Reply to how much does a non-English-speaking nanny impact a child?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OK, I'm the MB you're asking (w/ the spanish speaking nanny).  She is paid above market, but not because of her language skills.

We hired this nanny because she had the best references, was a referral from two other families in our neighborhood for whom she'd worked for the past 14 years, and because she had experience with twins.

Twin experience, honesty, excellent tenure and references from prior employers, and a comfortable "fit" with us were our requirements.  Spanish language in the home was a bonus - not something we sought.

When we hired her she quoted us a salary she wanted and that's what we paid.  We have given her annual raises of $1/hr or more, added reimbursement for health insurance, given generous bonuses and gifts for holidays and anniversary dates, and have also supported her in other, non-monetary ways (help locating a new apartment and moving, support during some medical stuff, extra leave time for personal needs, etc...)

We retain her and pay her well for all the reasons we initially hired her, and for the fact that she has done nothing but earn our complete trust and confidence.

The spanish remains a bonus, but not a core requirement.   Her English isn't perfect, but it is more than adequate for me to have full confidence in her communication skills.  Her judgment re the care and safety of my kids is pretty darn near perfect and that trumps the minor language issues.

So no - we don't pay a premium for her language skills.  We pay a premium for her experience and trustworthiness and now proven track record with us.  I trust her with my children's lives and with everything in our home, and the compensation she receives is commensurate with how important a part she plays in our lives.

I love that my kids are hearing spanish, but what I pay for and reward are the non-negotiables of good childcare.

[/quote]
You seem to be genuine in your approach. Do you mind sharing what her current pay rate is, as part of the entire compensation package you described?[/quote]

No thanks.  I'm done justifying myself on this thread.  I'll take being deemed seemingly genuine as a reasonable place to stop.  [/quote]

Ha. Code for I'm embarrassed to say what I pay my broken English bargain nanny that I've convinced myself is amazing. [/quote]

You can always tell when they say they are looking for someone who "speaks fluent spanish" that they also want to pay less than $11 an hour. [/quote]

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