Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Team,

Daycare is not an option, I need more individualized attention for my child. Having a Nanny/BabySitter is the right fit for most parents. The prices just need to match.

Dear Poster,

What I'm reading is that you want and need a nanny, but you resent having to pay market rate for a nanny, either because you actually can only afford daycare, or because you believe nannies aren't worth very much money becaus their jobs are easy.

The issue is that you want individualized attention. That costs money. If your child has special needs, that costs even more money. Anyone who employs a nanny needs to understand a very basic fact: You must pay an actual living wage that allows the nanny to live in a safe neighborhood, pay all her bills, and live comfortably. No, not extravagantly, comfortably. A wage that makes her able to purchase all she needs and some things she wants.

Try this little exercise:

1) Determine your childcare budget.
2) Do some research and find out the following information:
a) What is the monthly NET wage you can afford to pay?
b) What does it cost to rent a 2B/2b apartment within 30 rush hour minutes distance of your home?
c) What does the average apartment described above cost for all utilities, including cable and internet?
d) How much is insurance for a renter with a car, and how much does health insurance cost per year?
e) If you were single, how much would you spend on groceries, medical needs, self-care, clothing, gas and car maintenance, occasional meals out, and one decent vacation a year, plus saving 5-10% of your net income toward retirement and a few minor indulgences every year?
3) Add up all the expenses in #2 and add 10% for things you overlooked. Is that dollar amount slightly less than your yearly childcare budget plus 30% to cover the actual GROSS wages plus your employer costs?
4) If the answer to #3 is yes, then you can probably afford to support a 3rd adult off of your HHI. Congratulations, you should look for a nanny!
5) If the answer to #3 is no, then you cannot afford a nanny. Look for daycare openings near you.

No one has the right to demand nanny care when all they can afford is daycare. Let me say it a different way...A nanny is not obligated in any way to give you a childcare discount that makes HER financial life difficult or impossible. Lose your privileged attitude and be realistic about your finances.

Dear Team,

It is not that I feel I am entitled to a nanny. The issue that I am trying to push is simply that the cost of nannies is HEAVILY inflated, and nannies only job security is that foreign workers are illegal to hire. Many foreign workers, illegal or otherwise, have probably a higher level of education than the community college nannies here, and are so much cheaper. I find it hilarious that nannies push to have the highest salaries possible while using fear tactics (pay what you get) and over-hyping their roles (singing i am a little tea-pot, and 'playing' with kids).

You keep saying the same thing over and over again. I (as well as others) simply do not agree with you. I wanted (and hired) a professional nanny whom I could run a full background check on (not possible with foreign nannies), had a college degree and teaching experience. I certainly want the sameeducated and experienced background in a nanny that I would expect in a preschool teacher. I am not interested in the cheapest nanny for my kids! We understand what you are saying and simply disagree! You can continue to write the same thing on every thread on this forum until hell freezes over and parents will continue to disagree with you!

I disagree with both of you. I also only hire legal nannies and all four of ours over a 10-year period had some college. One had a degree, and one finished her degree a couple of months after we hired her. The pay range is still $18-$22/hr to start for most nannies, and it is not "necessary" to pay $25/hr+ for a good nanny.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hiring a Personal Nanny is the most expensive form of childcare out there.

Bar none.

The reasons why are that the family does not have to wake their child up early in order to drop them off somewhere else.
And if they are stuck in traffic on the way home, they don’t have to be penalized for being late.

The child benefits by receiving personal, one-on-one attention + care.
They also get the luxury of napping in their own bed, eating their own food as well as playing w/their own toys.

The biggest benefit is that they are not exposed on a daily basis to unwanted germs.

I find paying the extra dollars is a great investment in your child.

But

So you’re the parent who doesn’t pay nanny when you’re late?!

Being penalized is not the same as not paying. And since some nannies are paid to be available, no they aren’t paid extra when the parent is late.

NP here. Legally, nannies are hourly employees and must be paid for every minute they are working, which certainly includes the times that you are late. Equally important, we are paid to be available for our scheduled shifts, but at your beck and call! Your attitude is insane.

Anonymous wrote:Dear Family,


We are starting the Nanny Hunt, and I am blown away at the current prices people are paying. I have seen prices range from 15.00 at the hyper-low end to around 35.00 an hour! This doesn't even include the over-time, vacation pay, and other benefits. I understand at least from this forum that many of you are paying these rates (unless its spam?), and I was just wondering the following:

1. What is your current Location

2. What is your joint income

3. What is the Price of your Nanny

4. How many hours do you employe her

5. How many kids is she watching?



I just can't see how any person making less then 150k can afford a Nanny at these rates? Am I wrong.

Anonymous wrote:

Team,

1. Nannies have hourly rates, and have hourly rate expectations. These over-inflated expectations are driven primarly by fear mongering, which is heavily perptuated here. Lets face it, every nanny here that wants more money, argues 'you get what you pay for'. As if there is some silly correlation between paying someone more money and quality.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WTF is with all the “dear team” crap. I literally can’t take that poster seriously.

