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Care.com allows anyone who thinks they want to take care of children/pets/seniors/homes to advertise their services.
Care doesn't check individual backgrounds or work history, so you're bound to get a much higher percentage of flakes on care or other such sites.
It's the chance you take going thru an employment clearinghouse that allows people to offer to pay $5/hour for jobs.
Care doesn't check individual backgrounds or work history, so you're bound to get a much higher percentage of flakes on care or other such sites.
It's the chance you take going thru an employment clearinghouse that allows people to offer to pay $5/hour for jobs.
Will you be happy being paid $2000 for 2 weeks of 24/7 duty? If so, TELL THEM, "I am looking forward to going on vacation with you. I will be charging you $XXXX for the 2 weeks, since it sounds as if I will not only be sharing a room with baby, but also will be "on call" around the clock."
If that small amount of money to work is insufficient for you to work 336 hours, then choose a different amount and TELL THEM your rate.
Best case scenario, they choose not to take you and you continue your current happy employment situation with them.
Worst case scenario, they take you, you get mighty resentful, and quit working for them.
If that small amount of money to work is insufficient for you to work 336 hours, then choose a different amount and TELL THEM your rate.
Best case scenario, they choose not to take you and you continue your current happy employment situation with them.
Worst case scenario, they take you, you get mighty resentful, and quit working for them.
OP, you could always stick the dishes she leaves in the sink to soak, and tell your MB, "I left your dishes in the sink to soak so you can get them clean more easily!"
That gives her the opening to say, "Oh, but I thought you would just keep doing them for me?"
Then you can either say, "I'd prefer not to do family dishes that are used when I am not working." or "I'd be happy to change my contract and compensation to include doing family dishes. When would you like to sit down and discuss those changes?"
That gives her the opening to say, "Oh, but I thought you would just keep doing them for me?"
Then you can either say, "I'd prefer not to do family dishes that are used when I am not working." or "I'd be happy to change my contract and compensation to include doing family dishes. When would you like to sit down and discuss those changes?"
I believe most people, especially employers, talk in terms of "average" rate, which doesn't take OT into account. I think many employers of household workers truly don't know that their nanny is entitled to OT.
So, you need to ask people whether they have figured the weekly rate based on an hourly rate and OT or as an average rate.
Personally, I think many nannies don't truly care about hourly rates as long as they make what they want to make each week. BUT, once they do find out they are entitled to OT, things can get sticky as they discover their "hourly" isn't what they want it to be, and they often lose sight of the forest for the trees.
In an ideal world, everyone would quotes rates as hourly and OT, and nannies would never look at weekly rates, and so on, but that's not going to happen for a while.
So, you need to ask people whether they have figured the weekly rate based on an hourly rate and OT or as an average rate.
Personally, I think many nannies don't truly care about hourly rates as long as they make what they want to make each week. BUT, once they do find out they are entitled to OT, things can get sticky as they discover their "hourly" isn't what they want it to be, and they often lose sight of the forest for the trees.
In an ideal world, everyone would quotes rates as hourly and OT, and nannies would never look at weekly rates, and so on, but that's not going to happen for a while.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Nannies aren't always for the wealthy. For some if us the day care wait lists are insane and we settle for a nanny. I say settle because of the attitude many have in our supply and demand market. I think many here would prefer a good day care
Would you be willing to expend on your use of "settling"? I understand needing to use a nanny because daycare wait lists are so long, but isn't having someone come to your home every morning, handle the child's meals, dishes, laundry, and toys a good thing? Someone who can get kids together with the neighbors or meet DCs friends at the park when it's sunny vs being stuck inside or in a small yard because no one is hauling 12 daycare kids to the playground at 3pm? Having a nanny is not for everyone, for several reasons, but I'm having a hard time seeing how it is "settling."
She settles for a sitter, because she can't afford a nanny. It's that simple.
You again? Don't you get tired of making this lame comment on every possible thread?
The truth is, anyone can be a nanny. This is a completely unregulated industry that requires no formal training, certification, or registration. Nanny and sitter mean exactly the same thing at this point. You just seem to have some odd need to bolster your own ego and think you are superior to someone who has a realistic picture of what this job really entails and deigns to take a job for less than $30/hr.
