Pay for Nanny

[Anonymous]

How much should I pay a potential nanny who has a Bachelors in Elementary Education and Psychology? She also has five years of experience, drives, and is CPR and First Aid Certified. She will be responsible for caring for 8 month old but we plan on adding to our family within the year so potential to care for two children. We live in Arlington but are relocating to DC in the summer.

[Anonymous]

What else are you offering in terms of benefits? Health care stipend? Paid holidays? Paid vacation? Guaranteed hours? (all except the health care stipend are standard, and that is on its way to becoming common)

If you're offering her a regular package (paid holidays, 2 weeks paid vacation - one week her choice, one week yours, approx. 5 PTO sick/personal days, and a guarantee of a minimum number of hours so, for instance, if grandma comes into town and you don't need her for two days, you pay her anyway) I would say starting around $16-18 would be appropriate. You'll want to give her a raise when #2 comes along (or after one year with your family, perhaps) so starting much higher would perhaps make that difficult.

The key is to interview her, make your offer, and wait for her negotiation/counter-offer and go from there.

FWIW, I am a nanny with a BA, employed FT with all benefits listed above (including health insurance), 5+ years experience, also in charge of one infant (with more potentially on the way) and I'm making $20/hr. Others here will surely tell you to go higher and others will tell you to go lower - just offer as much as you comfortably can (and that doesn't mean offer as much as you can without ending up in the poorhouse, but offer as much as you believe she is worth without creating extra stress in your household/budgeting).

[Anonymous]

I would start at 15 and very quickly you will be up in 16 18 range as you give yearly raises and have second baby.

[Anonymous]

Geez! I only have an associates, 4 years experience as a nanny, 12 if you count babysitting, American born, drive and own a car, and I make $20/hour! I wouldn't accept less than $18/hr. Now before every gives me crap about how I'm lying or over charging, I'm just very good at my job.

[Anonymous]

For one child in NOVA, with medium experience, for one child, $13-$15/hr. You should definitely include guaranteed hours and the two weeks as the PP advised, as well as 5 PTO/sick days.

I would not offer to cover health care. The PP is incorrect in assuming it is 'on its way to becoming common'. Actually, it is a benefit that is not common and I would save it for a perk once your second child is born (along with a cash raise, of course.)

Very few nannies in the DC area make $20/hr for one child, especially combined with such limited experience.

[Anonymous]

This board is like a nanny union so beware of replies you get here, even ones that start with " I am a mb and... " Anyone can claim to be anyone easily on this board. You will get some bogus answers with inflated salary. Surveys tend to point to 13 to 14 for legal English speaking nannies in the DC area. if you feel your candidate is better than average, you can and should pay more.