Nanny transportation

[Anonymous]

When we hired our nanny she had her own car--a decent and reliable vehicle. A few months in, her brakes went out while she was driving and she ended up totaling the car. Long story short, her boyfriend has been driving her to work and picking her up every day for 2 months. On days he has to work she gets dropped off at 6:45 am (her start time with us is 8:30). Our employment agreement stipulates that she has to have reliable transportation not that she has to have her own car. Do we have any grounds to ask her to get a new car or at least show up closer to her start time so she's not hanging around in the early morning while we get ready?

[Anonymous]

Her transportation issues are her own. Simply tell her that you would like her to arrive at her start time and not before.

[Anonymous]

No, I don't think you can really say anything about her commute, especially if she is getting there on time. This doesn't sound sustainable though long-term, so I can see being concerned. If it really bothers you that she's there so early, is there a coffee shop or something she can sit at for the 1.75 hours in the morning? How many times a week are we talking about here?

[Anonymous]

I would leave it alone if she is good. It would annoy me too but better early than late.

[Anonymous]

OP here. She comes early three days a week. There is a coffee shop up the road. That's a great idea. Her plan is to get a new car, but there's always an excuse as to why she can't yet...

[Anonymous]

Did she ask if she can just come that early or did she just start showing up?

[Anonymous]

She just started doing it. When I asked she made it sound like it would be for a week or so and here we are 2 months later...

[Anonymous]

Can she realistically afford a car on her wages? Unless she's paid better than what you usually see on this forum, I seriously can't imagine how these nannies afford rent or mortgage, much less a car. Something has to give.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She just started doing it. When I asked she made it sound like it would be for a week or so and here we are 2 months later...

So she literally showed up on your doorstep at 6:45am and just said "hey, I'll need to come in early for a few weeks until I get a car?"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can she realistically afford a car on her wages? Unless she's paid better than what you usually see on this forum, I seriously can't imagine how these nannies afford rent or mortgage, much less a car. Something has to give.

I have to agree here. It can be very difficult to make ends meet on a nanny salary, let alone saving thousands of dollars for a vehicle.

[Anonymous]

I am a nanny and honestly, if I could not afford a car at the moment, it would not be my employers problem. That would be my problem. I would still be finding a way to arrive at the exact time I am supposed to be there, not almost 2 hours early. That's crazy and unprofessional to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a nanny and honestly, if I could not afford a car at the moment, it would not be my employers problem. That would be my problem. I would still be finding a way to arrive at the exact time I am supposed to be there, not almost 2 hours early. That's crazy and unprofessional to me.

I agree. Or at the very least, if she can't afford a car and needs to be dropped off almost two hours early every morning, I would expect that a nanny would say to the MB "Unfortunately I can't afford to fix my car right now. My boyfriend can drop me off, but on these days I will be in your area at 6:45am. Would you mind terribly if I came in and sat to the side somewhere until my start time?" Just expecting that someone is going to be fine with you arriving so early three days a week is unacceptable. What does she do in that time?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Can she realistically afford a car on her wages? Unless she's paid better than what you usually see on this forum, I seriously can't imagine how these nannies afford rent or mortgage, much less a car. Something has to give.


I have to agree here. It can be very difficult to make ends meet on a nanny salary, let alone saving thousands of dollars for a vehicle.

No. The nanny is an adult who agreed to a job and a salary. Her budgeting is her problem, not her employer's. if they can't make ends meet on the salary, they need to get out of the nanny business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a nanny and honestly, if I could not afford a car at the moment, it would not be my employers problem. That would be my problem. I would still be finding a way to arrive at the exact time I am supposed to be there, not almost 2 hours early. That's crazy and unprofessional to me.

I agree. Or at the very least, if she can't afford a car and needs to be dropped off almost two hours early every morning, I would expect that a nanny would say to the MB "Unfortunately I can't afford to fix my car right now. My boyfriend can drop me off, but on these days I will be in your area at 6:45am. Would you mind terribly if I came in and sat to the side somewhere until my start time?" Just expecting that someone is going to be fine with you arriving so early three days a week is unacceptable. What does she do in that time?

Is she breathing down your neck or telling you what to do? Maybe she'd rather get a more suitable job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Can she realistically afford a car on her wages? Unless she's paid better than what you usually see on this forum, I seriously can't imagine how these nannies afford rent or mortgage, much less a car. Something has to give.


I have to agree here. It can be very difficult to make ends meet on a nanny salary, let alone saving thousands of dollars for a vehicle.

No. The nanny is an adult who agreed to a job and a salary. Her budgeting is her problem, not her employer's. if they can't make ends meet on the salary, they need to get out of the nanny business.

Or she can get a better paying nanny job if she's good. Lots of nannies earn good wages with fabulous benefits.