Yes, to the owners of care.com and sittercity, there is no difference between a sitter and an actual nanny. That's why they continue to offer the option of paying $5/hour for childcare.
But in the real world, people tend to know whether they are paying a sitter or paying a nanny once they've hired the first childcare provider for their family. A sitter...sits. She has to be told what to do, how to manage her day, what to feed the kids, and often doesn't interact very much with the children. She may like to offer lots of TV time, and she tends to manage to keep the kids alive, but that's about it.
Then there are shades of gray between a sitter and a nanny. The caregivers in those categories do more than sit, but less than full charge childcare. They have a varying level of skill sets, and a varying level of interest in their jobs. Some of them take it upon themselves to develop into better and better providers, some of them work to become better educated, and some of them are content to just cruise along in the slow lane.
And then you have your professional nanny. She's got experience, education, or both. She knows how to manage your kids according to your wishes, and she shares her knowledge about child development as appropriate. She's literally able to take over for you and manage your family and home if needed, but if that level of service isn't what you want she will be perfectly able to do the job you outline in her work agreement. She steps in and steps up, and while she may have an occasional down day, she generally manages to provide you with more than your money's worth.
So, once you hire your caregiver, figure out if you have an overpaid sitter, an underpaid nanny, or the perfect person for you who is being fairly compensated. Then adjust as needed to make your life better and easier.
Anonymous wrote:Depends where you are too though OP. Many nannies live in cheaper areas and may not want a super long commute. So if you live further out the available jobs are less so the premium for a share is not as high. I would get a feel for what your neighbors pay if any use a nanny.
I have shared for a long time and think it is a really good option for those needing infant care.
I think that for a PT share, a higher than normal premium will be needed regardless of location. Unless nanny is working purely to supplement a SO's adequate income, or for "additional money" beyond what she and her family need to live comfortably, nanny is generally going to turn down PT work in favor of FT work.
For example: In Podunk a Full Time 2 infant nanny share costs $20/hour for 40 hours/week. In Podunk, a PT nanny share costs $24/hour for 24 hours/week, because nanny may find it difficult to fill 2 days with work in Podunk.
However, in Cityville, a FT nanny share costs the same as in Podunk, but a PT nanny share only costs $22 for 24 hours/week because the nanny has more possible outlets to find additional work.
OP, you'd probably be well served to seek out a nanny from within the daycare world. Those ladies will have childcare experience, will earn more as a nanny than they do as a daycare worker, and you might find a great fit there.
I'd suggest you look for books on finding, hiring, and keeping a nanny so that you are on top of issues that need to be addressed, like work agreements, legal pay, OT, benefits, and so forth.
I'd suggest you look for books on finding, hiring, and keeping a nanny so that you are on top of issues that need to be addressed, like work agreements, legal pay, OT, benefits, and so forth.
OP knows her budget. She cannot pay more than $16/hour for a nanny. Therefore, OP needs to break that amount down into her share of taxes and other employer costs and then take the remainder, figure out the hourly rate, take a little off the top for a future raise, and then advertise the job and see what sort of people apply.
At that point, OP will have to decide whether she is comfortable leaving her baby with one of the candidates interested in the job, or if she prefers to SAH and live as economically as possible.
It's not rocket science. If what you can afford to pay means having a poor quality caregiver, then you need to seek out other options, like SAH.
At that point, OP will have to decide whether she is comfortable leaving her baby with one of the candidates interested in the job, or if she prefers to SAH and live as economically as possible.
It's not rocket science. If what you can afford to pay means having a poor quality caregiver, then you need to seek out other options, like SAH.
First, you can search the forum to find all kinds of info about shares. Discount the parents who tell you a nanny in a share with 2 families should only make $12 hour/total, and discount the nannies who tell you a nanny in a share should make $40 per hour total.
That said, you are looking for a Part-Time nanny to do a share?
Are you looking for a share explicitly to save money on childcare costs, or are you hoping to have the babies "grow-up" together as friends?
Generally speaking, a PT nanny costs more per hour than a FT nanny, since the PT nanny usually has a hard time finding an additional job to make ends meet.
