OP here and thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions.

This job and my apartment are both in Beverly Hills. We can walk anywhere including classes (library story time, music together, parent and me, zimmer museum) so I'm not worried. Any place else we may want to go when he is older, I can use on of their cars.

They won't move for the next two years and neither will I. I always ask for a review and a raise every year.

I really want this job and I really want to walk two blocks to work and NOT spend hours in traffic so I quoted them $18 an hour and they accepted.

Again, thanks guys.

LA nanny here- How do you think you'll survive here without a car? You're not planning on classes, play dates etc??

Anonymous wrote:You should have never lowered your rate. The close proximity is as much a benefit to them as it is too you. They will never have to worry about tardiness due to traffic or weather. However, since you already offered, I'd only lower a $1 and expect a raise within a year

Not really. An employee is expected to be on time regardless of where they live and weather is a non-issue in LA.

You should have never lowered your rate. The close proximity is as much a benefit to them as it is too you. They will never have to worry about tardiness due to traffic or weather. However, since you already offered, I'd only lower a $1 and expect a raise within a year

Plus my infant charge takes three naps a day - 9:30am, 1pm and 4pm. Once that wraps up you could push for a higher rate, which usually happens once the child is older and going to classes, etc. Won't you have to driven then? Save your higher rate arguments for then. And everyone knows the value of a job close to one's home!

What happens if one of you moves? I'm guessing neither of you are planning to move, but moving can happen suddenly for all kinds of reasons. What happens when the child is old enough that you do need to drive it to toddler classes, etc. People get used to what they are paying you. I don't know that if the situation changes, they are going to happily give you $2-$3/hour more on top of normal raises. I think they will look at that like a raise, and it will be hard for you to have then remember that you gave them a discount in the beginning.

Anonymous wrote:Wow...You have charged twenty-five bucks an hour before?

You must be good and/or have had rich bosses.

Regardless, I think you should quote less, perhaps down to eighteen dollars an hour.

Since you do not need to do any on the job driving, it would only be fair to charge less since you won't have the add'l wear and tear on your vehicle.

NP here, but I'm making $25 an hour right now. I still drive to work but it's really close and there isn't any traffic.

I personally wouldn't adjust my rate because of location UNLESS it was to ask for more if I was commuting far away. I drive about 12 minutes one way now (~4 miles in DC) but even if they were within walking distance I wouldn't suddenly take less than $25.

Do not drop your rate unless they're poor, and can't afford you otherwise.

Just confirm that they won't expect you to use your personal car on the job before you give them the reduced rate - if you're expected to take your charge to baby gym class, it should be walking distance or in their car.

I think $18/hr would be good and I say that knowing that LA has a higher nanny rate than DC and yes, traffic is much worse there. My family's all still in LA and I got back at least twice a year.

I would go with $18 or 19/hr. That's roughly a 10% discount from what you would normally charge (and you could tell them that).

Depending how valuable the proximity is (it would be huge to me) maybe you would consider $17 if it seemed like 18/19 would be a hardship for them but I certainly don't think you need to go lower than that.

Congrats!

I would quote $18 an hour. If you were earning $21 an hour but had an hour's commute that commute is one hour that you are not being paid for every day. $21 times five days a week is $105. Subtract that from your weekly gross and divide by 40. At $18.25 an hour you are basically earning the same take home. Not to mention the gas and wear and tear on your car.

I would quote $18 and hour.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow...You have charged twenty-five bucks an hour before?

You must be good and/or have had rich bosses.

Regardless, I think you should quote less, perhaps down to eighteen dollars an hour.

Since you do not need to do any on the job driving, it would only be fair to charge less since you won't have the add'l wear and tear on your vehicle.

I wouldn't charge less.

OP here - thank you but I already told them I would reduce my rate. Not having to drive will basically give me one to two free hours a day.

Anonymous wrote:Wow...You have charged twenty-five bucks an hour before?

You must be good and/or have had rich bosses.

Regardless, I think you should quote less, perhaps down to eighteen dollars an hour.

Since you do not need to do any on the job driving, it would only be fair to charge less since you won't have the add'l wear and tear on your vehicle.

I wouldn't charge less.

Wow...You have charged twenty-five bucks an hour before?

You must be good and/or have had rich bosses.

Regardless, I think you should quote less, perhaps down to eighteen dollars an hour.

Since you do not need to do any on the job driving, it would only be fair to charge less since you won't have the add'l wear and tear on your vehicle.

I live and work on the west side of Los Angeles. The traffic in LA (especially on the west side where there are no close freeways) is every bit as bad as rumored and then some. I am not exaggerating when I say that sometimes you could walk faster than you could drive. I hear the traffic in DC is bad as well (but not as bad as LA).

Yesterday I was offered a position that is two blocks from my apartment. I have a rate of between $20 to $25 an hour normally but told these potential employers that I would give them a reduced rate for proximity and never needing to use my car. The question is - how much of a hourly reduction? This potential charge is a newborn so I probably would have quoted $20 or $21 an hour.

Thank you for letting me use your forum. I wish something like this existed in Los Angeles.

TIA