries: $170 - 200 (with coupons)
Phone: $70

That is $2, 180. I have not put anything aside for emergency saving or factored in my cost of transportation just to get to the grocery store. That is without me going any place except my job, buying personal care items, or covering the copay at a doctors visit. I have not included the cost of my internet service. There are no utilities in that number, like my electricity or water. Just to function in my nanny job, that is all that $2, 180 covers.

A job that pays $15 an hour at 40 hours per week grosses $2,400 per month. After taxes, I have to decide whether which utility I can live without this month.


If you can not afford to pay any more for your childcare, I pray that we both find a way to break out of this month to month nightmare. If you are in a position to pay your nanny a living wage, I hope you will do so now.

Thank you for posting this here, PP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The problem is how many people believe:

Warm Body = Nanny

It's so darn sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Costco pays its average worker $20.84 an hour.
Imagine what their above average worker earns.

Yes, of course.. And Safeway pays $9-10 an hour.

That explains the poor service.

It shouldn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who can afford to live on $15/hr in the Washington, DC area?

$15/hr for 40 hrs/week and 52 weeks a year is $31k. I lived off less than 20k/year in Manhattan. It's not DC but still on par in terms of COL, but here's what my budget looked like:

Rent: $830/month for my room in the apartment
Utilities: $40-70/month
Healthcare: $100/month
Eating out & coffee: $115/month
Metro: $77 monthly pass
Incidentals: $100 or so

Monthly expenses around $1.5k/month. I felt really comfortable with my living situation and finances at the time. It wasn't until I moved down here that I started to hear about anything under $15/hr is indecent pay, but IME the COL isn't higher in DC than it is in New York.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Who can afford to live on $15/hr in the Washington, DC area?[/quote]

$15/hr for 40 hrs/week and 52 weeks a year is $31k. I lived off less than 20k/year in Manhattan. It's not DC but still on par in terms of COL, but here's what my budget looked like:

Rent: $830/month for my room in the apartment
Utilities: $40-70/month
Healthcare: $100/month
Eating out & coffee: $115/month
Metro: $77 monthly pass
Incidentals: $100 or so

Monthly expenses around $1.5k/month. I felt really comfortable with my living situation and finances at the time. It wasn't until I moved down here that I started to hear about anything under $15/hr is indecent pay, but IME the COL isn't higher in DC than it is in New York. [/quote]
You must have had someone else contributing to your living expenses, as I don't believe you needed only 115./month for food, even on the very cheapest budget.

[Anonymous]

A lot of people make less than $15/hr - and not just the people working at grocery stores. Preschool teachers, teacher's assistants, art curators, bank tellers, HR assistants, office secretaries . . .

If you can't imagine how some one lives off of that, then you've probably lived a rather privileged life.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Who can afford to live on $15/hr in the Washington, DC area?[/quote]

$15/hr for 40 hrs/week and 52 weeks a year is $31k. I lived off less than 20k/year in Manhattan. It's not DC but still on par in terms of COL, but here's what my budget looked like:

Rent: $830/month for my room in the apartment
Utilities: $40-70/month
Healthcare: $100/month
Eating out & coffee: $115/month
Metro: $77 monthly pass
Incidentals: $100 or so

Monthly expenses around $1.5k/month. I felt really comfortable with my living situation and finances at the time. It wasn't until I moved down here that I started to hear about anything under $15/hr is indecent pay, but IME the COL isn't higher in DC than it is in New York. [/quote]
You must have had someone else contributing to your living expenses, as I don't believe you needed only 115./month for food, even on the very cheapest budget.[/quote]

Sorry, I think when I edited one line I accidentally deleted the $260/month for groceries. The $115 was just the restaurant & coffee budget - coffee's just $1 in NYC from the food kiosks on the street and it's pretty good coffee too.

[Anonymous]

How does 15. an hour support you these days, in a modest but safe DC area neighborhood?