I have too small a house for it but would not be keen on it even if I had more space. My kids adore our nanny and I would not want to feel like I am competing for their attention during her off time.

forgot to add I am just searching for employers just wasn't sure how common it is in the aera or if anyone is interested in doing this

thank you for the responses I actually have worked previously as a live in but am contemplating searching for a similar position again, as far as boundary issues go I tend to cover my own food etc and don't have guests just stay within my space so the last experience ihad was a positive one

Anonymous wrote:You can certainly find a live-in job here. That being said, I agree with PP that you MUST go in with your eyes open. Search the archives and read about the various situations that come up in these types of jobs; some employers want a family member who will hang out in their off hours and essentially "volunteer" whenever the employer is overwhelmed, while others want you to work your schedule and disappear, meaning they don't want to see you using their kitchen or watching their TV.

Previous MB poster here. I agree with this poster who mentions the various types of live in nannies some families want. Our nanny had her own in-law apt so had a bathroom, combined bedroom/living room (I don't know how to describe it, it was a large open space with a partial wall separating bedroom and living room), and a basic kitchen set up. We told nanny she could come and go as pleased (her own entrance) and could hang out with us if she wanted or eat with us for dinner, but we honestly had no idea how to go about it since we were brand new to the situation. The hardest part was on the times she would hang out with us on her off time, the kids naturally wanted to play with her. Was difficult for us to navigate those situations. Or if we were having people over for a laid back dinner party, do we invite nanny or not? It is a balancing act because even though a live in is an employee, the close proximity makes it difficult to walk the line of being too friendly and not being friendly enough.

But yes, do a search here and read about the various ways these situations can be disastrous and how to work around those issues. And make sure you work with a family who has a good track record with live ins. If we'd had a nanny who was new to the live in situation, I'm pretty sure it would have ended quite badly.

You can certainly find a live-in job here. That being said, I agree with PP that you MUST go in with your eyes open. Search the archives and read about the various situations that come up in these types of jobs; some employers want a family member who will hang out in their off hours and essentially "volunteer" whenever the employer is overwhelmed, while others want you to work your schedule and disappear, meaning they don't want to see you using their kitchen or watching their TV.

It isn't uncommon, but I think it is a lot riskier. Just read some of the posts on here to see how the lines get blurred very easily when there is a live in situation.

We had a live in nanny for 2 years (she's now living with her boyfriend but is still DC' nanny) and the first couple of months were a little rough with figuring out boundary/noise issues.

Luckily, she was very professional and had been a live in before and guided us.

Since you are inexperienced as a live in nanny, I'd only want to work for a family that had a good track record of hiring live ins.

I would like a position as a live in nanny, how common is it in the va/md/dc area?