Yes you should ask. We have a part-time nanny that rarely works more than 25 hrs a week, but she is guaranteed 30 hrs. But she leaves early or doesn't come in at all and we don't change the hours on her.

I don't think you want guaranteed hours, I think you want a guaranteed schedule. Did they make it clear they needed flexibility when they hired you? If so, you might have to find another job because they were up front about that.

OP here. The conflicts are on their part, not mine. While I am free during the hours they told me they need, they have asked to move things to different days/times to accomodate changes in their schedule and I can't always make it work, and it means that I don't workthat week even though I reserved time for them, because I reserved time e.g., in thr morning and they decide they need afternoon help instead.

I worked as a PT nanny throughout college, and always made sure to get guaranteed hours. I generally worded it so that it was that the family must offer me X hours/wk. If for whatever reason I turned them down (sick, conflict with school, etc) that was on me and I would only get paid for whatever hours were actually worked that week.

Most families were fine with this, but I always made sure to discuss it up front. The family you're working for now might not be so willing to change things already set in motion.

Anonymous wrote:I don't see how you can ask for guaranteed hours when you have an internship that sometimes conflicts with your work hours and you are often sick with colds. Perhaps you cannot afford to have an internship now that does not pay (or one that does not cover your bills together with part-time nannying).

I agree with the bolded. I am a part-time nanny with guaranteed hours and PTO. However, 1) I negotiated this upfront, and 2) I work set hours for them M-F. Aside from the rare occurrence (sick, doctor, etc.), I don't take on anything else that would interfere with that schedule.

There are definitely families who offer guaranteed hours for part-timers. You need to be a high quality candidate with impeccable references, and you also need to be available to them when you are supposed to be. What hours do you work for them, what are your internship hours, and how frequently do the two conflict?

I don't see how you can ask for guaranteed hours when you have an internship that sometimes conflicts with your work hours and you are often sick with colds. Perhaps you cannot afford to have an internship now that does not pay (or one that does not cover your bills together with part-time nannying).

Don't get the kids sick, selfish woman. Quit and find a job that better suits your needs. You should not have taken on a casual/PT job when you know you needed more than that.

You can, but they obviously don't care if they don't want you to work if you even have allergies. Find a position that wants care for even when you have a cold, then ask for guaranteed hours. I normally don't get them if I take the day off because I am REALLY sick, but they usually offer to let me do a babysitting night to make up the money lost. Any time THEY don't need me, I get paid anyways, including heading home early due to their choice. I also usually get a few holidays thrown in as benefits, but again, you have to ask for it.

Agree with PP. Most likely they can't afford a nanny. Lots of families in the same boat, just pretending.

You can ask for anything, but it sounds like they think of you more as a regular casual sitter than a nanny, so I doubt you'll get it.

I offered guaranteed hours to our part time nanny. However, I wasn't expected to schedule around her internship -- that kind of flexibility will come at some cost to you; not many families can manage that.

As for the illness thing, I think the parents are crazy, and quite likely can't really afford you. They're looking for reasons to cut down how much you cost them.

Recently went from full-time to a new part-time job and an internship. I am having trouble because any time I can't work (sickness, conflict with internship) or any time the family doesn't need me (parent has day off, they go out of town), I am losing hours. I know I should have had this conversation up front, but I didn't realize just how many hours I would end up not working. It also doesn't help that the family doesn't want me to work even if I have a runny nose--kids are 4 and almost 2, not babies--and I wasn't factoring in counting every little cold as an unpaid sick day. It puts me in the position of debating whether to lie to my employer by taking some cough syrup and not mentioning that I'm under the weather or potentially falling behind on bills. So far, my integrity is holding up, but if this continues all through cold and flu season I may need to find a new job.

So it is completely uncommon to get guaranteed pay as a part-time nanny? Is this a benefit I could likely find with a new position? How should I broach this conversation?