The problem with some people is they don't bring up all these things at interviews. I know someone who never got vacation pay or the time, because she never asked when she went on the interview. And the family didn't bother to educate her either. However, she was smart and took a lot of sick days to compensate for her vacation time.

This nanny should ask for what she wants and let the chips fall where they may. If they fire her they weren't worth working for in the first place and she should move on.

I never had to asked for anything I was lucky to have met some wonderful families during my years of employment who cared about me and treated me as apart of the family......not only words, but in their actions as well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree w/the ^^^^ PP above that you should keep things as civil as possible during your conversations w/your bosses.

You do not want to burn any bridges w/them.
Since you were w/them so long, you likely will need a good reference from them.

Still, you are entitled to ten days of paid vacation in my opinion.

And hopefully they are paying you Overtime for any + all hours worked over 40/week.

They absolutely do not do that.

I’ve made the decision to look for employment elsewhere should they not come to a reasonable agreement.

Are you getting paid under the table? Are you paying all taxes? If not, just remember that some nannies who are charging overtime are doing all that. Everyone's situation is different.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would find a new job first ...

I’m located in a city smaller than DC and would worry about them finding out through friends that I’m looking for a new job. I intend to give 30 days notice and I have enough money saved to get through the end of March without employment.

If they fire you on the spot or don’t let you do the 30 days you can take unemployment. Just FYI. Also, you should ask 5 days sick not 3. So 15 days total. It’s standard

Since you offered this, I just want to throw out there that there is no such thing as "industry standard" in the nanny business. I have lived in NYC, Silicon Valley, Boston, the Midwest, now outside of DC -- there is no standard. Nannies make anywhere from $10-40/hr. Benefits, if they exist, vary. So I think you need to think long and hard about what is negotiable for you and what is reasonable in your area, given the salaries people make and what they expect of you. You may see nannies making bank and collecting benefits and then find out they work 7 AM - 7 PM for people who are both surgeons and have little flexibility (for instance). Or they do more of a house manager role. Or whatever. In some areas what you're talking about is standard, in others not. It all depends on what the labor market can sustain.

I just want you to go into the conversation with realistic expectations, and not to expect that if you go on the market again with your new expectations there will definitely be lots of families who are up for it. I personally think for my area your expectations are realistic. That said, I have seen time and again nannies interviewing who are asking double the rate of their peers, benefits that no one will give, and they stay on the market for months because no one can meet their expectations. Usually those people don't have to work as nannies and have other income streams.