Get out of nannying and find a career that will appreciate your education. In the nannying world the only things that matter the majority of the time are: years of experience, chemistry between the family and your rate.

MB here. I agree w/ one of the other responders who said that your level of experience matters more to me than your degree - especially w/ infant through 3 yr old care.

A lot depends on the needs of the family, the total package offer (what can they offer/what do you want re vacation/sick leave/holidays, health insurance reimbursement, etc...).

Also a rate offer can be influenced by the specifics of the position - if I'm only looking for someone for 3 days I week then I expect to pay a higher hourly rate than a 5 day a week position that is inclusive of overtime, full benefits, etc...

You write well and clearly, so I presume your communication skills are good - that's a big plus and the kind of thing I'd pay more for (for instance if considering someone for whom English is a second language and one where they struggle more to communicate well versus you).

The nutrition expertise will speak to some families definitely, I think that's a plus.

I'm in Montgomery County, near the Beltway. If I were looking for a nanny now I would expect you to be able to command $15-17/hour for one child easily. You would have competition but you'd stand out w/ your education, training, etc... So it would depend on whether a family valued longer term nanny experience over what you offer.

For two kids I'd think you can get up to $18 or 19/hr, but length of nannying experience would speak more strongly (possibly) to a family w/ multiple children.

If you wanted $19 and up you would be competing with nannies with similar education credentials and communication skills but significantly more years of professional nannying.

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Anonymous wrote:I don't see anything in particular that would increase your rate. If you ran across the right family that has a child that has unique dietary needs you could spin your experience and background into asking them for more money (if they can afford it) but for a normal family childhood obesity isn't a concern if their kid isn't currently fat. Even if he is fat at the moment it's probably a family problem that you won't be able to fix anyways. Normal kids stay skinny by being kids. I think a fair rate for you would be $16 an hour based on your 4 years of experience.

Thanks. I agree that it would take the right family to value the nutrition background. Would you say the degree is value added? A bachelors is not worth much anymore so I would not be surprised if someone without it charged the same rate.

I think you are looking at it the wrong way, your degree doesn't add value when a family can only afford to pay $14 an hour. What it does is let you interview with more families who may only want to look at nannies with degrees and may be willing to offer something more like $18 an hour. I personally think it is a bad idea to go in and try to negotiate with families. They usually offer what they feel comfortable with.

I hope a family would not waste her time with such a low offer after seeing all of her accomplishments. When you interview a bunch of people it should be obvious that candidates with more training will command higher pay. Would you really offer her $14 after looking at her resumé, pp? She never said anything about hustling needy families either. I think you are looking at this the wrong way. You are assuming OP will go in and demand a ridiculous rate, parents needs be damned.

If I aaas looking for a $14/hr nanny and wrote that where ever she found my job posted and she applied, she would likely be my best candidate and I might offer her the job. She can decline is she wants more but just because she has a degree and some random fluff doesn't mean I would consider stretching my budget beyond the comfort zone for her.

Again like I said if she only wants a certain minimum rate then having a degree and that stuff lets her browse through listings that offer a higher rate of pay or like I said before maybe search for or advertise herself as a nutrition expert for a family with a unique food need and be able to get the pay rate she is looking for. But I was just trying to say to her to not get caught up in thinking she was only "worth" a certain amount, because like another PP said it's only worth it to certain families that want those qualifications. And the one family that might like everything you've got to offer and be willing to pay $22 an hour might be a pain in the ass to work for and you have to end up passing on them based on things you say in your interview and you're back down to $17 an hour with a different family.

So basically it's just not very feasible to say "My rate is $X, take it or leave it." If you want above a certain amount only apply to job who posted that amount and hope they like you.

Yes, if your ad included your rate then you are correct. Now pop over to the nanny search ads and see how most of them do not include rates. It would be nice, maybe they will all see your post here then write it in.