Unreasonable expectations for weekend nanny

[Anonymous]

I work full-time for a family that also needs a weekend nanny every Saturday. When we don't have a weekend nanny, I cover the shift. I initially offered to help identify and interview candidates and have had to replce this person 3 times in the last year. I am gettinf frustrated because I think the parents aren't really being reasonable about what they expect. IMO they are overworking and underpaying and the result is that I have to keep finding a new person and it eats up my Saturdays after a long (55 hours) week. I tried to explain this to MB but she just didn't get it. The job entails:

Two toddlers (1.5 and 2.5) they are sweet but very high-energy.
A house with no true playroom. The kids have to play in the living room, which is only mostly babyproofed so that there are still a decent number of things that you have to keep distracting them from.
A backyard with no fence--even if you take them outside you still have to be on top of them constantly.
Grandparents or parents popping in and out pretty frequently--being loud during naps, openly criticizing (grandma), or trying to play with the kids in unsafe ways (grandpa), and just generally being around so that there is no down time ever.
MB keeps the house immacate, so even though there is no "housework," just cleaning up after the kids is harder than it would be elsewhere. This also limits activities since making a big mess is unacceptable.
MB feels that letting the backup sitter relax for 30 min during naptime is generous and she tries to fill the extra hour in with tons of busywork, so the sitter gets to eat her lunch, pee and then MB has her folding clothes, reorganizing the bookshelf or toy closet, etc.
MB is also weird about food and expects the sitters to bring their lunch and snacks from home.
They want to pay around $15 for this.

I tried to explain to MB that this is not a desirable position and that I typically charge $20 to feed elementary schoolers pizza, tuck them in, then watch tv for 3 hours. She said that she doesn't think the job is that hard because "the kids are pretty well-behaved."

It's so baffling to me because they are really lovely and generous employers with me--my base rate is $20, I am welcome to eat alongside the kids, and they know that I rest for a full hour during every naptime and totally support me in taking a break. I don't understand why the weekend sitter gets the shaft!

[Anonymous]

Talk to your employer and tell her the reality. She is being ridiculous. Weekend nannies can command far more money than weekday nannies.

[Anonymous]

Easy. Tell her you'll no longer be able to work on Saturdays as of September because of (whatever reason you can think of, I think exhaustion is acceptable but you might prefer a different reason). Then don't help them find a new Saturday person. It's not your problem. If they ask if you know anyone interested say no.

Your MB is ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Easy. Tell her you'll no longer be able to work on Saturdays as of September because of (whatever reason you can think of, I think exhaustion is acceptable but you might prefer a different reason). Then don't help them find a new Saturday person. It's not your problem. If they ask if you know anyone interested say no.

Your MB is ridiculous.

+1

[Anonymous]

Yes, you are correct.

I think though to be honest your best bet here is to stop offering/ covering the Saturday shift. Just tell MB that you are no longer going to be available to work Saturdays anymore going forwards.

If she gives you grief ask a bunch of sitters to send you their CV's and asking rates for a saturday and forward them all to her

[Anonymous]

Make your Saturday rate $40/hr. It's completely reasonable for what you're doing. And allow her to find her own Saturday sitters.

[Anonymous]

I agree that it is not your duty to be hiring add'l Nannies for this family.
Most especially when you have a high turnover.

Just tell them that you can no longer do Saturdays & that also means that you also cannot be in charge of hiring.

After 55 hours a week, you need the downtime to relax, run errands, do your laundry, catch up w/friends, etc.

Let them see for themselves how tough it is to find a good Saturday Nanny w/all their expectations but low $.

[Anonymous]

Thanks. You are right that I have made this my problem by allowing them to set the terms but being the one who suffers if it doesn't work. We need to have a reset.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks. You are right that I have made this my problem by allowing them to set the terms but being the one who suffers if it doesn't work. We need to have a reset.

Exactly. They do t really care because they assume you'll handle whatever. Step back

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work full-time for a family that also needs a weekend nanny every Saturday. When we don't have a weekend nanny, I cover the shift. I initially offered to help identify and interview candidates and have had to replce this person 3 times in the last year. I am gettinf frustrated because I think the parents aren't really being reasonable about what they expect. IMO they are overworking and underpaying and the result is that I have to keep finding a new person and it eats up my Saturdays after a long (55 hours) week. I tried to explain this to MB but she just didn't get it. The job entails:

Two toddlers (1.5 and 2.5) they are sweet but very high-energy.
A house with no true playroom. The kids have to play in the living room, which is only mostly babyproofed so that there are still a decent number of things that you have to keep distracting them from.
A backyard with no fence--even if you take them outside you still have to be on top of them constantly.
Grandparents or parents popping in and out pretty frequently--being loud during naps, openly criticizing (grandma), or trying to play with the kids in unsafe ways (grandpa), and just generally being around so that there is no down time ever.
MB keeps the house immacate, so even though there is no "housework," just cleaning up after the kids is harder than it would be elsewhere. This also limits activities since making a big mess is unacceptable.
MB feels that letting the backup sitter relax for 30 min during naptime is generous and she tries to fill the extra hour in with tons of busywork, so the sitter gets to eat her lunch, pee and then MB has her folding clothes, reorganizing the bookshelf or toy closet, etc.
MB is also weird about food and expects the sitters to bring their lunch and snacks from home.
They want to pay around $15 for this.

I tried to explain to MB that this is not a desirable position and that I typically charge $20 to feed elementary schoolers pizza, tuck them in, then watch tv for 3 hours. She said that she doesn't think the job is that hard because "the kids are pretty well-behaved."

It's so baffling to me because they are really lovely and generous employers with me--my base rate is $20, I am welcome to eat alongside the kids, and they know that I rest for a full hour during every naptime and totally support me in taking a break. I don't understand why the weekend sitter gets the shaft!

It's because they don't actually respect the weekend sitter. I had this job but with twins, and the DB had never taken them out by himself until they were almost 2. If the job is so easy, why is the parent not caring for their children?