Anonymous wrote:OP, I just went to Walmart this past weekend.
Eye exam: $55 out of pocket.
Glasses: They have frames as cheap as $9. Lenses are about $30.

Go.Get.Glasses.

Thanks for the information even though I try not to shop at Walmart I think I'll go

OP, I just went to Walmart this past weekend.
Eye exam: $55 out of pocket.
Glasses: They have frames as cheap as $9. Lenses are about $30.

Go.Get.Glasses.

I hired a nanny who doesn't drive. Started at 15/hour/50 hours, now 16/hr. She cares for one toddler from 8 to 4, then walks to pick up older kid, watches both until 5:30/6 pm. She had experience in a home daycare, is in her 30s. Paid vacation and sick days, no health insurance.

I would have preferred a nanny who drove, but she was the best fit personality wise for our family. I trust her very much with our children.

I think your issue is not the driving thing--if you can show up on time and manage to get the kids out and do things (our nanny takes them on the bus, at times, to the museums, etc)--it is the relative lack of full time nannying experience.

Also, please get glasses. I would not hire a nanny who had vision trouble. Makes me too nervous.

Anonymous wrote:OP, you don't need health insurance to get glasses. Go to a walmart with a vision center. If you're eye sight is poor enough that you can't drive, you need to get glasses NOW!

+10000000


Health insurance and vision are separate things. I don't have vision insurance and I have horrible eyes! Like almost -12 I go to Costco every 6 months.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So why don't you get a drivers license?

+1

Please do tell.

I'm working on my license but it will take me at least a year. Reason being I don't have health care and need glasses badly.

OP, I don't mean to sound harsh, but this is ridiculous. If you can't see well enough to drive, you can't see well enough to be a nanny. How are you going to manage your charge on a playground or while out walking if you can't what's going on around you, who might be following you, what filthy or dangerous object the kids just picked up off the ground, etc.? I say this as someone who is also too nearsighted to drive but gets by just fine without glasses for most of the day. When it comes to taking active kids to play or stroll outside, you need them.

Also, an eye exam and glasses don't have to cost a lot if you don't go for high-end, branded frames. There are public health clinics set up specifically to help low income individuals with basics like this. Try Google or call your local government's public health department.

Honestly, as an MB, if you told me that a lack of glasses is the reason you don't drive, I would write you off as someone who is too immature and unsophisticated about the world to take care of herself, let alone my children.

OP, you don't need health insurance to get glasses. Go to a walmart with a vision center. If you're eye sight is poor enough that you can't drive, you need to get glasses NOW!

OP I cannot give you a rate suggestion (although I agree with the advice to not say you have 8 years of experience) since I would not at any price higher a nanny who could not drive. It would be impossible based on what I need. I imagine most families int he suburbs feels this way. You should job hunt in DC whether or not you move there. In the city I think it is less problematic not to drive since there is tons more public transit and people are more used to non-drivers. Plus things are closer so transit does not take so long.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So why don't you get a drivers license?

+1

Please do tell.

I'm working on my license but it will take me at least a year. Reason being I don't have health care and need glasses badly.

Anonymous wrote:So why don't you get a drivers license?

+1

Please do tell.

So why don't you get a drivers license?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't mean to be critical, but I see many ads like yours all the time. How can you be 23 and already have eight yrs of nanny experience? Did you start working as a professional nanny at fifteen??

Also, if you watch children in your home, be prepared to take a pay cut since you won't have any commuting costs and the parents will.

I didn't say I had 8 years of nanny experience, I have 8 years of experience working with kids I started helping my moms trend in a home daycare.

OP, I agree with above posters that your age combined with your years of experience can be a red flag for many parents, who are likely to pass over you without asking for clarification about your experience. Particularly relevant to your job search (and rare for nannies of your age) is full-time, full-charge experience. I would rewrite it to something like, "I have x years experience as a FT nanny and have been babysitting for y years. While I was growing up, my mother ran an in-home daycare, where I worked as her afterschool assistant starting when I was z years old." Something like that would give clarity and depth to your experience, which most parents really appreciate.

