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Anonymous wrote:Op here,
Not a troll. We feel as if our nanny'a role has changed now that our daughter is older and off at school. If these things are unreasonable to ask if her, can we cut her pay for the time that she doesn't have to care for our daughter?
Sure. You can cut her pay for those 4 hours, but then you don't get to expect nanny will be available when your child is ill, is out of school, or otherwise needs her nanny those 4 hours a week.
Pay nanny to do light chores and have her ready and available for times there is no school, or figure out other coverage for times your child doesn't have/can't attend school.
Anonymous wrote:We are having difficulty with our nanny recently since our daughter has started school. We asked her to pick up a few household chores during the time that our daughter is in school, she seemed okay with it at first but she is now becoming upset. We ask her to vacuum all carpet, mop and sweep the entire tile and hardwood flooring, clean bathrooms, and complete the entire laundry (before it was just our daughter's). She stated that she is not happy that her nanny position is "now morphing into a maid" and that if we continue to expect this of her, she will have to look elsewhere. We pay her generously, give her vacation time, and even pay her when we do not need or when she has a sick day. We believe that it is a fair trade to ask her to complete these tasks. Our daughter is in school 2 hours for 2 days a week, and we feel as if the duties that we are asking of her would fill the 4 hour void per week. Thoughts?
Its not uncommon to ask for a nanny to take on a little additional work when a child enters school. It is WAY out of line to ask a nanny to take on more than can possibly be done in the time she is without her charge.
I would suggest you, OP, attempt to do all the work you want done within 4 hours. At that point, you will fail to accomplish the chores you want your nanny to accomplish. This is especially true if the "2 hours" nanny has free include her travel back to your home and back to school for carpool/drop-off and pick-up.
Then your next step is to approach your nanny, and apologize for having incredibly unrealistic expectations. At that time you can talk with her and ASK HER what chores she is willing to take on during her time "on-call" while your daughter is at school. If she doesn't wish to do any of the housekeeping, she might choose to take on your grocery shopping, run errands, etc.
Then discuss your needs further, and come up with a compromise acceptable to you both.
OP, if you are paying your nanny $1000 a week NET, then you are also paying her share of the taxes on that 1K, you are actually paying her about $1200/week. You are, frankly, screwing yourself over.
Since you will be hiring a new nanny, during the vetting process be sure to explain that you will be withholding all applicable taxes from her weekly paycheck, and then submitting them to the government via whatever tax service you use.
You can actually google "nanny tax calculator", and print out some examples of how much a nanny might take home based on X, Y, or Z hourly wage, and then show those papers to nannies when you have the following discussion with them:
You: "Nanny, we are offering an AVERAGE hourly rate of $18.50 GROSS for 50 hours of work per week. That means you will earn $925 GROSS per week. We will hire a payroll company to manage tax withholdings. You will fill out a W4 form before you start working for us, and then we can give you an exact breakdown of the taxes that will be withheld from your check, and your exact NET weekly pay. As an estimate, your take home pay or NET pay per week will be around $740."
Then in the contract you break down the AVERAGE hourly rate into straight time and OT ($16.82 and $25.22) to be completely legal and offer full disclosure.
Since you will be hiring a new nanny, during the vetting process be sure to explain that you will be withholding all applicable taxes from her weekly paycheck, and then submitting them to the government via whatever tax service you use.
You can actually google "nanny tax calculator", and print out some examples of how much a nanny might take home based on X, Y, or Z hourly wage, and then show those papers to nannies when you have the following discussion with them:
You: "Nanny, we are offering an AVERAGE hourly rate of $18.50 GROSS for 50 hours of work per week. That means you will earn $925 GROSS per week. We will hire a payroll company to manage tax withholdings. You will fill out a W4 form before you start working for us, and then we can give you an exact breakdown of the taxes that will be withheld from your check, and your exact NET weekly pay. As an estimate, your take home pay or NET pay per week will be around $740."
Then in the contract you break down the AVERAGE hourly rate into straight time and OT ($16.82 and $25.22) to be completely legal and offer full disclosure.
OP, you need a Live-OUT nanny. There's nothing at all wrong with not wanting to have someone in your home all the time, but it excludes you from hiring a Live-IN.
That said, you need to screen much more effectively, and you need to evaluate your pay and benefits package.
If you hire live-in nannies because they are a cheaper option, and you can't afford to pay more for a live-out nanny, then you need to consider another form of childcare entirely.
That said, you need to screen much more effectively, and you need to evaluate your pay and benefits package.
If you hire live-in nannies because they are a cheaper option, and you can't afford to pay more for a live-out nanny, then you need to consider another form of childcare entirely.
The people who write these books use punishment to cow children into obeying their parents. They encourage parents to bully and beat their kids, and I see nothing useful in their approach at all.
I like to hide these books, if I find them in the "Parenting" section of a bookstore. Usually I hide them in the "sex" section. I figure anyone looking for the Pearl's books won't go near anything to do with sex.
I like to hide these books, if I find them in the "Parenting" section of a bookstore. Usually I hide them in the "sex" section. I figure anyone looking for the Pearl's books won't go near anything to do with sex.
