S/O Nannies: Would you charge a higher rate for WAHM?

[Anonymous]

Future MB here. We are currently looking for a nanny and have had a hard time finding candidates who are OK with me working from home (separate office on separate floor of the house). I'm not interested in a mother's helper as I have a online job where I can't manage the caregiver constantly (nor do I want to) - I need a professional nanny.

My question for nannies is - if you are open to a job where the MB works from home, does that factor into the hourly rate you charge?

[Anonymous]

I'm open to working for WAHMs. In fact, I've really enjoyed it in the past. I don't charge a higher hourly rate because of it, but my rates are already on the higher end. I will spend a bit more time judging the "fit" before committing to the job. There are some personality quirks that I can let go if you're going to be out of the home 90% of the time that I can't ignore if you work from home, and of course I'd want someone who seemed comfortable with me as well. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for your post. If I may ask, what aspects of the jobs made it enjoyable? I want to make sure I provide as positive an environment as possible. I already plan to establish a work/visit schedule so I'm not in the nanny's space at unpredictable times.

[Anonymous]

11:27 here. I've worked from some really kind, very interesting MBs and I really enjoyed getting to know them. I liked that they were there to experience their children's days, and that if some really funny or awesome happened, they could be there. I like that they were there to help if we were having a really difficult day for whatever reason. I liked that there was a bit more flexibility to the schedule. And I really liked that there was never any question about how well I did my job. They were actually there to see it.

[Anonymous]

I've worked for parents who have worked from home a couple of times a week. I have not had an issue with it. But you have to set boundaries beforehand.
Most nannies do not like to work from someone who works from home because they can't get to slack off during the day.

[Anonymous]

I actually make less working for a WAHM, but that's because the baby is an infant, and he basically sleeps for 2/3 of the time I'm there, and she basically hired me to watch him from home just so she could breastfeed on the days she works from home.

In your case, I wouldn't expect to offer any more or any less. Since you aren't getting a lot of candidates for your position maybe you could offer a bit higher of a salary, or you could consider offering the position to someone who has childcare experience, but may not have as much experience as a nanny since you will be home if something happens.

[Anonymous]

I don't think working for someone who works from home should affect the overall hourly rate at all.

What is important here is that the nanny and you first and foremost have good chemistry together and that you both are on the same page regarding the child's care and what is best for him/her.

Before the job begins, it is best to be perfectly clear on what a typical day will entail.
Open communication is a MUST and both sides should not hold back on what is important to them considering their needs, etc.

[Anonymous]

The answer is that, no, individual nannies are not going to increase their rates because you WAH, BUT, yes, you will likely pay more, because most unprofessional nannies hate this kind of situation, so you will really only be looking at a pool of candidates who either are desperate for a job (bad references, no experience, etc.), which you don't want, or who are very professional and experienced, which tends to be a the higher end of the pay scale.

[Anonymous]

I don't think you need to pay more. You do need a clear understanding of how the day will be structured though.

Do you have flexibility during the day?
Will you be joining your child for lunch?
Will you be doing things around the house?

If your job is such that you go to your office and are there/on that floor for most of the day, then nanny needs to go about her job as if you aren't there. If you will be around to interact with then you need a nanny who can handle that.

[Anonymous]

I had a friend whose office was set up downstairs. She had a coffee pot, small fridge, microwave, etc. down there so she didn't have to go upstairs at all. She could go outside if she needed to without her dd even noticing.

She went to her office at 9 AM and was back upstairs at 5 PM. She let the nanny know when she left the house. If there was something urgent of course nanny could text/come down but otherwise Mom was at work and nanny was too.

[Anonymous]

Both of my employers work at home. I would not charge more for it but I have a competitive rate already. We are mostly happy with our setup. I would suggest talking about sleep training and the daily routine. My charge was held and rocked to sleep by mom and dad but that does not work for me. I prefer to have kids learn to fall asleep in their own bed. DS cried a lot at nap times until he got used to it. MB would come upstairs at first, thinking I was having a hard time, we had talked about nap routines but she just hadn't considered that change would mean some bouts of crying until the routine becomes familiar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Future MB here. We are currently looking for a nanny and have had a hard time finding candidates who are OK with me working from home (separate office on separate floor of the house). I'm not interested in a mother's helper as I have a online job where I can't manage the caregiver constantly (nor do I want to) - I need a professional nanny.

My question for nannies is - if you are open to a job where the MB works from home, does that factor into the hourly rate you charge?

As a WAHM I see it as an asset, not a deficit when searching for nannies. It very quickly weeds out the slacker nannies. Definitely don't pay extra for the privilege of being in your own home. Just show the nanny who you are (hopefully friendly and not a micro-manager) and let the good nannies rise to the top.

[Anonymous]

I would not charge more for a WAHM. I've actually had a really pleasant experience working for a mother who worked two days from home and three from the office. We established rules early on, adhered to them and didn't really have any problems. We also got along famously well, and I think it's a bit more important to have a mutual liking in this kind of situation, because you'll be exposed to the nanny's good and bad sides much more than if you only see her in the morning and evening for ten minutes.

Of course, I also had a terrible experience working for a first time micro-managing mother who would "come in to check" how her DS was doing about a minute after he stopped crying, because she snuck out of the room and didn't say goodbye, and because he was 18 months. So it was a daily torture for all three of us, really. The only good days I'd had with the kid were when she had to go out, because once he got over crying we could do things. With the mom at home it was a constant loop of crying for twenty minutes - smiling for five minutes - crying for twenty minutes... 4 hours of that every day.

So this makes me think very hard about accepting a position with a WAHM, and with other things being equal I will always opt for parents who aren't at home.

I think that to attract more candidates you should make it absolutely clear in your ad that you will not be supervising (after the initial few days or whatever feels comfortable for you) and the nanny will have the completely responsibility over the child, without you interfering if you disagree with something she does or miss the child and just want a cuddle or what have you. You could even describe the location of your office/kids' room/playroom/etc and explain in more detail how you plan to stay away during the day (have a kettle in the room, use the office bathroom, things like that).