Tell Me How To Find Short Term Care on Nanny's Vacation?

[Anonymous]

My caregiver is going on vacation for three weeks in October which we knew about in advance for awhile now but I am already stressing about it. Its important for her to go home to see her family and we understand that - I am just uncertain about how to go about getting replacement help. DH and I work full time. Will anyone want to work for us for such a short time frame? How do I go about finding help - Care.com or something (not look for any solicitations on this forum). I obviously want someone good and trustworthy with experience and I guess around $15 would be a good rate but unfortunately we will also be paying for our caregivers vacation too. That's how it goes I guess. So my real question is how have other people gone about finding caregivers to fill in for the short term when their nannies take vacation?

[Anonymous]

I take a two-week vacation every year and my employers use an agency for temporary coverage.

[Anonymous]

Do you have family or friends who could help? I'll be getting married this fall, and my charge's grandparents are flying in for a long visit.

[Anonymous]

When our manny went on vacation he introduced us to a girl he was friends with from meeting her and her charge at the park, we talked to her employers to get their okay, and she nanny-shared for two weeks.

[Anonymous]

Try Seeking Sitters. They are cheaper than a lot of other agencies. Are you paying for 3 weeks of vacation?

[Anonymous]

We are in this right now and we found interim care through MetroParent Relief. It will likely cost you more than is ideal, but it is good, reliable, guaranteed care. This is what they do and it has given me great peace of mind.

Given how much notice you have, you could also ask around your neighborhood, on listservs, etc... You might find someone who has a nanny but won't need for for some chunk of time due to vacation or maternity leave or something. Get the word out now.

It will be ok. I know how stressful it is but there are solutions out there, especially if you can set aside the money so that financial stress isn't an added burden.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When our manny went on vacation he introduced us to a girl he was friends with from meeting her and her charge at the park, we talked to her employers to get their okay, and she nanny-shared for two weeks.

I think this is a good idea--see if your nanny has other "nanny friends" whose families would be open to a temporary share situation. Unfortunately, I think your budget of $15/hr is too low for agencies, or even most "independent" nannies willing to take on such a short job.

[Anonymous]

Wow...You will be paying for your current nanny's THREE week's vacation?? Sign me up! That is an awesome benefit package right there.

All kidding aside, you can find someone who is willing to do three weeks. Just place an ad on Care.com and Sittercity.com or go through a temp agency.

I am quite sure there are people out there who would love to earn a little extra spending cash for the upcoming holidays.

[Anonymous]

OP, we had good luck with a similar time frame (four-week October stretch to cover) with a nanny who had finished a job at the end of August but had not yet found new employment. It helped to fill her time while she job hunted and gave her an additional set of recent references. The challenge is that it is much too early to find someone in that position now, since most people will be looking for long-term positions--but come September, you may have luck with that. Our nanny helped to find her by asking around at the neighborhood park to see whose charges would be headed to preschool in the fall, and then she passed along the names of those she felt would be a good fit--you might check with your caregiver to see if she can do the same.

[Anonymous]

We also use Metro Parent Relief. It is pricey: $250 membership (think $20/month), plus $35/day on top of the nanny's hourly fee. HOWEVER, if you don't have the flexibility or local family/friends to cover things like a nanny's vacation or sick days, it's invaluable. She's been able to find coverage for me with less than 24 hours notice. Her nannies are also already interviewed, background-checked, etc..

One thing to remember is that while this is expensive right now, you're not talking about using the service very often or for too many years. And if you want to save money by taking some vacation time yourself to cover a few days, or bring grandma in for a couple of days, whatever, it's easier to use a service where you don't have to promise someone three solid weeks of work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We also use Metro Parent Relief. It is pricey: $250 membership (think $20/month), plus $35/day on top of the nanny's hourly fee. HOWEVER, if you don't have the flexibility or local family/friends to cover things like a nanny's vacation or sick days, it's invaluable. She's been able to find coverage for me with less than 24 hours notice. Her nannies are also already interviewed, background-checked, etc..

One thing to remember is that while this is expensive right now, you're not talking about using the service very often or for too many years. And if you want to save money by taking some vacation time yourself to cover a few days, or bring grandma in for a couple of days, whatever, it's easier to use a service where you don't have to promise someone three solid weeks of work.

I'm the PP who mentioned MPR and I totally agree with all of this. Stacie will sometimes run a mid-year promotion where she prorates the annual membership fee so that could save you a bit, but the daily fees do ratchet up the cost. But I've had Stacie email me back at 10 pm when I've been in a real jam needing care - and the 3 different people I've used from her service have all been fine.

[Anonymous]

What's does MPR charge for a permanent nanny placement?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's does MPR charge for a permanent nanny placement?

If I remember correctly it's a percentage of the projected annual salary - but I'm not positive, it might just be a flat fee. Either way it would be several thousand dollars - which is just like any agency.

[Anonymous]

Wow, nannies expect at least two weeks vacation every year?

I can't remember the last time I was able to take two weeks off from work.

[Anonymous]

You can't take care of your kids for two weeks?