I'm in a large city with a low COL, and that is reflected in the rates nannies here earn. $25/hour seems outrageous to me because I'm not trying to rent a studio apartment in SF/Boston/NYC for 2K a month, thank goodness!
No, PP at 22:00, I seriously don't.
I know 1 nanny who makes over $20/hour, but most of the nannies I know don't work for VIP's, or high-end families who outsource their child-rearing 24/5 or more a week.
We make good money, working for good upper-middle-class families. And we bring value to those families that hire us. We are neither entitled nor neglectful. We're just women who love kids, love our work, and do the best job we possibly can while living our own lives outside of the job.
I am sure that all the nannies making $25+ per hour also love their work, but I wonder if they actually enjoy their jobs and their lives away from work. Money isn't everything, wouldn't you agree?
I'd rather make less and work for people I like and respect who enjoy spending time with their kids, as opposed to working for people I disliked, who are disrespectful, and who see their kids as expensively cared for pets who were kind of a bother whenever the nannies weren't around to manage them.
I know 1 nanny who makes over $20/hour, but most of the nannies I know don't work for VIP's, or high-end families who outsource their child-rearing 24/5 or more a week.
We make good money, working for good upper-middle-class families. And we bring value to those families that hire us. We are neither entitled nor neglectful. We're just women who love kids, love our work, and do the best job we possibly can while living our own lives outside of the job.
I am sure that all the nannies making $25+ per hour also love their work, but I wonder if they actually enjoy their jobs and their lives away from work. Money isn't everything, wouldn't you agree?
I'd rather make less and work for people I like and respect who enjoy spending time with their kids, as opposed to working for people I disliked, who are disrespectful, and who see their kids as expensively cared for pets who were kind of a bother whenever the nannies weren't around to manage them.
Anonymous wrote:Also, do you want the average broken-English type you commonly see, or the professional nanny who might cost 25+/hr?
The best thing is to start looking for what you want, and ask her what her rates are.
OP, a professional nanny is not going to cost you $25/hour. You can find a nanny to fit your needs without paying a ridiculous rate.
First, determine your budget. Keep in mind that nannies look at wages differently - some may simply want to know the weekly rate, some may want to know the "average hourly" rate, and some may assume that if you say you are paying $15/hour that means you are paying $22.50 for all hours over 40. Here's a breakdown of what I mean, based on a 50 hour week and a wage of $750/week:
1) weekly rate = $750
2) average hourly rate = $15/hour
3) Hourly rate = $13.64, Overtime rate = $20.45
You also need to take into account the cost of being an employer (generally adding 10% to the weekly wages will cover your share of taxes), and you'll need to add some extra to cover any nanny tax services you might want.
Second, write out your full job description - do you want a nanny who is fully focused on childcare and does NO housework at all, do you want a nanny who does housework pertaining to the kids, do you want a nanny/housekeeper who will clean your house and watch your kids? Generally, the more housework that does NOT pertain to the kids, the higher the hourly/weekly rate.
Third, start running an ad with a good job description to see what sort of candidates your offered rate is bringing in. If you find you are not attracting the quality of candidates you want to hire, you will either need to decide if you can up the pay rate, or choose a different type of childcare.
Once your ad and offered rate are bringing in candidates you like (based on initial email and phone screening), start in-person interviews. Narrow your choices down, have each top candidate come to work a few hours with you around, and finalize your decision.
Make an offer to your top candidate, negotiate, and write up a work agreement with her.
Anonymous wrote:We pay $180/week for three-days of care.
Yeah, you need to double that.
Anonymous wrote:nannydebsays wrote:What do you pay now for care of your 2.5 yo? Has the cost changed at all over time?
I would plan on at least doubling what you pay her now. If I ran a family day care, I would have specific rates for specific ages, and offer a very slight 2nd child discount, but this woman isn't really a nanny or a FDC provider, so...
Why on earth would she "at least double" her pay?? That makes NO sense. Pay less than double, of course, since what you have here is like a nanny share with the woman's child. You NEVER double a nanny's pay for a second baby. Nice try though.
Well, obviously I think the caregiver is more like a family daycare provider than a nanny. I also was curious as to what the caregiver was being paid, because that would, frankly, dictate the answer to the question. If the OP is paying, say, $250/week for her 2.5 yo to spend 40+ hours a week in daycare, then doubling the cost is not only logical, it's necessary. If OP is paying $600/week for 40+ hours of care for a 2.5 yo, then the cost needn't double, but the provider is going to still expect a significant jump.
What do you pay now for care of your 2.5 yo? Has the cost changed at all over time?
I would plan on at least doubling what you pay her now. If I ran a family day care, I would have specific rates for specific ages, and offer a very slight 2nd child discount, but this woman isn't really a nanny or a FDC provider, so...
I would plan on at least doubling what you pay her now. If I ran a family day care, I would have specific rates for specific ages, and offer a very slight 2nd child discount, but this woman isn't really a nanny or a FDC provider, so...
