We found a great nanny candidate but...

[Anonymous]

... she is asking $22 an hour (paid legally, of course) for a 34 - 36 hour week. She has health insurance through her husband's job, wants no guaranteed hours and wants no pay for holidays, vacation, sick days, etc - basically she will be paid for the time she works only. She will bring her own lunch/snacks. She is a college graduate with additional graduate school credits in Early Childhood development, has excellent references and over ten years of experience.
We have one child - a baby who will be three months old when she starts. All her duties will revolve only around the baby's care such as baby's laundry, bottles, clean nursery and no other housekeeping chores.
We live in Los Angeles.

We interviewed others who quoted a lower rate (one at 15 an hour) but no one was a good as this expensive one. To me there is something very attractive about her straight-forward salary approach.

My question - is it worth it?

[Anonymous]

If you can afford the $22 an hour and are comfortable paying that then it could be worth it for you. However, if she is someone you want to keep long-term you need to think if you'll be able to afford giving her an annual raise if you start her at $22 an hour. If you really like her but $22 is just too much you can always counter offer at a rate that you find more appropriate (though I wouldn't go below $20 an hour based on her experience and education).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you can afford the $22 an hour and are comfortable paying that then it could be worth it for you. However, if she is someone you want to keep long-term you need to think if you'll be able to afford giving her an annual raise if you start her at $22 an hour. If you really like her but $22 is just too much you can always counter offer at a rate that you find more appropriate (though I wouldn't go below $20 an hour based on her experience and education).

Agree with this. Its up to you if its worth it, but I think this nanny is spot on about the rate she can command. She shouldn't have a problem finding it, especially since she is asking for no additional benefits, sounds like a quality candidate, and the PT market is full of flaky unqualified candidates, so a real nanny is a gem.

[Anonymous]

Op here - two other things I forgot to mention in my original post. First, this 22 per hour nanny lives in our neighborhood and can walk to work - a huge deal in Los Angeles where traffic is as bad and unpredictable as it can get. Second, this nanny has a washer/dryer in her apartment while we only have a communal laundry room downstairs - and this nanny has offered to bring the baby's laundry home with her every night and do it on her own time (which she is currently doing at her present nanny job).

Yes, we can afford (barely) her rate if we stop all luxuries like going out to eat - but no one wants to be taken for a chump.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you can afford the $22 an hour and are comfortable paying that then it could be worth it for you. However, if she is someone you want to keep long-term you need to think if you'll be able to afford giving her an annual raise if you start her at $22 an hour. If you really like her but $22 is just too much you can always counter offer at a rate that you find more appropriate (though I wouldn't go below $20 an hour based on her experience and education).

OP again - excellent point. How much is the average annual raise for good nannies?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here - two other things I forgot to mention in my original post. First, this 22 per hour nanny lives in our neighborhood and can walk to work - a huge deal in Los Angeles where traffic is as bad and unpredictable as it can get. Second, this nanny has a washer/dryer in her apartment while we only have a communal laundry room downstairs - and this nanny has offered to bring the baby's laundry home with her every night and do it on her own time (which she is currently doing at her present nanny job).

Yes, we can afford (barely) her rate if we stop all luxuries like going out to eat - but no one wants to be taken for a chump.

Ugh. It sounds like she would be great for your family, but that you cannot actually afford her. She shouldn't be taking your baby's laundry home, doing it in her own time, or spending money on the utilities and detergent to wash baby clothes, which have to be washed constantly. She sounds a little desperate for some reason, and is trying way too hard, and you sound like you're reaching for something you can't afford, and will inevitably take advantage of her. Move on OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here - two other things I forgot to mention in my original post. First, this 22 per hour nanny lives in our neighborhood and can walk to work - a huge deal in Los Angeles where traffic is as bad and unpredictable as it can get. Second, this nanny has a washer/dryer in her apartment while we only have a communal laundry room downstairs - and this nanny has offered to bring the baby's laundry home with her every night and do it on her own time (which she is currently doing at her present nanny job).

Yes, we can afford (barely) her rate if we stop all luxuries like going out to eat - but no one wants to be taken for a chump.

Ugh. It sounds like she would be great for your family, but that you cannot actually afford her. She shouldn't be taking your baby's laundry home, doing it in her own time, or spending money on the utilities and detergent to wash baby clothes, which have to be washed constantly. She sounds a little desperate for some reason, and is trying way too hard, and you sound like you're reaching for something you can't afford, and will inevitably take advantage of her. Move on OP.

OP here and how in the world did you come to such ridiculous conclusions about me or the potential nanny?! You are dead wrong. Please move on and don't bother commenting on my thread again!

[Anonymous]

I do agree with PP that this nanny sounds pretty desperate for a job (minus the salary). Taking clothes back to her place to do laundry, not having guaranteed hours, no paid holidays, sick time, vacation. I don't know any professional nanny who would forfeit all of those. Maybe she just wants a job and doesn't need the salary and just wants to stay busy , who knows. But I would do a pretty thorough background check and check on references before hiring her. She seems a little too good to be true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here - two other things I forgot to mention in my original post. First, this 22 per hour nanny lives in our neighborhood and can walk to work - a huge deal in Los Angeles where traffic is as bad and unpredictable as it can get. Second, this nanny has a washer/dryer in her apartment while we only have a communal laundry room downstairs - and this nanny has offered to bring the baby's laundry home with her every night and do it on her own time (which she is currently doing at her present nanny job).

