Anonymous wrote:it's true most hrly jobs do not guarantee hours. most also have high turn over unless it's a union job though. most families want to keep 1 particular nanny, not just anyone - that's why they offer guaranteed hours.

i'm not even talking only hourly jobs (although since most nannies are paid hourly that should be the most obvious comparison).

it's true most hrly jobs do not guarantee hours. most also have high turn over unless it's a union job though. most families want to keep 1 particular nanny, not just anyone - that's why they offer guaranteed hours.

nannydebsays wrote:Nanny has bills to pay 52 weeks per year. If you choose to not use her services when she is available, you need to pay her anyhow. IOW, if you CHOOSE to be out of town 4 weeks of the year, then you still pay your nanny for those weeks.

It is also not unreasonable to mandate that nanny takes her vacation when you take yours, especially if an employer will be taking 4 or more weeks off each year. I'd suggest giving a nanny at least 2 months notice of planned time off in this case, so she can make plans of her own.

MB here who does pay my nanny 52 weeks per year. But let's not act like that should be expected. There are TONS of jobs out there that don't pay 52 weeks per year. And jobs that have mandatory furlough. Unpaid holiday weeks. And certainly jobs that provide for only a week or two of paid time off per year. So please don't go around acting that because nannies pay bills 52 weeks per year, they should be paid 52 weeks per year. EVERYONE pays bills 52 weeks per year, this doesn't mean that everyone is paid 52 weeks per year. The right answer is: you are more likely to have a competitive package to attract more nannies to your position if you do. If demand for nannies in your area at this time is low, it may not make a difference. But realize that if there are others around you offering it, you are more likely to have a nanny that is likely to leave for a better deal.

In the DC area, I'd say it's a mixed bag. In the NW areas and close in suburbs like bethesda, arlington, etc., I'd say most people pay 52 weeks per year no matter what, and that the compromise of requiring one week of their vacation overlap with yours is a common one. But there are plenty that don't.

Nanny has bills to pay 52 weeks per year. If you choose to not use her services when she is available, you need to pay her anyhow. IOW, if you CHOOSE to be out of town 4 weeks of the year, then you still pay your nanny for those weeks.

It is also not unreasonable to mandate that nanny takes her vacation when you take yours, especially if an employer will be taking 4 or more weeks off each year. I'd suggest giving a nanny at least 2 months notice of planned time off in this case, so she can make plans of her own.

If you don't guarantee hours, expect to have an unhappy nanny who resents you.

If the "nanny" would just as soon get a random job at the mall, then she's not a nanny. She's a babysitter.

But you already knew that, right?

If she's hourly then you don't have to pay 52 weeks per year.

PP - Your an MB who doesn't understand that anyone can become a nanny. You don't need to go to college and most of these nannies would be working at the mall if they didn't have nanny jobs.

If a nanny has early childhood education degree and was a former teacher then that would be different because then she'd have something to show for her demands.

"52 weeks is expected, but you can stipulate that one of her weeks of paid vacation is at your choice, so that it can coincide with your own vacation. "

this is standard. OP, you also need to change your mind-set before you become an MB. You are reserving her time, the same way you pay a daycare for a slot even if you do not use it on a particular day. The daycare does not charge you less - they can't fill your slot and recoop the pay on an ad-hoc basis. neither can your nanny in most cases.
-an MB who cannot understand why guaranteed hrs are such a hard concept

Thanks, that sounds like a good compromise.

52 weeks is expected, but you can stipulate that one of her weeks of paid vacation is at your choice, so that it can coincide with your own vacation.

How many weeks total should a nanny be paid, per year? I am planning to give two weeks PTO for vacation and sick days. She will also be allowed (unpaid) days beyond that if she is sick more than that, or just needs the time off.

But is it reasonable to expect her to take one or two weeks unpaid so I can take a vacation myself? Or when the employer takes vacation is the nanny paid anyway, meaning the nanny gets paid year-round (all 52 weeks)? I am assuming the 52 weeks is expected but just curious what others do in this situation. She already will be getting a one-week Christmas bonus, so even without this I am giving her a total of three weeks paid that she won't be working. Four or five weeks' salary paid for not working seemed high, but maybe I am just wrong.