Should a housekeeper earn more than a nanny?

[Anonymous]

I was looking for a PT nanny but realized that I need more housekeeping than actual childcare. I used to pay $15 for babysitting. I feel like I have to offer $20+ for housekeeping (cooking, laundry, taking out trash, making beds, etc).

[Anonymous]

There are many reasons housekeepers tend to make more per hour than sitters or nannies, but most are market based - not a reflection on the greater or lesser value of either type of domestic work.

Generally (and, of course there are exceptions to all of these reasons), housekeepers have to have many more clients than full time or even part time nannies. So, they may only have 6 paid hours in a 10 hour workday, as they lose a lot of time in travel. Housekeepers are also expected to work steadily during the entire time they are being paid for. There are generally no paid breaks (unless it's an usually long amount of hours). There is also generally no such thing as a guaranteed hours benefit, as a housekeeper could, theoretically, always have work to do in a home. Lastly, there is a huge portion of the industry that comes through services. These services often pay the actual housekeepers minimum wage or close to, but then charge the clients huge hourly rates. This tends to drive up the market rate for independent housekeepers.

[Anonymous]

I can't even imagine paying a housekeeper more than the person I entrust my child to. That's completely insane.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't even imagine paying a housekeeper more than the person I entrust my child to. That's completely insane.

OP here. We used to pay our FT nanny $600 per week for 40 hours per week. We pay our cleaning lady $150 to clean our entire house and it takes her about 4-5 hours. Now our kids are school aged and in camps. We need about 1 hour of childcare and 3-4 hours of housekeeping per day.

[Anonymous]

If you can guarantee 20 hours a week, I think you can get someone for $15-$16/hr.. Will this job continue into the school year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was looking for a PT nanny but realized that I need more housekeeping than actual childcare. I used to pay $15 for babysitting. I feel like I have to offer $20+ for housekeeping (cooking, laundry, taking out trash, making beds, etc).

You think someone, legal, is going to be a nanny/housekeeper for less than $50/an hour?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was looking for a PT nanny but realized that I need more housekeeping than actual childcare. I used to pay $15 for babysitting. I feel like I have to offer $20+ for housekeeping (cooking, laundry, taking out trash, making beds, etc).

You think someone, legal, is going to be a nanny/housekeeper for less than $50/an hour?

How about $45/hr?

[Anonymous]

You are going to have to pay more for deep cleaning (the service you paid $150 for 4-5 hours for). But you should be able to find someone for $15-16/hr to do meal prep, grocery shopping, laundry, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't even imagine paying a housekeeper more than the person I entrust my child to. That's completely insane.

Me either!!!

[Anonymous]

I pay my cleaner (small apartment) approximately three times as much per hour as my nanny. But the cleaner comes in once a week for three hours and the nanny is here for 20. I suppose I've never actually thought about the discrepancy - obviously I care about the well being of my child more than the cleanliness of the house, but those were the rates that were suggested and that I accepted.

[Anonymous]

House keepers work less hours and don't have down time then they move on to the next immediately when they are done with the the job. A maid for instance wouldn't be paid more than a nanny because a maid would be full time but not "on" the entire time like a housekeeper. Completely different scenarios.

When you think of a housekeeper think more like you pay labor for a plumber. They come in, get the job done, then leave. Some may stay a full 6-7 hours depending on how many rooms and the amount of deep cleaning (vaulted ceilings with fans, baseboards, doing the linens while there) but for a typical visit they do 2-4 hoursand walk away with around $100 bucks then go to another house or call it a day. A housekeeper could easily earn $1000-12000 per week if they do 2 homes a day.

[Anonymous]

I nanny for a wealthy family. The MB told me that housecleaners charge three times per hour what I do. And she is always disappointed with their work. So she occasionally hires me for four extra hours to take the kids out of the house somewhere and she cleans the house herself.

[Anonymous]

"Should a housekeeper earn more than a nanny?"

Arguably the care of one's young child should hold priority over your carpet and granite counters, but the fact of the matter is that housekeepers DO earn more than a nanny.

[Anonymous]

"Should a housekeeper earn more than a nanny?"

Arguably the care of one's young child should hold priority over your carpet and granite counters, but the fact of the matter is that housekeepers DO earn more than a nanny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I pay my cleaner (small apartment) approximately three times as much per hour as my nanny. But the cleaner comes in once a week for three hours and the nanny is here for 20. I suppose I've never actually thought about the discrepancy - obviously I care about the well being of my child more than the cleanliness of the house, but those were the rates that were suggested and that I accepted.

This shows how most cleaners are smarter than most nannies. Good that they know how to earn a living wage.