Afternoon schedule, what works?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To Op, I really think it's the late schedule. Almost nobody likes to work so late and definitely are the hours that you offer. It's just 24 or possible 30 hours. At this time everyone will look for full-time hours. And sometimes it's just hard for them, to fill their mornings with another job; even they have an afternoon job. You should think a little more about the rate; people in DC are making $25 per 1 child. Where are you located OP?

I agree with this poster about the late schedule and also needing to increase the rate. I was working a very similar schedule, but got burned out getting getting home at 8:30 every night. Are you able to shift the hours to start/end earlier so you can still offer enough hours? Would additional tasks that your housekeeper doesn't perform be an option? We made that change and I stayed with them for several more years.

I worked 12-7 with one later night for date night and also had a lot of Fridays off. I was being paid $36 an hour + insurance, vacation, sick days, etc
I was guaranteed 31 hours and had an option to work Fridays for additional hours. I worked well for all of us.

They didn't employ a full time housekeeper, but did have cleaners 1-2x a week. I didn't clean or do laundry, but did straighten up and oversee kids putting away laundry, unloading dishwasher, taking out trash, etc.

I will say that my role was constantly evolving and there were always new things to do to keep me busy. There was definitely enough to do to fill those 3 hours before I picked the kids up. I helped with pet care, all kinds of errands, paying bills, research projects, camp registration, doctor's appointments- basically anything that I could take of off their plates. I also made dinner for the kids.

Could something like that work for your family or do you definitely need someone late in the evening ?

Good luck!

Yes we're happy to guarantee a minimum # of hours, start earlier etc if needed. Also while we pay hourly, happy to pay for Fridays even if they don't work because that's usually a chill family afternoon for us.
This role is different each week day, a lot of driving two of the days, less the other two. I would need to think about other responsibilities without piling on
I've been trying to keep it as simple as possible
What is your profile, age etc, if you don't mind sharing
We're interviewing a couple of folks this week, one who is 27yo and has worked the same schedule for another family for the last few years

You need to pay very well. They are basically parenting your kids from when they get home to bedtime.

[Anonymous]

I would be interested in speaking with you about the position. Do you have an email I can contact you?

[Anonymous]

OP here
Hi All, i wanted to say thank you for all of the helpful comments. We hired someone a couple of weeks ago and she is a great fit. She's 26yo, studying a few mornings a week for her masters. She loves the hours and schedule, and has been a great asset for our family. She was asking for $25/hr, minimum of 30 hours a week so we're all set for this school year.

[Anonymous]

I know I’m coming late to the party, op, but I wanted to give you insight into another option for next year.

I am a live-in nanny. I’ve worked with two families who had a later start, one at 10 AM the other at noon. The 10 AM family finished around 8 to 830 each evening the new family and it anywhere between eight and midnight, depending on the day. For both families, they understood that asking a nanny to stay that late and then commute home was a no go. For me, as a live in, I don’t have dependents that I have to worry about, and I’m able to fit my schedule to the families needs.

This may be something that you want to consider in the future, especially as your two younger children, have more afterschool activities. Having another set of hands who can take over, washing and drying the laundry, have it folded and ready for the kids to put away, another person to help keep track of the calendar, schedule camps, do all the myriad little things associated with the kids’ birthday parties, etc. A housekeeper is great, but especially if they leave by two, there’s limited ability to be another set of hands for the kids’ needs.