I keep hearing stories on DCUM about families paying $30, 35, 40/hour for nannies. We have had same nanny for 5+ years and pay $25-30/hour. I would believe $30/hour for PT positions but not for FT. I want to remain competitive with our caregiver’s compensation so I refer regularly to the Care.com aggregated W-2 wage data as they are one of the most commonly used payroll services (HomePay). DC is currently $22.15/hour (https://www.care.com/c/average-nanny-salary-by-state/). If anyone is actually making $30+/hour for a FT position, are you getting paid under the table? This of course would not be referenced in the W-2 data but has implications for the employee’s future SS earnings and the employer if they get caught.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are only worth what someone is willing to pay. Sleeping on the job is a hard no. It’s ok they put the kids in day care. If it was an excuse then maybe take a look at your actions. For $35 an hour I’d expect a lot.

$35 hourly is very fair in today’s time. Have you tried to get placed by an agency? White House and Adventure nannies are great and all the families DO actually offer top pay all benefits including healthcare. Those that expect a lot for $35 are the moms that want it ALL and can’t come to their senses!

You have to look at a moms take home and no it’s no reasonable. Clearly it’s not the going rate or they’d be employed no issue.

Anonymous wrote:You are only worth what someone is willing to pay. Sleeping on the job is a hard no. It’s ok they put the kids in day care. If it was an excuse then maybe take a look at your actions. For $35 an hour I’d expect a lot.

$35 hourly is very fair in today’s time. Have you tried to get placed by an agency? White House and Adventure nannies are great and all the families DO actually offer top pay all benefits including healthcare. Those that expect a lot for $35 are the moms that want it ALL and can’t come to their senses!

I'm sorry they did that to you. They were probably on a wait list and didn't want to risk losing you if they didn't get in. Doesn't make it ok though.

That said, you have to cut down on the dramatics. It makes you come off as extremely immature, which obviously isn't a good look for a nanny.

If the job market is so good in Michigan, I would try to figure out how to get back there. Maybe the best option is to just take one of these 20-25/hr jobs and save up money to afford a flight back home.

First of all, I'm really sorry the family did that to you. That was not okay, and I understand your frustration towards them.

That being said, I'm a DC parent who has had nannies in the past, and is about to enter a contract with a new nanny, and I have some advice for you.

Unfortunately for you, this is the season when there are more nannies than families. While families are looking for new nannies year round as new babies are born or families move to the area, most people are saying goodbye to beloved nannies as school starts when their youngest goes off to school.

Especially given that timing, $35 is a very high starting salary. Remember that a good family will want to give you a $1-2 raise every year, so you're generally not going to make as much at the beginning of an engagement with a family as you do toward the end (assuming you're usually a longer term nanny, 3+ years with a family). Our new nanny is going to be getting $32 per hour and that's for a nanny share. No, you shouldn't accept $20 an hour, that's absurd, but $28-$32 is a reasonable starting salary in this area. If a family you feel you're clicking with, and who is looking for a longer term arrangement, is offering $25, see if you can negotiate up to $28. That's a heck of a lot better than going months without a job! You can bemoan the fairness of that, but it seems you're finding that's what the market can bear.

Now, I'm not sure what's going on with your current family. Maybe they did like you and just would rather their kid be in daycare for whatever reason, maybe they've been unhappy with you all along and just didn't say anything (which sucks) or maybe they just really weren't okay with you falling asleep. I understand why you're angry with them, but you need to make nice with them for absolutely selfish reasons. Getting a job without the ringing endorsement and strong recommendation from your most recent family will be WAY harder and in some cases nearly impossible. If you don't have that - it's going to be very, very hard to get a job, and you'll need to lower your starting salary even more. I would not, under any circumstances, hire a nanny with a tepid recommendation from their current employer. Would not do it. And I'm sure I'm not the only one out there. This is crucial.

The best way to get a job is to have your current employer make posts for you. We have gotten all our nannies from posts on neighborhood listservs from other parents saying "we have this amazing nanny who we love and adore but we're moving/kid is going to school. You'd be so lucky to get her!" and that include lots of information (from the parent's perspective) about why their nanny is great. Ask your current family if they'd be willing to do that for you.

You are too dramatic. I would not let you be anywhere near my kids.
There's plenty of work out there. Every restaurant is hiring and without experience.
Don't be stuck being a nanny only. There are times when you need more flexible schedule. Restaurants and working for delivery service are flexible.
I have never been fired for performance. I have three former employers asking me to come back to work. I created such situation for myself. I knew people were their own worst enemies, but I didn't know why. I know now.
Glad I never hired a nanny. You post is scary.

Anonymous wrote:Nanny here: to everyone complaining that paying $2,500 for an apartment is "outrageous" How dare you? Thats a basic apartment in the area without rats and mice. Blain inflation not us. Its not our fault that you are unsuccesfull and cant pay for luxury and then if you do have the money, then you are just abominable if you think nannies have to swallow your disrespect and mistreatment that we nannies have endured over the years not anymore its 2025. I’ve been in this profession a long time, and I’ve lived through it too. At one point, I decided I was done being overly loyal to families who didn’t value me. Now, I show up, do my job with professionalism and care, and that’s it. No emotional labor beyond what’s genuinely necessary—especially with the kids, because they’re innocent and always deserve our best.

