Reasonable PT/weekly wage?

[Anonymous]

Hello All.

FTM here! Have a 6 month old and will be in need of part time childcare soon. We’ve been using daycare and are generally very happy but a planned job change for me necessitates the move to a nanny (simply not enough evening hours at daycare and spouse has a long commute from DC). I’m posting because we think we can afford what we've been led to believe is competitive pay for our area (Vienna/Oakton) at about 30 hours a week over three days. One of the days would be a twelve hour day. We are in the process of interviewing candidates now and totally recognize that due to what we can afford to pay, we likely are not going to get the college educated, CPR trained person with tons of nanny experience who has her own safe SUV to drive our child around in but hope we can find a caring, trustworthy, and nurturing individual who will be a source of stability and love for our child. We have realistic expectations and apart from being tolerant of our family dog (and letting him out in the backyard to pee), we are not asking any non-baby related housekeeping duties for the nanny.
Is $350/week (gross) for 30 hours of work (with guaranteed and set hours, on the books) and real possibility for more hours and more hourly pay over the next few years reasonable? Are we kidding ourselves/being cheapskates? We need to keep things financially sustainable but at the same time, want to pay our nanny as fair a wage as we can afford. Any advice much appreciated.

[Anonymous]

I'm a mother, with a full time nanny for my kids.

The rate you're proposing is $11.67/hr. That is in the neighborhood of what I pay highschool babysitters. I think it is very far from a competitive rate for qualified, good, childcare - especially for such long days but a less than full-time position.

I think if that's your budget you need to find a way to make a daycare solution work, perhaps in conjunction w/ a college student who could be reliable enough to pick your baby up from daycare and watch him for a couple of hours.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your thoughts, PP. We are also looking into nanny shares.

[Anonymous]

OP again here. Should clarify that we have a little wiggle room in the budget and on hours, just looking for numbers on what is competitive and reasonable.

[Anonymous]

No less than $14/hr gross, with guaranteed hours, at the absolute bare minimum. A share is a good idea but with those hours it will be extremely difficult to find another family to work with at those times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No less than $14/hr gross, with guaranteed hours, at the absolute bare minimum. A share is a good idea but with those hours it will be extremely difficult to find another family to work with at those times.

I agree.

[Anonymous]

I think your rate is a little low, however rates do vary from city to city so I cannot speak to where you are located.

That being said, I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving my child alone w/someone who has nanny duties, yet receives less pay. It just wouldn't feel right. The risk would always exist that this person would find a higher paying position anytime and leave me high + dry w/out childcare.

Have you thought about perhaps looking into finding a stay-at-home mother who wouldn't mind caring for an add'l child in her home? This may be a viable option for your family.

[Anonymous]

A share would be better for you. Even in my low cost of living area, I wouldn't pay less than $13-$15/hr. You want a reliable grownup.

[Anonymous]

15:55 here again.

The advantage for me is that here that's a "top" wage for childcare, so attracts good candidates. In the DC area, that's the lowest you could possibly go to attract any candidates, I think (we just moved from there).

[Anonymous]

You should visit a weekday playground, and what you get for those bargain rates.

[Anonymous]

OP here. thanks all, suspected that we might not be able to afford a nanny at this point in time. i think we could swing $15/hour but for only 2 days/weekly. not sure if this is attractive to a prospective nanny or not. will be looking into other options.

[Anonymous]

It depends. Your rate might be quite attractive to a nanny that is just starting out, doesn't have many references yet. If you can guarantee which days of the week, she has 4 other days that she can try to find another part-time job. Just my two cents, as a nanny that has struggled because parents decided not to answer the phone and give references. I've taken lower paying jobs because I know that the reference is worth more in the long run.