Yes, we can afford (barely) her rate if we stop all luxuries like going out to eat - but no one wants to be taken for a chump.

Ugh. It sounds like she would be great for your family, but that you cannot actually afford her. She shouldn't be taking your baby's laundry home, doing it in her own time, or spending money on the utilities and detergent to wash baby clothes, which have to be washed constantly. She sounds a little desperate for some reason, and is trying way too hard, and you sound like you're reaching for something you can't afford, and will inevitably take advantage of her. Move on OP.

OP here and how in the world did you come to such ridiculous conclusions about me or the potential nanny?! You are dead wrong. Please move on and don't bother commenting on my thread again!

How? Lets see:

She, as you describe her, is well qualified and can by all means command a professional salary.

Yet she is willing to forgo lots of standard benefits, and guaranteed hours, as though she needs to do this to be competitive. She is also dumb enough to offer the use of her own washer and dryer to do baby laundry on her own unpaid time. Why? Why does she need to offer this? She's doing to much, and would be easily taken advantage of.

You on the other hand, seem to love everything about her and what she will do for you, yet are trying to find a reason to give her even less than the very little she asked for. You make it sound like she's out of your budget (can't eat out??), and make reference to being taken for a chump, as though you think she is asking too much.

Your own language brought me to that conclusion and your over the top defensiveness tells me I was right. Pay her rate or don't, but you are a taker, and she is a giver, so yes, you will probably take advantage of her. Nowhere in the rules of the forum does it say to only post if you agree with OP and will only say things that make her feel good. I will post on whatever threads I choose, thank you kindly.

[Anonymous]

I like this nanny's approach - paid well (very well) for the work she does and nothing else. Since she has a washing machine in her apartment and you don't, I think it's good of her to offer to do your baby's laundry on her own time.

All in all, you may end up doing better paying 22 an hour with no benefits than 18 an hour paying vacation, sick days, federal holidays, etc.

I'd hire her if I were you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do agree with PP that this nanny sounds pretty desperate for a job (minus the salary). Taking clothes back to her place to do laundry, not having guaranteed hours, no paid holidays, sick time, vacation. I don't know any professional nanny who would forfeit all of those. Maybe she just wants a job and doesn't need the salary and just wants to stay busy , who knows. But I would do a pretty thorough background check and check on references before hiring her. She seems a little too good to be true.

OP again - she actually has a job currently where she does the child's laundry at her home in the evenings. Our neighborhood is mixed apartments and condos and some apartments have washer/dryers in the apartments and others (like ours) don't.

I don't know if she needs the salary or not - how do you ever know that about any applicant? As far as her references go, they were all excellent and she has a California approved fingerprint background check (I'm not home and I forget the name) since she has been a nanny for state foster children that was clean.

And I don't think 22 an hour is "too good to be true"! The 22 an hour makes it VERY believable!

[Anonymous]

I think it's a great option for nannies to ask for a higher hourly wage but give up all benefits like paid vacation, sick days, etc. if that is what their "life situation" allows.

To answer your question, OP, $22/hour is a good wage but not outrageous in LA. If you like this nanny, hire her - you are NOT being made a chump.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here - two other things I forgot to mention in my original post. First, this 22 per hour nanny lives in our neighborhood and can walk to work - a huge deal in Los Angeles where traffic is as bad and unpredictable as it can get. Second, this nanny has a washer/dryer in her apartment while we only have a communal laundry room downstairs - and this nanny has offered to bring the baby's laundry home with her every night and do it on her own time (which she is currently doing at her present nanny job).

Yes, we can afford (barely) her rate if we stop all luxuries like going out to eat - but no one wants to be taken for a chump.

Ugh. It sounds like she would be great for your family, but that you cannot actually afford her. She shouldn't be taking your baby's laundry home, doing it in her own time, or spending money on the utilities and detergent to wash baby clothes, which have to be washed constantly. She sounds a little desperate for some reason, and is trying way too hard, and you sound like you're reaching for something you can't afford, and will inevitably take advantage of her. Move on OP.

OP here and how in the world did you come to such ridiculous conclusions about me or the potential nanny?! You are dead wrong. Please move on and don't bother commenting on my thread again!

Sorry OP - that poster's spot on. Not wanting guaranteed hours and taking laundry home every night are both red flags that she's desperate for a job. If she thinks she's worth $22/hour, why wouldn't she think she's worth guaranteed hours, paid holidays, etc? Doesn't add up.

And it sounds like you're in no financial position to employ her. Is it really a realistic life to cut all luxuries (you're never going to go out to eat as long as you're employing her?) and still barely scrape by? I think you like her so much that you're willing to overlook what are some very basic issues.

[Anonymous]

Sorry PP - I don't see it as being desperate for a job either - the nanny clearly isn't living pay check to pay check and is financially comfortable enough to demand a higher hourly salary for the hours she actually works and nothing more. You have to live in a city to understand the taking home the baby's laundry thing - to me that would be a plus for the nanny.

22 an hour is high in Seattle but not unheard of for a college graduate with experience. If you like her - hire her.

[Anonymous]

$22.00 is NOT high in Los Angeles, especially on the west side for a college educated nanny. Where do you live, OP?