Anonymous
06/01/2016 11:39
Subject: What do you think (re vacation time)
Anonymous wrote:I recently started working with a new family. The contract states that nanny will take her vacations when the family is out of town, at least 3 weeks out of the year (one in summer, one in winter, one in the fall or spring), and will provide at least 8 weeks notice of vacation dates. Nanny also has three paid personal days off per year, other time requested off beyond that will be unpaid.
I emailed them asking if they had their vacation dates for the summer yet, and they emailed me the dates, three days (Wed-Fri) in late July, plus one Friday in late June, and another Friday in late August. MB said they had chosen to do 3 long weekends instead of one whole week. I said I was confused because I thought I was guaranteed one full week over the summer, and I was planning to visit my parents who live on the other side of the country so Wed- Sunday really doesn't work for me. They said they are still giving me 5 days off in the summer and I can still take more time off if I want but it would be unpaid.
What say you DCUM?
my family goes to the beach Thurs-SUnday so that is how the do their summers too. no one is guaranteed a full 9 days off in a row. sounds like if you are adamant about taking a week long trip you will have to do a mix of PTO and unpaid, and hopefully use one of their long weekends. or just quit.
Anonymous
06/01/2016 11:37
Subject: What do you think (re vacation time)
Anonymous wrote:MB here-
No, it is not in keeping with the contract. The contract says 3 weeks. A week is Sunday-Saturday. Therefore, it should be 3 Sunday-Saturday periods off.
If they wanted to work in days, they should have said 15 PTO days- that's what they do in companies, so people can split vacation days as needed.
You are entitled to your summer vacation "week" paid per contract.
(Be aware however, if you go this route, she may never allow you to split your vacation week into days. you may have to take a day here or there unpaid)
so they must be saving their vacation weeks for later in the year, Sept-December?
Anonymous
05/01/2016 22:42
Subject: What do you think (re vacation time)
I'm a nanny and I do two international trips per year, plus weekends to Canada. Some of us are paid what we are worth.
Anonymous
05/01/2016 18:46
Subject: What do you think (re vacation time)
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Extremely shitty, but technically in keeping with the contract (not that that really matters). Because it's technically in keeping with the contract, I could see if there was just genuinely not a meeting of the minds (i.e., this is what they meant all along)... but then, the way she said "we decided to..." clearly implies it isn't what they had in mind initially/what they were thinking when the contract was signed. So, probably, they meant the contract as you'd interpret it common sense-wise (i.e., week at a time), changed their mind, re-read the contract and realized that they could probably get away with it.
If I were you and I otherwise liked the family, I'd explain that that's genuinely not what you understood, that you'll make it work this time, but you want to discuss the understanding going forward b/c with your family on the other side of the country, you wouldn't have signed the contract if you realized all three of the "weeks" could be like this.
The other 2 weeks are full week, how many times does OP really need to travel to see her family?
Also how does OP afford to travel to the other side of the country so much on a nanny salary?
Oh for fuck's sake, go away.
Lots of nannies make a good salary and travel. I personally had a job where I got 4-6 weeks of paid vacation a year and traveled several times a year across the country to see my family in addition to traveling internationally on a big trip at least once per year.
Anonymous
04/30/2016 10:39
Subject: Re:What do you think (re vacation time)
Nanny's, not babies
Anonymous
04/30/2016 10:37
Subject: Re:What do you think (re vacation time)
Np. OP your reading of the contract sounds more reasonable to me. The contract is your most important reference but a babies job also stands on custom and culture of the relationship. For example, Do you work for medical doctors or high level government or security personnel who would need to minimize their absences from work for the public safety? Or are you working in a very high pressure position where you would generally need to be on call and defer to the families needs? If not, then their request is beyond the scope of your duty to the family. If so, you had better be darn happy with something about this job so that the missed family time seems worth it.
Anonymous
04/30/2016 07:58
Subject: What do you think (re vacation time)
Mb here- if they were decent people they would just let you extend that time when they are doing the long weekend. They would only have to take two extra days off work. I'm honestly shocked by some of the shitty treatment I see on this forum - can't parents just treat nannies kindly?
