Do you get paid while the child is in school?

[Anonymous]

So if the parents had someone else handling school hour emergencies you would take other work? I don’t think so. Feels like you’re trying to take this family for a ride. Agree that daily flat rate is a much more platable approach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So if the parents had someone else handling school hour emergencies you would take other work? I don’t think so. Feels like you’re trying to take this family for a ride. Agree that daily flat rate is a much more platable approach.

Go back and read. Op is asking a question. She isn’t “taking anyone for a ride.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was asked to do overnight babysitting for the son of a family I know for four days. Two of those days will be school days, meaning he technically won't be in my care for 8ish hours of the day. However, I feel like I can't accept other babysitting jobs during that time because I'll still be "on call" during those hours in case he gets sick or has to be picked up from school for any reason. For anyone who has done this before, do you usually ask for your regular hourly rate during school hours? Or some sort of flat fee?

I am paid my regular rate when I’m needed to be on-call.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So if the parents had someone else handling school hour emergencies you would take other work? I don’t think so. Feels like you’re trying to take this family for a ride. Agree that daily flat rate is a much more platable approach.

I am a nanny who is paid every week during my charges’ school hours. There is one day that local grandparents have signed on to be the backup care and I am unpaid during those school hours. Here are the things I can do on that one day that I cannot do on the other days:

Find other work (and yes, on multiple occasions I have babysat for others during school hours as well as scheduling parent consultant work).
Go swimming (it’s my favorite kind of exercise but I need to be available by phone, so...)
Schedule a doctor’s appointment
Schedule lunch with a friend
Run an errand or go shopping somewhere more than a few miles from the school
Go see a movie
Schedule a massage or pedicure


There is more but that gives you the idea. It is very different to be on-call than to have time that is truly ones own. If it were nothing to ask someone to be on call, then surely the parents would have lots of friends or fellow parents who are happy to serve that role and they wouldn’t need the nanny at all. The fact that they are asking the nanny is indicative of the fact that they do realize it is a responsibility that could become a major inconvenience and they don’t want to call in a favor that big of anyone. Why would a paid employee be more willing to do a big (unpaid) favor for you than your actual friends?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would just charge a flat on call rate and you want to suggest to parents for future to have a safety network of neighbors and other parents for emergencies. Even when parents in town there are times when they are not reachable and schools usually require another contact in case of emergency.

This is precisely why I’m the emergency contact for school and why I have written authorization on me at all times and already filed with the doctor, dentist and preferred hospital, so that I can start any necessary treatment without waiting for parental consent first. This is exactly what parents who travel a lot do. They know anything can happen, and it’s usually at the most inconvenient time for them (meeting with all phones off, in the air without phone service, on the ground in another state). My employers know that I will update as the situation progresses, but if there’s no way to get there and things need to start ASAP, they don’t want to scramble for care. So, yes, I’m paid a very generous salary, but it guarantees that I’m available to cover any overnights that neither parent is available as well as covering all the things that can happen during the day. They get the benefit of my working on play dates, the schedule, the calendar, organizing closets, doing laundry, grocery shopping, etc. It doesn’t take the whole time, but enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait what? You want to get paid for 24 hours a day?

Yes. If I can’t leave or do as I please, I am working. I expect to be paid when I am working.

You want to be paid 24 hours? So the MB can use your services at night from 11pm-6am, making you reorganize the kid’s closet by season and size, organize all the toy bins with mixed toys, ask you to do kid’s laundry, make some kid meals for later when the kids are awake? If you say No, then you’re a hypocrite.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To clarify, yes, the parents will be out of town. No, I don't expect to get paid 24 hours a day. I expect to be paid for all my working hours at my regular rate as well as a flat rate overnight. School hours are different though, because those are hours during the day when I could be working a different job but can't in case there's an issue at school. That's why I'm asking what the standard is for those hours.

Why can't you work a different job and just tell them the situation. Plenty of parents work while their kids are at school, they don't sit around just in case they get called.

Because a nanny/sitter cannot leave her second-job charges if the first charges get sick or hurt at school. Being a nanny is not like other jobs.

Seriously, are you really that dense?

[Anonymous]

We pay our nanny regularly while our kids are at school, so why wouldn't we pay a part-time nanny when they're at school? When we're in town but working we would generally try to be the ones to go pick our children up but our nanny has also done so in non-serious situations (i.e. fever), hence, we pay her while they're at school so that she is available. OP, since this is a part-time gig, I'd suggest maybe some sort of flat fee like people brought up, but I would definitely pay you around the clock if you were responsible for my children around the clock (and that includes when they're not with you). We pay a flat rate for overnight during the hours when the children sleep, so to me school is the same, we just happen to pay our nanny hourly during that time because of summer and snow days and sick days and everything else so it's just easier. I have always been of the opinion that people don't deserve to have a nanny - they can either pay well for one or not have one at all. So all you people up in arms about OP being paid while the kids are at school can either just not use a nanny or just go work for those kinds of people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait what? You want to get paid for 24 hours a day?

Yes. If I can’t leave or do as I please, I am working. I expect to be paid when I am working.

You want to be paid 24 hours? So the MB can use your services at night from 11pm-6am, making you reorganize the kid’s closet by season and size, organize all the toy bins with mixed toys, ask you to do kid’s laundry, make some kid meals for later when the kids are awake? If you say No, then you’re a hypocrite.

I am paid to be in their home 24 hours a day, yes. I can sleep when I need to. And I schedule all of that, though obviously not overnight.

[Anonymous]

I think you should be paid for the entire time since you need to be available but are you sure you can't take other jobs? Maybe for those two days take clients that allow you to drive with the kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait what? You want to get paid for 24 hours a day?

Yes. If I can’t leave or do as I please, I am working. I expect to be paid when I am working.

You want to be paid 24 hours? So the MB can use your services at night from 11pm-6am, making you reorganize the kid’s closet by season and size, organize all the toy bins with mixed toys, ask you to do kid’s laundry, make some kid meals for later when the kids are awake? If you say No, then you’re a hypocrite.

I am paid for all 24 hours and do sleep. No, my employer cannot ask me to do chores. Again, if I am not free to leave - I am working. No hypocrisy - simply the facts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you should be paid for the entire time since you need to be available but are you sure you can't take other jobs? Maybe for those two days take clients that allow you to drive with the kids?

That’s not the issue.

Okay, I’ve picked up kids that are throwing up. What am I supposed to do with the healthy kids? I’ve picked up a child who got a concussion or broke a bone (school just thought it was a bone bruise, but it was a hairline fracture), and depending on the situation, I either go straight to the ER or I call the doctor for an immediate appointment. Either way, there’s no room for the other kids. I’ve also picked up a child whose medicine isn’t working correctly or who is misbehaving; in that situation, it’s possible that other kids wouldn’t even be safe with the child I picked up.

Of course I can drive other kids. Of course I would love to pick up a different family during that time. But I’m paid to be available for all scenarios, including weather, healthier and behavior. And I don’t double dip, or I’d find myself without either position!

[Anonymous]

If I am the one who would have to go and pick up during school hours then yes I am paid. I try to use this time to do something in the house for part of it (laundry? Cooking?) But yes it must be fully paid. As mentioned its not as if you can pick up other work

[Anonymous]

This thread is why I have an au pair (paid way more than stipend). Nannies wanting to get paid for sitting around. I mean really.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread is why I have an au pair (paid way more than stipend). Nannies wanting to get paid for sitting around. I mean really.

My point was that I’m not just sitting around. If your AP can go do whatever she wants, then I’m glad for you. But you shouldn’t reasonably expect her to walk out of her movie, class or other scheduled activity to pick up your sick child from school.