Anonymous wrote:Can anyone think of something to add to the list of what the perfect nanny should have?

Availability to travel solo with the child(ren) to out of town sporting competitions, including overnights. This can become a significant burden in the middle school years. It seems like, these days, every moderately athletic kid is on a traveling sports team and weekend games four or more hours away are not uncommon. Parents are expected to drive and spend the night with their kids in a hotel. It's a big problem for families where the parents sometimes have to work weekends or just have multiple kids.

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone think of something to add to the list of what the perfect nanny should have?

Music training in any instrument, but particularly great if it's piano, violin, or flute.

Can anyone think of something to add to the list of what the perfect nanny should have?

Nanny Deb - that's the first time on these boards I've seen anyone articulate what constitutes an appropriate background to demand $30/hr. If I required those credentials (and I can understand how/why some employers might) I would certainly expect to pay at the very top end of the range.

Really helpful to see it spelled out so clearly.

You forgot the PhD!

Yep, the completely inexperienced nanny with no credentials is the nanny making $10/hour.

For me, a nanny worth $30 per hour must have some outstanding credentials:

NNEB educated, college degree and post grad on top of that in education field, speaks 2+ languages fluently, has 20+ years experience in long term jobs, belongs to professional organizations, attends conferences and actively seeks out other learning opportunities to keep her skills fresh, able to fit seamlessly into a household, experienced at working with other staff, willing and able to be not only a caregiver but an educator, have connections in the area with other nannies so she can provide your child with playgroup activities, able to completely manage your child's care solo whenever necessary...

OP, pass on this poor deluded soul!

You need to pass on this candidate, OP. I can't imagine hiring someone with no experience, training, or transportation to care for my child. She also doesn't have the sense enough to do some basic research on the position before interviewing.

You are right, OP, there are lots of crazy people out there parading as nannies.

Anonymous wrote:I just literally laughed out loud. No OP, not even close to being 'standard' no matter what State the nanny is in.

You should of asked her what she has to offer. She better be fully experienced, CPR/First Aid Cert, with a teaching degree and her ECE degree. And even that wouldn't warrant $30/hr.

It might be standard for really high-profile nannies. Or maybe she's visited these DCUM boards too much and has this delusion.

See, that's the thing. She has never nannied before -- is trying to get into the field. A friend of hers who nannies told her that is what SHE makes. But I assume the friend is a professional nanny at the top of her field, who can command these rates. This person does not have her own transportation, she's never nannied, is not CPR certified, and has no degrees.

I'm willing to pay top market rates for a top of the market person. But I think even the highly paid nannies on this thread would agree that this was not a top market person. That's why it shook me a little when she said it was "standard" for a person of her caliber, and I am glad to hear on this board that is apparently is NOT standard or average, but rather an acceptable package for someone at the top of the field.

Also, what really got me was the six weeks paid time off. I myself only have three weeks. My husband owns his own business and doesn't feel comfortable taking more than three weeks. That means that, even if we could perfectly align our vacations with hers, we would never be able to take a vacation together as a family. That doesn't sit well with me.

Just as with anything, there are the fewest at the very top.

These would be the nannies who have consistantly dedicated themselves to continuing education, in addition to their years and years of varied, but focused experience.

Anonymous wrote:What's "reasonable" to one parent, is not "reasonable" to another parent. Each parent must determine "what's a good nanny worth?", for herself.

Parents who want me, pay more than 30/hr, unless I'm doing charity work for someone who really can't afford my services, but I want to help them anyways.

if you are paid $30/h, very much good for you. but for that pay, I would require a nanny to be smart enough to understand reality, i.e. the fact that $30/h for a full time nanny (about $5000 a month) is far from being the norm in DC. as others have said, the norm for a very good nanny in DC is around $15-$20/h.

21:20, you're just wrong. I am certain that some nannies requesting premium rates are worth every penny. These women are certified educators or have other child development-related graduate degrees. They usually follow a loose curriculum and can report back to employers about what skills they are teaching through what kinds of play, etc. Most of us would pay a premium to get a full time private teacher for our kids, provided we could afford it.

Unfortunately, those nannies are extremely rare. More often, I've found that the nannies requesting above-market rates are either young, inexperienced and trying to keep up with what they heard Susie on the playground earns, or long-term nannies who think that experience in the job necessarily makes them exceptional. In both cases, they are hoping to prey on new parents who don't know what market rates are and are scared of not doing right by their kid. And they usually have PITA personalities.

I do think you sacrifice quality--or at least credentials such as college education, maturity (i.e. not a student), English language fluency, a couple years experience, and the legal right to work in the US--in order to pay less than $15 per hour. But the best nannies I've encountered are squarely in the $15 to $18 range (depending mostly on number of kids and total work hours) and they are reasonable about things housekeeping and demands for PTO.

Anonymous wrote:What's "reasonable" to one parent, is not "reasonable" to another parent. Each parent must determine "what's a good nanny worth?", for herself.

Parents who want me, pay more than 30/hr, unless I'm doing charity work for someone who really can't afford my services, but I want to help them anyways.

I agree with the other comment-user. A professional nanny who is worth $30 an hour will be educated and her typing skills will show it. You can ask for $30 all day but you'll be sitting on Government assistance waiting for ever.

PP Again - I meant nannies who work for *high-profile families.

I just literally laughed out loud. No OP, not even close to being 'standard' no matter what State the nanny is in.

You should of asked her what she has to offer. She better be fully experienced, CPR/First Aid Cert, with a teaching degree and her ECE degree. And even that wouldn't warrant $30/hr.

It might be standard for really high-profile nannies. Or maybe she's visited these DCUM boards too much and has this delusion.