Nanny salary question

[Anonymous]

I'm a FTM looking for a nanny. I'm interviewing candidates who have great recs and a lot of experience--10+ years, have cared multiple ages of children, etc. They are interviewing with multiple families right now. I fully expect to pay for this sort of experience but I'm wondering how flexible the salary is. That is, when the nannies tell you their rate, is this negotiable or do these sorts of nannies have a specified rate and typically don't budge because they can likely find a family willing to pay it. I don't want to overpay but I also don't want to lose a good candidate because we decided to try and negotiate. Can anyone shed some light on this? Thanks! FWIW we live in DC.

[Anonymous]

Most rates are negotiable. Most nannies like to inflate what they are asking for, so that some gullible employer will pay it.

[Anonymous]

Everything is negotiable

[Anonymous]

How is it, OP, in your field with your payrate?

[Anonymous]

I'm a nanny similar to those you described. I go into a negotiation high, expecting you to negotiate, but expect to get something in return for coming down on salary. A lot of families simply expect a nanny to lower her salary expectation but make no concessions of their own.

You can offer more vacation time, insurance, be explicit about what I can expect as far as future raises/bonuses, or something unique to my situation that I may find attractive (I'm looking to start TTC in the next year, and would love a family willing to work with me on maternity leave, and bringing my baby, and would be willing to take quite a pay cut.)

I will not negotiate with families who simply say they can't afford my rate, or want me to lower my salary and offer nothing in return. Either you're telling the truth, and you can't afford me, which doesn't bode well for a long term relationship, or you don't value my services and I can easily find someone who does. I want families that value me, and work toward mutually beneficial situations, and I avoid "takers".

[Anonymous]

I let the families tell me what they want to pay. Then I either agree or explain the minimum amount I will accept. Which is rather low. Alot of times I am told no and that they won't budge. Explaining minimum wage laws is something I'm done with doing. Waste of my time.

[Anonymous]

Salaries are always negotiable, OP. One of the hard things about nannying is that a very good nanny who has been in a position for a long time might have earned enough raises to be paid at a rate out of league with your job and requirements. As an MB, you should price your job, and consider how much room you have to negotiate for a very desirable candidate. Then, just be honest with the nanny. If she can work that rate, excellent, if not, move on.

Just decide your absolute needs and move from there.

[Anonymous]

Amusing how often one hears "I have the MOST amazing nanny in the world for only xx", than her friends can't ever seem to ever find the same "amazing" deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Amusing how often one hears "I have the MOST amazing nanny in the world for only xx", than her friends can't ever seem to ever find the same "amazing" deal.

No need to scream about the error. My apologies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How is it, OP, in your field with your payrate?

Salaries in virtually every field are negotiable.

[Anonymous]

I would decide up front what compensation package you will offer (including vacation, perks, etc.) and just state it. Almost every nanny we interviewed asked for a higher hourly rate than we were offering and not one seemed concerned about accepting our package once we laid it out. I think it helped that we offered a pretty standard package and pay rate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would decide up front what compensation package you will offer (including vacation, perks, etc.) and just state it. Almost every nanny we interviewed asked for a higher hourly rate than we were offering and not one seemed concerned about accepting our package once we laid it out. I think it helped that we offered a pretty standard package and pay rate.

I would add, obviously there will be some nannies who are less willing or able to negotiate (or who can more easily command whatever rate they name) but if it's more than you are willing to pay, it's not going to work out regardless anyway. My experience was that most nannies came in high prepared to negotiate. However we were less inclined to negotiate on something like this. We decided what we were going to pay and offered it thinking some nannies would take it and some would not (but every one we interviewed said it was something she would consider). FWIW, it went both ways for us - I was also not inclined to start low and try to get the best deal - I didn't really want to underpay for my child's care.