Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why not offer to help her learn English and get her license.

OP here. She is 61 and been here for like 20 years and does not speak it. So, I tried helping her to do both but did not succeed. It's not easy to learn a new langu
age at 61. I translated an entire driving manual for her but she cannot pass the test in E nglish to get her permit

I thought if you speak only Spanish you are allowed to have a friend come and "help translate" and tell you the correct answers.

You can't reduce her wages, unfortunately.

Many people would say you're overpaying, but not all would agree. She could probably get hired for what you're paying (or more) by another Russian family, or she could get hired for far, far less by a non-Russian family.

It sounds like the bigger issue is the driving, which we can't really help with. Good luck, OP.

Anonymous wrote:Why not offer to help her learn English and get her license.

OP here. She is 61 and been here for like 20 years and does not speak it. So, I tried helping her to do both but did not succeed. It's not easy to learn a new language at 61. I translated an entire driving manual for her but she cannot pass the test in E nglish to get her permit

OP needs to determine her priorities.

Why not offer to help her learn English and get her license.

You are overpaying but you cannot now reduce her wages. For me lack of driving would be a nonstarter especially with preschool years. I am a strong believer in consistency but seems like she is making your life harder rather than easier.

Based solely on skills I think you're overpaying fairly significantly. But it might not be overpaying if you think she is the best solution for your family and doing everything you need/want for your child.

However it doesn't sound like she's the best solution for you. It sounds like you need someone who can drive, and someone who doesn't need life management assistance from you. I think that for $17/hour you can reasonably expect to find a legal, english speaking, driving, experienced nanny for both of your children. Keeping kids' areas clean, their laundry done, some cooking for them, driving them to/from activities, managing playdates, etc.. are all considered fairly typical professional nanny job responsibilities.

I'm an MB in MoCO (near Chevy Chase/B'da) w/ twin toddlers. We have a nanny who is a citizen (though foreign born), drives her own minivan, is fluent in English, does all of the duties I outlined above (and frequently goes beyond that list) and has been with us for a year and a half (since babies were 4 mos old). I pay less than you are paying.

If she's as desired by local russian families as you say then maybe she can find another position w/ more comfortable transportation options and you can find someone who can drive your kids when needed and require less support from you. Sounds like that would be the best solution.

*your son

There is only one way to find out. Look around and see what you find. Decide if what you give her is worth what she gives for son.

OP here. So, to give some more history. she is from Bulgaria and speaks Russian. That is how we are able to communicate as I was born in a Russian family. She actually worked as a nanny for over 10 years here. She is limited to working for Russian speaking families who are located in places she could get to by public transportation. I talked to her previous employers when hiring and she worked for families located in Bethesda, chevy Chase, etc. her previous families worked for places as World Bank and gave her glorious references. You would be surprised but there is a number of affluent Russian speaking families living in this area and she actually chose our family out of several families who offered her employment. So, she is an experienced nanny. To be fair I also have to say that our son loves her and she is good with him. She also voluntarily helps keep child areas part of the house clean. I had no idea nannys do that when hiring her but she is doing it on her own. She is also reliable and punctual most of the time. Since what I pay her is the only source of income for her I did not feel she should be starving just because she does not speak English. she is also legally here and I pay on the books.

The reason I posted is two fold. We have a second child on the way and I am thinking about what I should be paying after he arrives.

Also, as I mentioned I am getting a bit tired giving her rides to metro, helping her find housing, figuring out her social security or taxes as she does not speak English. I am wondering if it is worse it to continue with this relationship or find someone else

Yes, you're overpaying.
But if you're unhappy with so many things regarding this nanny, why not find a new one?
Do you think paying her a lower rate will change her into a good nanny?

LOL Sorry OP but you're overpaying BIG TIMEEE! She would have a hard time getting hired at Mc Donalds. She scored big time with you!!

$3 per hour for non English speaking nannies.

You're overpaying big time . You would be overpaying at that rate even if she did drive and speak english. 17/hour is above market for one child.

I would like to ask a question in regards to nanny's wages. If a nanny does not speak English at all and does not drive, does that usually translates into a lower wage? We live in the North Bethesda area. We currently have a nanny who is good but does not speak any English, does not drive, and is not very professional. We pay $17/hour for one toddler on the books. I am starting to feel a little annoyed as I have to miss work to drive them to places. We also end up giving her a ride to the metro every day as we know buses are unrealiable/inconvinient in our area. Since she does not speak English and we do really care about her, we end up helping her out with different errands. I guess I am feeling a little tired of paying her as much as we pay and then spending time on driving her around, calling to places for her, etc. Pls., share what you think