Any nannies split a workday?

[Anonymous]

I just started a weekend position with a very nice couple and a sweet charge. They actually need me from about 7:30 to nap time and then in the evening until about 10PM. They are only two miles from my home so it wouldn't be a huge deal for me to go home after I put the child down for her nap and then come back at around five or six.

Has anyone else ever done this? Does it feel like an 15 hour day even though I have four hours or so off in the middle?

If I say no, they will adjust and have me work in the afternoon thru the night but I feel a bit bad as that is not really the coverage they need.

TIA

[Anonymous]

I used to do this a couple days a week (working 6 days a week overall with the family) and it was really a pain. I'd go home and have lunch or rest on the couch and dread going back the same day even though I really adored my charge. The only thing that kept me going was my charge and the extremely high pay. They paid me over $2000 a month in cash play provided my apartment (with all bills) and car and phone so it was like a big package deal and I was basically on call for them for about 40 hours a week total.

Personally I would have to think hard about doing it again with those perks, but for the common $15-20 an hour with no perks I would surely never do it again.

[Anonymous]

I've done this for a client before on occasion; most days were 8-4 but every other Friday she would go out at night and had me work 8-12 and then 6-10pm. Those days were so hard. It was confusing for the child, my time off was not relaxing, and it was a late and stressful end to a long week.

Honestly, if you're talking about a five day per week job where every day is split like that, the first thing that comes to my mind is: when will you have a social life?? You won't be able to go out any evenings during the week because you're not getting off work until 10pm and you have to be back at work at 7:30am! If you're working late Friday night then Saturday night will be the /only/ night of the week you can do anything when you're not getting off work late or have to be up at 6:30/7am. And I don't know about you, but most of my friends do work roughly 9-5 so it's not like any of them would be available to hang out during your off time in the afternoons.

I've held nanny jobs before where I worked 7:30am-7pm every day, and sometimes had to stay late (8-9pm) as well, which did take a toll on my social and personal life. BUT, the trade off was that I was making a TON of money with overtime, etc. In this situation, you're losing a lot of personal time and freedom, but not being compensated any better (you're not making as much OT by having 4-6 hours off in the middle of the day).

If you love the family, are being paid extremely well, and really want to try it you can go for it, but I think you're just going to get burnt out and frustrated with it pretty quickly.

[Anonymous]

OP here and thanks. I am married and don't need much of an outside social life right now. We are trying to bank as much money as possible (hence the weekend job).

But thank you for the advice - I was afraid it would make it feel like a 15 hour day when I would only be getting paid for an 8 to 10 hour day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here and thanks. I am married and don't need much of an outside social life right now. We are trying to bank as much money as possible (hence the weekend job).

But thank you for the advice - I was afraid it would make it feel like a 15 hour day when I would only be getting paid for an 8 to 10 hour day.

Would you be able to see tour spouse working this schedule? What are they paying? I think it comes down to what you would do during that time. If tou can easily say "gym, shower,nmeal with spouse, housework or downtime with spouse, return to work" then it might work, but if you are going to have trouble filling that time then it's not worth it.

[Anonymous]

May I ask what are your hours during the week (I might be wrong but assuming you have another job)? When will you at have at least one day off?

I think you will b fine for a couple of weeks but then it will start wearing on you. You will probably try to cram as much as you need done during that little time and by the time you get home it will be time to leave to work again. It wil certainly feel like you were working all throughout without a break. Your body will feel it, your mind will feel it...

I wouldn't encourage doing this unless you have enough time with your husband during the week (and free time for yourself) and also only if the hourly rate is above average.

Good luck

[Anonymous]

I've done many splits. At my new job, I had the chance to negotiate my schedule and offered a few splits with some extra downtime framing them in my week. They're difficult, because no matter what, you never really feel off work. As pp said, as soon as you get home, it's time to go back to work. Doing them everyday will wear on your psyche. I'd only do it short term and for good money.

[Anonymous]

I don't think I would feel as if I were working a 15 hr. day, unless the parents wanted me to be "on-call" during the middle of the day, which doesn't seem the case for you.

However, if you get off at 10PM then you most likely have to go straight home & to sleep so you won't have any issue waking up early the next morning. That would be the only negative for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:May I ask what are your hours during the week (I might be wrong but assuming you have another job)? When will you at have at least one day off?

I think you will b fine for a couple of weeks but then it will start wearing on you. You will probably try to cram as much as you need done during that little time and by the time you get home it will be time to leave to work again. It wil certainly feel like you were working all throughout without a break. Your body will feel it, your mind will feel it...

I wouldn't encourage doing this unless you have enough time with your husband during the week (and free time for yourself) and also only if the hourly rate is above average.

Good luck

OP here. I have all day Sunday and most Friday's off - this is a Saturday job.

Thanks for all the responses.

[Anonymous]

OP, if you have most Fridays and every Saturday off, you're only 2 miles from your NF's house, and your husband is available, then it sounds like it could work. If I were you, I would tell the family that I would try it for a month and let them know how it was working, and if it's not, then they need to be willing to either do the whole day (and it's a long one, but that's what they really need) or they need to fond someone else for the later shift.

[Anonymous]

Given your current schedule, I would definitely agree to that situation. Even though I have weekends off, I typically try to make Saturday my "work" day, as in I do a majority of my housework and try to pick up extra sitting jobs. Sunday is my day off where I really have nothing I need to do. I don't see it being a big deal since it's only one day per week. Plus, I'm assuming that LO would fall asleep sometime before ten PM?