She is an afterschool babysitter. She gets ZERO benefits. only pay her when you need her, OP.

OP, it probably does matter how much you want this particular candidate. I don't think there's really a normal here. How many school closing days are we talking here? It might be worth guaranteeing the hours to keep a happy, well-qualified candidate.

But on the other hand, school closing days are known a year in advance. You could tell her exactly which days she would be working and which days she wouldn't be and pay her only for the days you have her scheduled, and then she can plan to obtain additional employment if possible on the days she's not scheduled.

Of course, anytime you cancel on her when she IS scheduled, you pay her anyway (e.g., if the kids are sick).

You have to see it from the nanny's perspective. The after-school helper time slot precludes her from taking a 9-5 AND precludes her from takig weeknight evening jobs (which usually start between 5-6 IME). So these hours aren't great. Now you also tell her that her pay will be reduced by a day or more on a fairly regulR basis, and the job doesn't seem that desirable does it? A college student might be interested if her classes happen to line up, but then when the next semester comes, she may decide it's no longer convenient, leaving you scrambling.

You know the old saying in design: Cheap, Fast, High-quality: pick two.

The nanny equivalent is: Cheap, Experienced, Reliable: pick two. Now not every nanny who asks for a high/rate generous benefits will also be experienced and reliable, but your odds of finding someone who will prioritize YOUR part-time job over the other part-time job(s) she needs to get by drop when you lower the benefit/wage package.

I usually do get paid for many of these days. I get guaranteed hours, and if they don't need me then I get paid. Now what I do agree to doing, is exchanging a 4 hour work day (a holiday you don't need me for) for a weekend babysitting night. I get paid on the holiday, and will do the babysitting later for you. That way I get my usual pay. I have always had families offer the week between christmas and new years paid as a holiday bonus type thing. Some people will offer to do a bit of light housekeeping on a day that you don't need her for childcare. I don't get paid sick days, but usually they let me do a babysitting night to work it out so I can still get paid my normal weekly pay (but I never assume that this will happen, and I am very rarely sick). I have taken a couple of positions that were lower than my usual rate (or on the low range) because they were willing to accommodate these needs if they were offering enough hours throughout the week and I knew I could count on a steady pay - instead of 1 week off here, and another week of there, and random holidays that would mess with my budget.

OP, if you "honestly" can't afford to pay her when you don't want her, tell her the truth. Ask her if that's ok with her. Ask if you could help her find a "holiday" job (for a higher rate, of course). See if there's a way to "make it up" to her. You never know.

Anonymous wrote:No. I pay a college-aged kid to work three hours each day. You get paid when you show up. You don't get paid when you don't show up.

And OP is welcome to offer that. What nannies are saying is that this is a really undesirable position, so making it an unsteady paycheck as well as short, inconvnient hours will further reduce the number of applicants. If OP ends up with a flaky, unprofessional nanny, she may very well spend MORE money on emergency care when the nanny quits with no notice (or worse yet, needs to be fired).

OP, I think it depends on your backup plan if the nanny falls through. Does your aftercare program allow drop-ins? How flexible is your/DH's work? If you absolutely cannot afford to be without a nanny for more than a few weeks, then i would offer her guaranteed hours, with the caveat that she be willing to work weekend date nights with sufficient notice (since you know all school closings up front, you could offer 3 weeks notice minimum).

Anonymous wrote:No. I pay a college-aged kid to work three hours each day. You get paid when you show up. You don't get paid when you don't show up.

Speak for yourself. If that's how your job is, good for you.

Anonymous wrote:No. I pay a college-aged kid to work three hours each day. You get paid when you show up. You don't get paid when you don't show up.

+1

No, it is uncommon to provide guaranteed hours for p/t babysitters. They get paid for hours worked.

No. I pay a college-aged kid to work three hours each day. You get paid when you show up. You don't get paid when you don't show up.

Could you come to an agreement that you will pay her for days that she doesn't work with no notice (e.g., you stay home because kid is sick, or you get afternoon off), but for weeks when you know in advance that you won't need her (e.g. President's day, winter break), that you will guarantee her weekly hours if she's willing to do date night sitting that weekend?

It really should not be a "middle ground" between private after school care "for an affluent family with more children" and an after-school program. You are still getting private care, with all the flexibility and advantages that come with it, and you will have to pay much more than the institutional rates--not a middle ground.

Sure, you can refuse to pay her for the days that YOU choose for her not to work, but don't be surprised if she finds a better (more consistent pay) gig and leaves you with no notice.

If she has already accepted a lower hourly rate than she was previously making, I think you have to consider how much you really want her. That is to say, a lower rate and not guaranteeing her consistent pay is probably going to make her 1)walk away or 2) accept, for now, but leave you the second she finds better. I'm not saying that you HAVE to guarantee the hours, as most part time positions don't pay holidays or for hours not worked, but if hiring this particular sitter is important, you may want to consider it. Or consider another sitter.

If she is not needed because school is closed or you take a day off (basically any time that she has no control of being unable to work) you pay her. You might be able to negotiate breaks but consider if this is really worth it. The type of candidate you are going to get will vary greatly depending on the package you are offering. If you want someone who is dependable, professional, and flexible, you are going to need to be as well; this includes offering guaranteed pay.

Do you pay your after school babysitter for holidays (like Columbus Day, Thanksgiving) when she does not work?

Do you pay for other days when there is no school (teacher work days, election day)?
(I mean if the sitter does not work for you on those days - ours will not be available for the full day, so I will have to take the day off anyway - so I won't really need her)

Do you pay for the days during winter break and/or spring break, when she does not work?

I am negotiating an arrangement with someone for the school year, and she apparently worked for someone previously who paid for all of the above. I was not planning to (can't really afford to!) and am not sure what is appropriate. My instinct is to only pay her for when I use her, but maybe I'm being too cheap. As a side note, she's making a competitive hourly rate, although it's not as much as she was making last year, when she was working for a very affluent family & there were more children to watch. So she is coming from a place where she was making more and I am coming from a place where I was paying way less (was using after-school program at the school). I'm trying to figure out what the middle ground is!

Thanks.