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Part time nannies will be looking for higher pay or perks that make it worth being taxed.
Ask for help coming up with routine charts and consequences. Bring out colorful markers and let her write/draw a chart after you guys discuss what needs to happen during the day. Also set time aside for meetings. Listen to her concerns about the issues you are seeing then have her listen to yours. Together come up with some ways to prevent unwanted behavior and to change course when she slips. At home you can use the oven timer to signal when an activity is over. Allow her to set the timer and to turn it off.
On of my best interventions was taking the kids to a school track and having them run races. We did relays so each person's goal was only to beat their own previous time. It was awesome because they had to cooperate. All you need is something to use as a baton.
On of my best interventions was taking the kids to a school track and having them run races. We did relays so each person's goal was only to beat their own previous time. It was awesome because they had to cooperate. All you need is something to use as a baton.
Anonymous wrote:9:37's tone was a bit insensitive and I disagree with the notion that a nanny does not need insurance, but she is correct in her assertion that the problem lies in the nanny's lifestyle expectations.
$15 an hour is not a rate that affords a great lifestyle, but as in any career, a nanny who is new or lacks a college degree should not expect to earn as much as someone with better credentials or a better skillset just because she wants a certain lifestyle. When I was a new college graduate earning a ridiculously low administrative assistant salary in New York City, I managed by renting a single room for a while and then living with roommates in an apartment where we converted the living room into a bedroom, so we had no real common space. This kind of arrangement is very typical for young professionals in NYC. A few years later I had worked up and was earning more, so I upgraded to a rundown studio that was maybe 350 square feet total without a real kitchen. It wasn't great, but that is what I could afford at the time. Eventually I went back to school and found a way to earn myself better housing and more luxuries.
So, while I recognize that $1500 is low for a one-bedroom apartment in DC proper, I agree with 9:37 that a one bedroom apartment is a luxury for a nanny earning $15 per hour. If the nanny is ambitious and great at her job, she should be able to work up to a better rate and lifestyle over time, like everyone else in every other profession. Also, very few nannies in DC work 40 hours a week, so the income level in OP's post is artificially low.
Arguments like this are appealing because it is easier to attack the individual then to take on a poorly functioning system. No person should have to live without bare necessities. We aren't talking about a 'great lifestyle' here. If you reduce the rent to $1000 but add in utilities, washing clothes, and saving for emergencies you still get to an amount that is not sustainable on $15. And that is not a reflection of a nannies skill set. That is not the pay of a new graduate or someone without experience. That is the pay rate with all of those assets.
This same argument is used to block laws that protect child workers and increased the minimum wage. It focuses on the individual, suggesting that they alone create the social context that makes disparity possible. It suggests that the failure is in the individual because they could not make the world a better place to live in. It is the same argument used to fight civil rights legislation in the 60s and to deny women the right to vote. I am fed up of hearing it. There is an obvious inequity in working 45-50 hours per week and not being able to see a doctor when you are ill. This is not nannies 'living above their means.' Not nannies living in so called 'hip' neighborhoods. Not nannies wanting 'luxury' accommodations. Those words are being used to distract from what we are really asking for: that if we work forty hours a week our pay be enough to fill our fridge and keep our lights on.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Metro is killing me with these fare hikes. We pay some of the highest public transportation costs in the country already. I thought it was crazy when Metro announced so called peak of the peak rates. Since then The cost has gone up several more times. Rents increased $100-150 per month in a single year due to the influx of families to the rental market after all the foreclosures. I may have to make some adjustments next year. Making $15 per hour I am STILL eligible for food assistance and Medicaid.
Is anyone else looking at raising their rates for COL?
Are your employers in the same boat, OP?
Possibly. My employers don't drive and they own their home. Conceivably, they are also dealing with higher than inflation cost of living increase in other areas. I don't blame my employer for my expenses, though. I need to make some changes in terms of my skills and services so I can earn a higher pay. Hope that question wasn't leading to an implication that I was blaming MB....
Silly troll.
I was on my mobile when I fare the fare increase notice. Now, I am on my computer, you can see that I am logged in and notice I always post as a nanny... because I am a nanny.
9:22 and 9:44 you both rock. Great example of nannies and MBs finding equilibrium on DCUM.
I think her attitude is most important here. All of the issues you point out are important. They are all also things that could be worked out by mature and willing adults. If she is genuine in her desire to make this a good fit, then she will present suggestions and work toward creating harmony in the relationship. I am not saying she has to agree with your opinions but she does have to meet you half way with possible solutions or settle for the ones you have presented. For example, it would be tuff to not have a break during the day. Can one of the baby's naps overlap with the toddler's? Are you open to sleep training? Is she willing to do it? Is it just the way she is going about the sleep training that is problematic?
If she can not rise to meet the challenges then she is not the person for the job. There will be other challenges as your children grow and you want to know he problem-solving skills are mature enough that you guys can work things out.
I am a nanny.
If she can not rise to meet the challenges then she is not the person for the job. There will be other challenges as your children grow and you want to know he problem-solving skills are mature enough that you guys can work things out.
I am a nanny.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I'm in the same position, OP and I am at 35 hours a week. So many things I wished I'd made clear at hiring. I also make all my charge's baby food and freeze over half of each batch - and my employers and their free-grandmother-help-one-day-a-week just use the food I made for the baby during my working hours.
I've totally screwed myself out of earning overtime, especially for the day when employers get free babycare - all grandma has to do is watch, feed and change the baby. No one ever cleans the baby's room or disinfects toys but me.
9:24 again. You're getting paid, and Grandma isn't. Why not just make enough food for the week, instead of just enough for your hours? I am a huge advocate for nannies on this site, but come on! This is some petty BS.
Of course, I make enough food for the weekends and grandma's day - isn't that clear from my post?! My point is that grandma would be less likely to watch the baby for free if she had to do what I do in the course of a day. I have screwed myself out of any possible overtime.
I thought you were complaining that grandma uses the food you make, as if there isn't enough. I still don't get your beef? How did you screw yourself out of OT? You think that if you did less, they'd give you more hours? Your logic is just so off here.
Grandma is always complaining about how tired she is after eight hours with the baby. Can you imagine how she would feel if she had to do everything that she is doing PLUS make his baby food, do his laundry, clean his room and bathroom, (which is what I do every day) on top of his basic childcare? My thinking is that they would not be able to keep grandma and have to hire me for the other day.
I agree with you that your hard work is making it possible for grandma to spend the day with DC and you probably can't change those expectations at this point in the relationship. However, it would not bother me. I come from a very close knit family. I am saddened by how distant families are on the east coast. I would be happy to help out in order to help DC maintain those close family ties.
Here is a link to (FLSA) Overtime Rules and Domestic Employment focusing on how to write a compliant employment contract.
OP: I am a nanny currently working four days per week. I would of course prefer the full benefits but depending on the total package the pro rata rate isn't unattractive either. Some nannies prefer the four day schedule and are inclined to make it work.
If you are actively searching in the DC/MD/VA area, I would like to put myself in the running. I am happy to discuss more at your invitation.
If you are actively searching in the DC/MD/VA area, I would like to put myself in the running. I am happy to discuss more at your invitation.
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