Also generally speaking, nannies in a share discount their rates by 65% - 75% per family. So a nanny who would usually charge $15/hour for a single family/single child position will likely charge $10 - $12/per hour per family for a share. I would expect the higher end for a PT nanny share, as explained above.
That means nanny would earn $20 - $24/hour for a 3 day (30 hour/week??) position, or $600 to $720/week. Not bad, but not great in a moderate to high COL area. And if saving money was your reasoning for trying a nanny share, you wouldn't be saving much.
Now, if saving money isn't the main goal, I would suggest hiring a FT nanny and splitting her time between you and your friend. You could even arrange to have a "shared day" each week, which would mean 2 days with nanny solo for each baby, and one day of shared nanny time. Of course, the "shared day" would be more per hour total, but less per hour per family.
IOW, each family could pay for 2 solo days (20 hours at $15/hour) + 1 share day (10 hours at $10/hour) and get 30 hours of childcare for $400/week.
And setting it up as a FT job would mean nanny could be financially more secure, and less likely to leave for better pay on short notice!
Not knowing your goals, I can't really give more ideas right now, but with more info you'll get a lot more help!
That said, you are looking for a Part-Time nanny to do a share?
Are you looking for a share explicitly to save money on childcare costs, or are you hoping to have the babies "grow-up" together as friends?
Generally speaking, a PT nanny costs more per hour than a FT nanny, since the PT nanny usually has a hard time finding an additional job to make ends meet.
Also generally speaking, nannies in a share discount their rates by 65% - 75% per family. So a nanny who would usually charge $15/hour for a single family/single child position will likely charge $10 - $12/per hour per family for a share. I would expect the higher end for a PT nanny share, as explained above.
That means nanny would earn $20 - $24/hour for a 3 day (30 hour/week??) position, or $600 to $720/week. Not bad, but not great in a moderate to high COL area. And if saving money was your reasoning for trying a nanny share, you wouldn't be saving much.
Now, if saving money isn't the main goal, I would suggest hiring a FT nanny and splitting her time between you and your friend. You could even arrange to have a "shared day" each week, which would mean 2 days with nanny solo for each baby, and one day of shared nanny time. Of course, the "shared day" would be more per hour total, but less per hour per family.
IOW, each family could pay for 2 solo days (20 hours at $15/hour) + 1 share day (10 hours at $10/hour) and get 30 hours of childcare for $400/week.
And setting it up as a FT job would mean nanny could be financially more secure, and less likely to leave for better pay on short notice!
Not knowing your goals, I can't really give more ideas right now, but with more info you'll get a lot more help!
There are Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics.
I don't care about numbers, since they can be fudged. I care about attitude. Agencies with poor attitudes don't get to work with me. Agencies with good attitudes, I am happy to work with.
I am sure a lot of potential employers feel the same way, and that's why many agencies fail each year. To survive today any agency has to bring something truly special to the table.
I don't care about numbers, since they can be fudged. I care about attitude. Agencies with poor attitudes don't get to work with me. Agencies with good attitudes, I am happy to work with.
I am sure a lot of potential employers feel the same way, and that's why many agencies fail each year. To survive today any agency has to bring something truly special to the table.
I think if you want to make sure she stays through the end of the school year (and comes back in the fall??) you need to continue the arrangement you started, which is to pay her "guaranteed hours" - you pay her for 20 hours and if she works less due to weather or your choice to not have her come in, she still gets paid. I don't think offering PTO of her choice is needed, however.
That said, you can always re-boot when she returns in the fall (or when you hire a new PT nanny) and actually put an agreement into writing covering job duties, pay, and benefits.
One issue you may have if you choose not to offer any PTO at all is that fewer people may be interested in your job. Most workers need to know that if they are ready and able to work and weather or their employer's decisions means they don't work, they will still be paid.
That said, you can always re-boot when she returns in the fall (or when you hire a new PT nanny) and actually put an agreement into writing covering job duties, pay, and benefits.
One issue you may have if you choose not to offer any PTO at all is that fewer people may be interested in your job. Most workers need to know that if they are ready and able to work and weather or their employer's decisions means they don't work, they will still be paid.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:What is the point of the nanny having her own place? Only going there on the weekends?
