Is It Legal to Pay 1/2 Rate Overnight Instead of OT?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Excuse PP's, there is a big difference in doing it for just a week to get extra $$$, and perhaps it wouldn't be too hard to attract someone to do it....just for a week.

But...Most 24hr Nannies, don't do it just for a week. They do it EVERY week, sometimes for years. So that is most definitely giving up any sort of normal life. OP only needs someone for 2 months. But being a 24hr is a huge sacrifice for the job, and it should be VERY WELL compensated. It's a rare need/want, so the pool of candidates is very small. Offering to discount hours, or not pay for 8 hrs would not be a draw at all.

I'm the one that did the calculations above you, and I was thinking about it as a "employers go on vacation for a week and leave the kids with nanny type thing." I agree that it changes if you are looking for someone 24/7 full-time. It sounds like OP is looking for someone for a few months. Let's say she's looking for someone literally 24 hours a day for three straight months. With my calculation that removes the 8-hour a day sleeping period, that's $2,220 * 12 weeks (assuming each month is four weeks) = $26,640 in three months.

I still think that's a lot of money, even to be on call for three months. Obviously not everyone is going to be able to do it, but if you can, I imagine you could find someone to give up three months of their life for almost $30,000. No?

[Anonymous]

I'm a 24/5 nanny as OP is looking into. I work around 105 hrs a week. I definatly consider the "sleeping" hours as working because I have to stay alert all night with the monitor on.

I make $85,000 a year, what works out to $12 an hr base pay. In my market this is considered low-mid range salary. I know some 24hr nannies who earn 130k.

You could pay way less, but how could you trust someone who will accept way less to look after your children 24hrs a day?