To your original question, I would not lower your rate for being unable to drive. If you are willing to walk or take public transit, it may not even be relevant to the family - so why suggest a paycut? Families who really need a driver (e.g., for school pick-ups, location of home) are unlikely to interview non-driving nannies, making your rate a non issue for them. Good luck with your search!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You ARE unprofessional teenage girls. This board has been overrun with idiot 20 year old so called nannies lacking in ANY common sense. You bring down the reputation of the entire profession. You perpetuate the image of the lazy, unskilled nanny by focusing more on enjoying the "perks" of the position than doing actual work. You wonder why you can't find a higher paying job. The OP isn't looking for a "fair" rate. She is looking for a high rate and is just too dumb to realize that she isn't qualified to work anywhere beyond fast food. You need to be actually qualified to find a higher paying job and once you get it you have to do actual work.

First off I didn't say I'm looking for a high rate. I just want to be making a amount I can afford to live off in this area. And yes I would like some benefits if I'm working fulltime.

I'm not the PP but with any job you have to start with a lower wage at just starting out. Yes you have the years in daycare. But what other references do you have?

Any job, not just nanny, will pay lower till you gain more experiences. And you may not be able to live off them.
You may get $10.00 or $12.00/hour (before taxes). In reality that is not a living wage. Maybe if you did roommates. Your rent and main utilities should be 1/4 of your monthly wage.
Just keep that in mind. You may say you don't want the higher pay but what are you considering a wage you can live off? Of course not having a car will save some, car payments, insurance, gas. But you'll have to factor in public transpo costs and time.

Anyone who works full time should get benefits. If you got a job in a daycare, office or nanny you should get something. Perhaps health insurance after 90 days. Pto and sick days.
Those are things you'll have to discuss with any future employers.

I don't think your inability to drive will be as big a problem in DC as it is likely to be in the suburbs, as long as you are comfortable walking extensively.

My nanny has a license but doesn't like driving in the city and does not have a car. She commutes by Metro and shuttles my toddler to frequent classes and activities about a mile from my home mostly via stroller and occasionally by city bus. I can see her lack of driving becoming an issue in the future, but for now, I actually prefer knowing that they get around mostly by stroller as opposed to car. It seems safer and healthier to me, and I believe in the walking-intensive urban lifestyle.

We did not factor her inability to drive into her rate when we hired her. She started at $15 per hour and is now up to $17, with benefits. That's pretty standard in DC, although she is in her thirties and her credentials are above average in many ways.

I should note that I generally don't hire undergrad students, even for occasional babysitting, and a lot of parents I know feel the same way. The city is just too full of excellent nanny candidates and graduate student babysitters to put up with undergrad schedules and social drama. Honestly, your age and student status are probably driving your rate down more than your lack of driving. The competition for $15 per hour jobs with benefits is pretty strong.

Anonymous wrote:You ARE unprofessional teenage girls. This board has been overrun with idiot 20 year old so called nannies lacking in ANY common sense. You bring down the reputation of the entire profession. You perpetuate the image of the lazy, unskilled nanny by focusing more on enjoying the "perks" of the position than doing actual work. You wonder why you can't find a higher paying job. The OP isn't looking for a "fair" rate. She is looking for a high rate and is just too dumb to realize that she isn't qualified to work anywhere beyond fast food. You need to be actually qualified to find a higher paying job and once you get it you have to do actual work.

First off I didn't say I'm looking for a high rate. I just want to be making a amount I can afford to live off in this area. And yes I would like some benefits if I'm working fulltime.

I don't drive either, but I live in SF and have no problem finding work that doesn't involve driving. Actually, there are quite a few positions that would rather have the nanny take the kids on Muni or walk places (if close enough by).

I agree that it depends on if the potential family NEEDS driving done, if they are not near metro/buses or the timing between a school pickup and an activity x miles away is too short for public transit, or if they want you to be able to drive somewhere in an emergency (though I like to point out there are taxis and ambulances for true emergencies).