But this nanny isn't "starting" a share, she's been in the share for more than 2 years. OP doesn't want to give a raise based on her reality, she wants to give as minimal a raise as possible, which is why she neglected to tell us the entire story in her first post.

Sounds like the relationship is doomed. Good luck to OP in finding a nanny for an infant and toddler for under $16!

She's being unreasonable. Starting salaries for shares are $15-$20 combined.

Based on what? Never heard of that. College kids get $15/hr for one child.

+1. I'm one of the MBs who suggest paying market rates and I think $15-20/hr for a share is too low.

Anonymous wrote:She's being unreasonable. Starting salaries for shares are $15-$20 combined.

Based on what? Never heard of that. College kids get $15/hr for one child.

She's being unreasonable. Starting salaries for shares are $15-$20 combined.

Anonymous wrote:Ok. Thanks. We offered $22 and she is negotiating. We have a (positive) history with her so would like to make it work, but I'm afraid she's being unreasonable.

OP, you should have stated in your OP that she is currently your nanny in a share. I was the first PP and feel that my advice was given based off two families starting a share.

If she started at $9 per hour per family equaling $18 an hour
Got a raise to $10 per hour per family equaling $20 an hour

This means you will be paying only $2 more for an infant who requires a lot of attention. Granted, the toddlers are in preschool half the day, a $2 raise for a third child seems unreasonable.

Do you realize that paying $12 an hour for an infant and a toddler is impossible to find? If your family paid $15 an hour and the other $10 an hour, I believe that is a reasonable and appropriate nanny share rate.

Anonymous wrote:Yeah yeah yeah I'm not trying to ignore the background. I wanted information on the current market as input to my final decision. I've gotten that from a few pps. Thanks.

I posted above saying $20 was standard, but of course that doesn't apply to a nanny you have a relationship with.

I make $20/hr for one child currently. I'd expect a significant raise if I were entering a share and adding two new children, regardless of "market rates." You pay a little extra for a known entity you're happy with.

That said, I think $22-24/hr is reasonable for the situation you're describing. I could see why she'd negotiate for more than $22 and wouldn't hold that against her, but I can also understand your not wanting to go above it. If you can offer her another perk instead (contribute to her health insurance?) that would be what it would take for me to acquiesce to a rate slightly below what I was looking for.

Yeah yeah yeah I'm not trying to ignore the background. I wanted information on the current market as input to my final decision. I've gotten that from a few pps. Thanks.

Anonymous wrote:

nannydebsays wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok. Thanks. We offered $22 and she is negotiating. We have a (positive) history with her so would like to make it work, but I'm afraid she's being unreasonable.

Is she currently your nanny and you are trying to transition to a nanny share? If so, what does she currently make? How long has she worked for you? These answers will make it easier for us to offer opinions on whether she is being unreasonable.

If she is currently employed by one family, and the offered increase is less than she feels is merited for the additional issues and duties that come with adding a family to your current arrangement, that could be the reason she is asking for more. You might consider what you could offer in addition to a $$ raise to make the share more attractive.

Yes she's currently a nanny (share) to the toddlers. New baby is a sibling. I wanted estimates of the current market w/o reference to that history. She's been with us for 2.5 yrs. Started at $18/hr now $20. So baby would be $2 raise.

OP, the issue is that while you may wish to ignore the history/background, it makes a HUGE difference. Going from 2 to 3 kids in a share is significant, especially when the addition is an infant. What is she asking for? Can you meet in the middle? Is your nanny replaceable, or do you want to keep her?

If she wants $30/hour, that's definitely unreasonable. If she wants $25/hour, that's not completely crazy, and compromising at $23.50 is completely reasonable, IMO.

Of course, you are the only one who knows what you can afford to offer, and if all you can afford is a 10% raise (and yes, that's 10% overall, I am sure your actual out of pocket will be much more since you are adding a second child), you might be better off seeing if you can find a nanny on your own for 2 kids who is within your budget.

Good luck!

nannydebsays wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok. Thanks. We offered $22 and she is negotiating. We have a (positive) history with her so would like to make it work, but I'm afraid she's being unreasonable.

Is she currently your nanny and you are trying to transition to a nanny share? If so, what does she currently make? How long has she worked for you? These answers will make it easier for us to offer opinions on whether she is being unreasonable.

If she is currently employed by one family, and the offered increase is less than she feels is merited for the additional issues and duties that come with adding a family to your current arrangement, that could be the reason she is asking for more. You might consider what you could offer in addition to a $$ raise to make the share more attractive.

Yes she's currently a nanny (share) to the toddlers. New baby is a sibling. I wanted estimates of the current market w/o reference to that history. She's been with us for 2.5 yrs. Started at $18/hr now $20. So baby would be $2 raise.

Anonymous wrote:Ok. Thanks. We offered $22 and she is negotiating. We have a (positive) history with her so would like to make it work, but I'm afraid she's being unreasonable.

Is she currently your nanny and you are trying to transition to a nanny share? If so, what does she currently make? How long has she worked for you? These answers will make it easier for us to offer opinions on whether she is being unreasonable.

If she is currently employed by one family, and the offered increase is less than she feels is merited for the additional issues and duties that come with adding a family to your current arrangement, that could be the reason she is asking for more. You might consider what you could offer in addition to a $$ raise to make the share more attractive.

If she wants over $22/hr then yes, she is being unreasonable.

Ok. Thanks. We offered $22 and she is negotiating. We have a (positive) history with her so would like to make it work, but I'm afraid she's being unreasonable.

Mostly agree with PP that the family with two children pays $12/hr, family with one child pays $8/hr ($20/hr is a fairly standard share rate).

Some nannies will agree to a lower rate when only the infant is present but I'd disagree that you could drop all the way to $12/hr... she needs a reliably income and I would think $15/hr would be the minimum acceptable rate for that or you risk her keeping her eyes peeled for a better job.

The family with the infant and toddler should be paying more but a nanny share is typically around $8-12 an hour per family, depending on the location, the nannies experience, and expectations from the families.

Example:
Family with 2 should pay $12 an hour while family with just the toddler should pay $8.

another option...

Family with infant pays nanny a separate hourly rate for just the infant and then once both toddlers are with nanny after preschool- the rates are split where family with 2 pays more and family with just toddler pays less. In this situation, nanny should get $12-15 for the infant and then the families split the hourly rate once it becomes a share later in the day.

I don't know if this sounds reasonable, but if you like the nanny and want this to work, the offer has to be appealing. What did the nanny ask for in terms of hourly rate for a nanny share with 3 children?

Two families, experienced nanny but not a fancy resume. 45 hrs per week so 5 hrs at time and a half. Pickup duty for 1 toddler. 5 min. walk. In DC. Thanks!