Anonymous
04/29/2016 18:08
Subject: What do you think (re vacation time)
Anonymous wrote:OP, why can't you visit your family Wednesday through Sunday? I don't get it.
Flying from one side of the country to the other eats up two days for traveling, but the cost remains the same. Why would she pay X for 3 days (W-Su, W and Su are travel) with family instead of paying X for 7 days with family (Sa-Su the next week, Sa and Su are travel, so OP has Su-Sa with family)?
Anonymous
04/29/2016 14:34
Subject: What do you think (re vacation time)
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:OP, why can't you visit your family Wednesday through Sunday? I don't get it.
NP - OP could visit her family for just Wednesday through Sunday, but if she had taken with job in the anticipation of being able to spend 9 days with her family (Sat to following Sun) when her NF took their vacation and is now told that for the same cost ticket to fly to visit she can only go for 5 days (55% of the time) then she may correctly feel that the offer of a week's vacation in the summer was basically a bait and switch.
I'm a MB and this is shitty.
Agree. A reasonable person would think that a week would be seven consecutive days, including the weekend.
Anonymous
04/29/2016 11:16
Subject: Re:What do you think (re vacation time)
How she affords to travel is irrelevant to the issue.
Anonymous
04/29/2016 11:12
Subject: What do you think (re vacation time)
Anonymous wrote:OP, why can't you visit your family Wednesday through Sunday? I don't get it.
NP - OP could visit her family for just Wednesday through Sunday, but if she had taken with job in the anticipation of being able to spend 9 days with her family (Sat to following Sun) when her NF took their vacation and is now told that for the same cost ticket to fly to visit she can only go for 5 days (55% of the time) then she may correctly feel that the offer of a week's vacation in the summer was basically a bait and switch.
I'm a MB and this is shitty.
Anonymous
04/29/2016 10:45
Subject: What do you think (re vacation time)
OP, why can't you visit your family Wednesday through Sunday? I don't get it.
Anonymous
04/29/2016 09:33
Subject: What do you think (re vacation time)
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Extremely shitty, but technically in keeping with the contract (not that that really matters). Because it's technically in keeping with the contract, I could see if there was just genuinely not a meeting of the minds (i.e., this is what they meant all along)... but then, the way she said "we decided to..." clearly implies it isn't what they had in mind initially/what they were thinking when the contract was signed. So, probably, they meant the contract as you'd interpret it common sense-wise (i.e., week at a time), changed their mind, re-read the contract and realized that they could probably get away with it.
If I were you and I otherwise liked the family, I'd explain that that's genuinely not what you understood, that you'll make it work this time, but you want to discuss the understanding going forward b/c with your family on the other side of the country, you wouldn't have signed the contract if you realized all three of the "weeks" could be like this.
The other 2 weeks are full week, how many times does OP really need to travel to see her family?
Also how does OP afford to travel to the other side of the country so much on a nanny salary?
How much do you spend on average for trips?
If you purchase far enough ahead of time, you can do a round-trip ticket for $500-700. Three times per year would be easily manageable, especially if she stays with family, not in a hotel.
Anonymous
04/29/2016 08:18
Subject: What do you think (re vacation time)
Anonymous wrote:Ps, forgot to add use those days to interview and quit!
Exactly.
Anonymous
04/29/2016 08:14
Subject: What do you think (re vacation time)
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Extremely shitty, but technically in keeping with the contract (not that that really matters). Because it's technically in keeping with the contract, I could see if there was just genuinely not a meeting of the minds (i.e., this is what they meant all along)... but then, the way she said "we decided to..." clearly implies it isn't what they had in mind initially/what they were thinking when the contract was signed. So, probably, they meant the contract as you'd interpret it common sense-wise (i.e., week at a time), changed their mind, re-read the contract and realized that they could probably get away with it.
If I were you and I otherwise liked the family, I'd explain that that's genuinely not what you understood, that you'll make it work this time, but you want to discuss the understanding going forward b/c with your family on the other side of the country, you wouldn't have signed the contract if you realized all three of the "weeks" could be like this.
The other 2 weeks are full week, how many times does OP really need to travel to see her family?
Also how does OP afford to travel to the other side of the country so much on a nanny salary?
How much do you spend on average for trips?