Duh! The point of a nanny having her own place on the weekend is so she has a place to stay on the weekend! She is only live in on week nights- she needs some place on the weekend to stay.
No, the point of the nanny having her own living space for 2.5 days a week is so that the employers can have her at their beck and call 108 hours a week, and then the employers can "live their lives privately" the other 60 hours of the week.
This sort of job situation is always purely for the benefit of the employers.
Longevity is a very small factor in a successful nanny/family relationship. Why? Because not every family wants a nanny who will stay for years on end, and not every nanny wants a job that lasts for years either.
Perhaps a better measure of an agency is how well they listen to you when you are interviewing them (and this goes for nannies and families), and how well they translate what you tell them you are seeking into potential candidates or potential positions.
An agency could boast of it's 97% match success rate, but if they don't do a decent job of matching families to nannies and vice versa, that statistic means nothing other than that they are able to convince clients and nannies to "stick it out" for a full year.
OTOH, if parents have a specific (and reasonable) list of things they visualize in their perfect nanny, and the agency manages to meet most of their requirements with the candidates they send the family, why make the time the nanny stays with the family the only success statistic?
As a nanny, I'll use an agency if they listen to me and present opportunities to me that match my wants and needs. The fact that I like to (and always plan to) stay with a family for many years is kind of irrelevant - if a family is an awesome match in every way except timeline, I am still open to meeting them.
And agencies that insist on my filling out a 16 page application (that they apparently then use to train their new puppy), and who interview me without listening then often call me with LI jobs when I only LO, or PT jobs when I only want FT, or jobs with teens when I prefer to start with infants? I generally tell them to stop bothering me, even if they have a "nearly perfect" success rate.
Perhaps a better measure of an agency is how well they listen to you when you are interviewing them (and this goes for nannies and families), and how well they translate what you tell them you are seeking into potential candidates or potential positions.
An agency could boast of it's 97% match success rate, but if they don't do a decent job of matching families to nannies and vice versa, that statistic means nothing other than that they are able to convince clients and nannies to "stick it out" for a full year.
OTOH, if parents have a specific (and reasonable) list of things they visualize in their perfect nanny, and the agency manages to meet most of their requirements with the candidates they send the family, why make the time the nanny stays with the family the only success statistic?
As a nanny, I'll use an agency if they listen to me and present opportunities to me that match my wants and needs. The fact that I like to (and always plan to) stay with a family for many years is kind of irrelevant - if a family is an awesome match in every way except timeline, I am still open to meeting them.
And agencies that insist on my filling out a 16 page application (that they apparently then use to train their new puppy), and who interview me without listening then often call me with LI jobs when I only LO, or PT jobs when I only want FT, or jobs with teens when I prefer to start with infants? I generally tell them to stop bothering me, even if they have a "nearly perfect" success rate.
Anonymous wrote:If the nanny isn't legal and has references, what is the going rate?
$12 - $14/hour plus all the financial penalties and potential jail time you'll earn by hiring an illegal.
First, I think you need to consider the fact that a nanny will be providing care to only your 2 kids. Daycares, even with the best ratios, your baby will be one of 3 his caregivers are responsible for, and your older child will be one of 6+ per caregiver.
So, comparing day care to nanny care is ineffective on a cost basis.
If all you can manage is 30K total, then you need to take 4K off the top to cover your share of taxes, employer costs, the costs of a nanny tax service, etc.
That leaves you with 26K to pay the nanny. In a very low COL area, you might possibly find a nanny for $500/week. In a high COL area, that's not likely, unless you are ok with a nanny with little experience, and can have a LI nanny.
$500 for 43 hours a week is very little money. You will likely be better off using day care.
So, comparing day care to nanny care is ineffective on a cost basis.
If all you can manage is 30K total, then you need to take 4K off the top to cover your share of taxes, employer costs, the costs of a nanny tax service, etc.
That leaves you with 26K to pay the nanny. In a very low COL area, you might possibly find a nanny for $500/week. In a high COL area, that's not likely, unless you are ok with a nanny with little experience, and can have a LI nanny.
$500 for 43 hours a week is very little money. You will likely be better off using day care.
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