Being flexible does not mean never saying no. Can we stop with that please? Just like being reliable does not mean that you never take a day off, or you never get sick. There is NOTHING wrong with saying no sometimes OP. Your employers will get over it, or you will realize they aren't people you want to work for. What crappy nannies you all must be if you can't say no.

Being a good nanny is being flexible with your family, which goes both ways. With that being said asking you to stay late 2+ times per week is pushing it. I have plans 99% of the time when I get off work and my family knows and respects that. My MB usually goes over the month with me before it starts and let's me know of any changes and I do the same with any time I may need to take off. I have never said no but neither has she. Works out nice

Anonymous wrote:OP, did MB offered extra money for your friend to take a taxi to the train station? While I don't think it is acceptable for the MB to change schedule at the last minute so much, the problem at hand of being early by 45 minutes, can theoretically be solved by your friend taking a taxi.

My nanny once asked for PTO as she needed to pick up someone from BWI and drive that person to Richmond or something like that. I couldn't come up with back up child care for that day and could not take off from work. I offered to pay for the train ticket, and that solved the problem, but then the nanny did not want to take my payment anyway, as her friend took a bus which was very cheap.

The difference between your situation and OPs is that your nanny requested to use PTO, as in she was the one requesting a schedule change, and you are of course within your rights to say no. It was quite generous of you to offer to pay for a train ticket. It is OPs employers that are requesting the schedule change, and OP has plans. She has no responsibility to bend over backwards to further accommodate them. She's allowed to say no, she's allowed to have plans. Backup child care, people. Get some. In fact, I think I will make this a requirement in my next contract. There needs to be a backup person that you can list on the agreement, that I can contact if need be. Stop giving your nannies crap because you are irresponsible and rely so heavily on a single individual who cannot possibly be available 365 days per year/24 per day.

OP, did MB offered extra money for your friend to take a taxi to the train station? While I don't think it is acceptable for the MB to change schedule at the last minute so much, the problem at hand of being early by 45 minutes, can theoretically be solved by your friend taking a taxi.

My nanny once asked for PTO as she needed to pick up someone from BWI and drive that person to Richmond or something like that. I couldn't come up with back up child care for that day and could not take off from work. I offered to pay for the train ticket, and that solved the problem, but then the nanny did not want to take my payment anyway, as her friend took a bus which was very cheap.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I get no notice except a text of we need you in 15 min. And they are late all the time sometimes 3 hrs late. As a nanny I can't make plans. Going out to dinner with friends is impossible when I get the text or call that I am needed in 15 minutes. And no I am not an on call nanny I have set hrs but they change daily with this family. I don't say anything other then I'm driving to meet a friend let me call them to cancel hoping they will get the hint that I had plans. They don't care in their eyes I am at their peck and call. I have never said no to them.

The parts in bold are things you need to fix if you want your situation to change. They clearly aren't "getting the hint" and you're being passive. If you don't say no, then they won't stop. If you don't question it, why should they change? Do they even pay you for the extra time?

The underlined part is something small. The phrase is "at their beck and call," not peck.

Yes they pay me, oops typo I new it was beck not sure how that happened.