OP, I'd think that you'd be OK with surface/superficial checks, but that truly professional investigators would find out that you are in the sex business.
Frankly, in your place I'd be more worried about discovering a DB as a customer - pretty sure that would be hella awkward.
Frankly, in your place I'd be more worried about discovering a DB as a customer - pretty sure that would be hella awkward.
Does your nanny know how you want the boys disciplined? Is she able to use the same methods?
Just on the off chance this isn't the trolliest post that ever did troll...
OP, I thought that generally surrogates had to have already had their own kids and need to feel that their families are complete. Is that a good descriptor of your nanny?
How would you compensate her if you somehow were allowed to have her as your surrogate and she had not had a child before, and something went so badly wrong that she was rendered infertile? Would you then pay for her surrogates when she was ready to have kids?
To answer your initial question, this is a horrific idea, and if you pursue it you are a fool. There are women who are screened and approved to be surrogates. Find a lawyer specializing in surrogacy and start searching someone out who is willing to do what you ask. Be prepared to undergo various types of tests yourself - the reputable surrogacy law types will insist on it.
OP, I thought that generally surrogates had to have already had their own kids and need to feel that their families are complete. Is that a good descriptor of your nanny?
How would you compensate her if you somehow were allowed to have her as your surrogate and she had not had a child before, and something went so badly wrong that she was rendered infertile? Would you then pay for her surrogates when she was ready to have kids?
To answer your initial question, this is a horrific idea, and if you pursue it you are a fool. There are women who are screened and approved to be surrogates. Find a lawyer specializing in surrogacy and start searching someone out who is willing to do what you ask. Be prepared to undergo various types of tests yourself - the reputable surrogacy law types will insist on it.
Anonymous wrote:Trying to use these discussion boards to figure the most fair and LEGAL way to pay nanny. Hiring a 24hr nanny 5 days a week for the next 2 months. I have a 2 & 5 year old. I understand because she is NOT a live-in (she is technically working 24hrs a day/ goes home on her days off) I have to pay her for every hour worked. What I'm confused about is that some on this board say they pay 1/2 the nannies hourly rate or a straight night wage ($50-100). Is reducing the rate technically legal? If she is working 120hrs a week, shouldn't I pay her regular rate for 40hrs, then OT rate for 80hrs? My children sleep well during the night, and nanny probably will have time to sleep- but at the same she will be on duty and working. My husband and I will be out of the house. And children may wake up for many reasons.
I am trying to understand the conflicting information I'm reading on these boards. I know nannies are exempt employees and have to paid hourly for all hours worked. And they get time and a half for hours over 40. But I have also read that legally you don't have to pay 8hrs of sleeping hours in a 24hr period.
Then why would a nanny agree to do a job and work tons of extra overtime hours and either not get OT, but actually get half rate or nothing at all for that time worked?
Again my question is, what is the legal way to pay a 24hr nanny?
Of course I would like the least costliest way, but I also want to be fair. I need the services of a nanny 24hrs a day. And I intend to pay for all services rendered.
Option A: 40 Regular Rate, 80 OT Rate
Or
Option B: 40 Regular Rate, 40 OT Rate (if I legally don't have to pay for 8hrs in a 24hr period).
I guess I could also "legally" make the regular rate very low, so I can pay the 80hrs OT rate. This is instead of cutting the overnight hours rate in half.
But another question would be why a nanny would except these positions in the first place??? Work double the hours, and get half the pay. Why is widely accepted that you can buy a nannies time in bulk and save big? It would be odd in any other position to pay different rates at different times of day. An hour worked, is an hour worked.
If a nanny is working an occasional overnight or long weekend, she is more likely to cut her rate in half or offer the parents an "overnight" rate of 50% of her normal rate. You are looking for someone to work steady hours for a long period of time, so I would definitely follow the laws and pay according to the guidelines a PP linked to.
That said, the bolded statement above makes me think you need to figure out a fair payment to cover nights when nanny does not have
. If I were a candidate for your job and you said I might not have time to sleep some nights, I would be likely to question you in depth about why you said that, and what sort of night time issues you deal with regularly.time to sleep
And as far as pay for nights when nanny doesn't get those uninterrupted 8 hours, IMO you should say something like, "If you are woken by our kid(s) in the night, you need to send us a text saying "Awake" once they are settled down, and we will then know that you are owed pay for the full 24 hours for that day." That gives you a record, makes nanny responsible for letting you know what has happened at the time it happens, and keeps everyone on the same page.
So if nanny works a 24 hour day with no interruptions between 10 pm and 6 am, she will be paid for 8 hours straight time and 8 hours OT. If she is woken by the kids between 10pm and 6 am, she gets 8 hours straight time, and 16 hours OT, as long as she texts you when she has been woken up unexpectedly.
As far as pay goes, you'll need to determine what you think is fair, and then see if the candidates you get are who you want to hire. If they aren't up to your standards, you'll need to raise the hourly rate. I am sure you have done some math to see how much this is going to cost, and I would avoid offering minimum wage - it sends a bad signal to terrific nannies, IMO.
Good luck!
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