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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP, the problem is not your rate. It's your hours. I understand where the nanny was coming from, too. $150/wk when she can have a week where she makes close to that every day?

You are going to have a hard time finding anyone who can take a job 2 days a week in the middle of the day. Most people who work an hourly job need more hours, and you're eating up two days of the week. People who only want part time work are generally not as committed (at least that has been my experience), or they want a premium to make it worth their while.

Why do you only need care two days a week? What happens the other three days? Is this a schedule that will change every semester? That's also going to limit your pool.[/quote]

OP here. I totally get this--totally agree. The thing is, I only need child care for a few hours a week while I work on my dissertation. I would LOVE it if I could afford someone for more time. Because we couldn't, though, we tried to be flexible and said we would be flexible enough that--from week to week--our sitter/nanny could chose the days she came.  the assumption was simply that she would be here 2x per week for 5 hours at a time--her convenience.

I'm not sure if that is just an untenable plan, or if we just picked a bad apple. I guess--at the least--i've learned a lesson in articulating expectations.[/quote]

OK, I'm the above poster you quoted. When we hired our first nanny, it was part time (though for more hours than you have), and I also said the hours were flexible. We had much better luck when I decided on the days and times and advertised for that. If you're too flexible, your nanny may feel like it isn't really a priority for you, either.

I am a college professor (did my diss before kids, but I do understand the slog and the need for dedicated time during the day). I am going to suggest to you, however, that you rethink this job. If you can make it for two full days (8 hours each day), even at the $15/hr rate you should be able to find someone who will do kid food and laundry, and if you have hours with no kids, will do some other tasks for you, too. Call it a "mother's helper/babysitter" position when you advertise it. I have someone who does family laundry, cooks dinner, and does grocery shopping.

I hear you about your budget, but this is a very temporary time in your life. Spend the money for a year or two, and buy yourself the time you need to finish your degree and pay yourself back. You're spending whatever you're spending to be a graduate student; what's a few thousand more? I'm not saying that to be flippant; really, really think through what you'd be buying yourself.[/quote]

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