But when it comes to the families? Too many of them want the world from you, while offering the bare minimum in return. That’s ridiculous. You're trusting someone with your children—your everything—and yet you don't want that person to thrive too? That’s not just backwards, it’s messed up.

The nanny community has been pushed around and undervalued for way too long. It’s time we start setting boundaries, speaking up, and protecting our peace. Say no when something doesn’t feel right. Prioritize your mental health. Educate families—we’re not naive, and we’re no longer tolerating nonsense. We provide a premium service, and not everyone is entitled to that. If someone can’t afford quality care, then maybe they should reconsider bringing children into the world just to cut corners.

I’m lucky I joined my best friend’s agency years ago. We don’t deal with drama or disrespect. If someone thinks my rate is too high, that’s fine—bye! The agency will place me somewhere else within days.

People need to start appreciating the nannies they have. Go read the horror stories out there—some families wish they had a good nanny. Right now, money isn’t even my top concern. I look at benefits, bonuses, long-term stability. I earn six figures, and so do many in my nanny network. The market isn’t broken you’re just dealing with greed.

DONT SETTLE FOR LESS. YOU are worth that and more. I bet theres a special place in hell for those who do have the money and wont pay your employees a living wage.

How dare we? We live within our means. My mortgage is not that much. You are worth what someone is willing to pay you. If you make that much great but doubtful.

Nanny here: to everyone complaining that paying $2,500 for an apartment is "outrageous" How dare you? Thats a basic apartment in the area without rats and mice. Blain inflation not us. Its not our fault that you are unsuccesfull and cant pay for luxury and then if you do have the money, then you are just abominable if you think nannies have to swallow your disrespect and mistreatment that we nannies have endured over the years not anymore its 2025. I’ve been in this profession a long time, and I’ve lived through it too. At one point, I decided I was done being overly loyal to families who didn’t value me. Now, I show up, do my job with professionalism and care, and that’s it. No emotional labor beyond what’s genuinely necessary—especially with the kids, because they’re innocent and always deserve our best.

But when it comes to the families? Too many of them want the world from you, while offering the bare minimum in return. That’s ridiculous. You're trusting someone with your children—your everything—and yet you don't want that person to thrive too? That’s not just backwards, it’s messed up.

The nanny community has been pushed around and undervalued for way too long. It’s time we start setting boundaries, speaking up, and protecting our peace. Say no when something doesn’t feel right. Prioritize your mental health. Educate families—we’re not naive, and we’re no longer tolerating nonsense. We provide a premium service, and not everyone is entitled to that. If someone can’t afford quality care, then maybe they should reconsider bringing children into the world just to cut corners.

I’m lucky I joined my best friend’s agency years ago. We don’t deal with drama or disrespect. If someone thinks my rate is too high, that’s fine—bye! The agency will place me somewhere else within days.

People need to start appreciating the nannies they have. Go read the horror stories out there—some families wish they had a good nanny. Right now, money isn’t even my top concern. I look at benefits, bonuses, long-term stability. I earn six figures, and so do many in my nanny network. The market isn’t broken you’re just dealing with greed.

DONT SETTLE FOR LESS. YOU are worth that and more. I bet theres a special place in hell for those who do have the money and wont pay your employees a living wage.

Nanny here. It isn’t you it’s the market. People are struggling everywhere and can’t afford us :/

I am so sorry that you are going through all of this right now OP.

Your family should never have lied to you - - most especially after all that you have done for their family.
Shame on them > I am confident that karma will follow them around, then strike when they least expect it!

I am not sure what area you are in but you may have to lower your rate a bit in order to secure a job right now.
This sucks I know but if you are really down + out then you may not have much of a choice.

Hoping that things begin to look up for you soon.
Please keep us all posted on how things go for you.

It appears your post has generated some interest & potential job leads which is wonderful to hear.

Anonymous wrote:I make $40 an hour(most of the nannies i know make about the same) and actually found my current family by posting an ad in a library in D.C. There are families who pay well—you just have to keep searching. I completely understand where you're coming from. Nannies aren’t for everyone; we’re considered a luxury. Ten years ago, I was charging close to $30/hour, but I would never accept that now. We have to know our worth and stand by it.

Honestly, families shouldn't be having kids if they can’t afford the real cost of raising them—including childcare. If you want, send me your number and I can refer you to a previous family of mine who was looking for someone in your rate range. What you're dealing with doesn’t sound like your fault at all.And yes, I sleep when the baby sleeps too. I've been doing this for 12 years, and with the cost of living so high—like $2,500 for a basic, non-luxury apartment—how is someone supposed to live on $25 an hour? That would mean working almost the entire month just to cover rent. Some people are just cruel. They only care about their own needs and couldn’t care less about the person looking after what’s supposed to be the most important part of their lives: their children.

$2500 apartment is absurd. You get a roommate. Or a second job.

Your story is something that i always hear about in our nanny agency. You are not doing anything wrong.Nannys are for thosr who can afford them and youre obviously dealing with people who cant. If you have strong references please call me and i can easily get you $40 per hour as thats the going rate as of now for someone experienced. Our top performers make close to 120k a year plus benefits. If this is something that might interest you i can be reached at 240-343-2733. My name is Jacqueline and im one of the managers at the agency. Feel free to send me a text.