Anonymous
Post 10/10/2015 00:07     Subject: Am I being too cheap?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You need a mother helper not a nanny!

OP here -- I think you are right. $20 per hour and up seems crazy to me for older kids ... babies, yes. Toddlers, yes. But I am not sure I need a nanny for three older kids. Maybe a college student or a younger mother helper.



Here's the thing with high school and college students- high school students are usually not going to be able to do much other than babysit, which if that's what you need, great! College students' schedules can change every semester, so even if you find someone you like, it's possible next semester they'll have a class that starts/ends later than when you need them to be there.
If you did $17 an hour for full time, what would the problem be with offering $18/19 an hour for 20 guaranteed hours a week? That's still almost half what you were spending before, right?



+1
Anonymous
Post 10/09/2015 12:39     Subject: Am I being too cheap?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You need a mother helper not a nanny!

OP here -- I think you are right. $20 per hour and up seems crazy to me for older kids ... babies, yes. Toddlers, yes. But I am not sure I need a nanny for three older kids. Maybe a college student or a younger mother helper.



Here's the thing with high school and college students- high school students are usually not going to be able to do much other than babysit, which if that's what you need, great! College students' schedules can change every semester, so even if you find someone you like, it's possible next semester they'll have a class that starts/ends later than when you need them to be there.
If you did $17 an hour for full time, what would the problem be with offering $18/19 an hour for 20 guaranteed hours a week? That's still almost half what you were spending before, right?

Anonymous
Post 10/09/2015 12:30     Subject: Am I being too cheap?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You need a mother helper not a nanny!

OP here -- I think you are right. $20 per hour and up seems crazy to me for older kids ... babies, yes. Toddlers, yes. But I am not sure I need a nanny for three older kids. Maybe a college student or a younger mother helper.


Then get a high school student who would be thrilled to take $15/hour, but don't expect anything beyond playing and homework.


This, and don't get mad if she tries to do the laundry and shrinks your favorite sweater or only knows how to make mc n cheese. A HS student might be fine for you, but you need to adjust your expectations accordingly.