Do you talk like that in real life? Do you have any friends cause you seem annoying in writing, you must be totally horrid face to face

Dear Poster,

I actually do send e-mails like this at work as well. I do command a few workers and when I am requesting their attention I do use this format. In terms of face to face you would be quite suprised, I am more on the quiet side. I do however count and drive down my expenses as much as I can. I believe in good deals, and not over-paying, which is primary reason why I am complaining on this chat forum. I find it perhaps the most funny that blue-collar nannies feel so entitled to high and liveable wages, when the bar to become one is so low, and lacks any certifications.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WTF is with all the “dear team” crap. I literally can’t take that poster seriously.

Do you talk like that in real life? Do you have any friends cause you seem annoying in writing, you must be totally horrid face to face

Dear Poster,

I actually do send e-mails like this at work as well. I do command a few workers and when I am requesting their attention I do use this format. In terms of face to face you would be quite suprised, I am more on the quiet side. I do however count and drive down my expenses as much as I can. I believe in good deals, and not over-paying, which is primary reason why I am complaining on this chat forum. I find it perhaps the most funny that blue-collar nannies feel so entitled to high and liveable wages, when the bar to become one is so low, and lacks any certifications.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are no hard and fast "market rates" for nannies. There just aren't, because parents who want nanny care for their kids all have different childcare budgets. And nannies all have varying hourly rate expectations.

If someone like the OP refuses to pay more than $13-15 per hour, she can likely find a nanny to hire. Will the nanny be excellent? Probably not. That nanny may be married with young kids, and can't work if her child is ill. Only the OP can decide if paying a low rate is worth having to miss work every time her nanny's kid is ill.

Another family may choose to hire a $25/hour nanny. That nanny could be amazing, or she could be a dud in some way. Once the family determines what might be missing in their nanny, they can choose to keep her or to seek a new nanny.

The same goes for nannies. A nanny who feels a connection with a family during the interview maybe willing to lower her rate VERY slightly in order to work for that family. A nanny who interviews with a challenging family will likely raise her rate as much as she can to make a tough job worthwhile. And nannies fire employers based on work vs. wages just as often as employers let nannies go.

Ultimately, most typical nanny jobs wind up paying a living wage based on where nanny and family live. The family that paid $12/$14/$16 per hour and were unable to find a good nanny 3 times over will either accept daycare as their destiny or offer $18/hour and finally find an amazing nanny. The family that offered $25/hour and wound up with a diva nanny may lower their rate a bit and find someone fantastic for $22/hour.

The only people who lose out are:

1) Families who refuse to accept that there is no such thing as a fantastic $13/hour nanny and go through nannies every few months without reevaluating what the actual issue is for their family.

2) Nannies who overprice their abilities and wonder why they can't find a long term job.

Team,

1. Nannies have hourly rates, and have hourly rate expectations. These over-inflated expectations are driven primarly by fear mongering, which is heavily perptuated here. Lets face it, every nanny here that wants more money, argues 'you get what you pay for'. As if there is some silly correlation between paying someone more money and quality.

2. The Nanny industry as a whole is somewhat of a sham, with no real accredidiation or standard that needs to be met to qualify as a 'nanny'. Many of the certs that are recieved are either for profit, OR have no real relationship to the field. I am talking about the manny nanies that have 'social worker' degrees, or other degrees that have no outside job market. Ultimately many nannies here that do have higher educations, want to be rewarded for choosing majors without any career potential. I think its great you have a degree in social worker, or psychology, music or art, but that has very little barring on you sing 'I am a little tea pot' or doing basic nanny duties.

3. Nannies on this forum do not represent average salary requirements. I am here to tell parents, who are finanicially conscious that they can get someone cheaper, that can perform the same duties.

Anonymous wrote:There are no hard and fast "market rates" for nannies. There just aren't, because parents who want nanny care for their kids all have different childcare budgets. And nannies all have varying hourly rate expectations.

If someone like the OP refuses to pay more than $13-15 per hour, she can likely find a nanny to hire. Will the nanny be excellent? Probably not. That nanny may be married with young kids, and can't work if her child is ill. Only the OP can decide if paying a low rate is worth having to miss work every time her nanny's kid is ill.

Another family may choose to hire a $25/hour nanny. That nanny could be amazing, or she could be a dud in some way. Once the family determines what might be missing in their nanny, they can choose to keep her or to seek a new nanny.

The same goes for nannies. A nanny who feels a connection with a family during the interview maybe willing to lower her rate VERY slightly in order to work for that family. A nanny who interviews with a challenging family will likely raise her rate as much as she can to make a tough job worthwhile. And nannies fire employers based on work vs. wages just as often as employers let nannies go.

Ultimately, most typical nanny jobs wind up paying a living wage based on where nanny and family live. The family that paid $12/$14/$16 per hour and were unable to find a good nanny 3 times over will either accept daycare as their destiny or offer $18/hour and finally find an amazing nanny. The family that offered $25/hour and wound up with a diva nanny may lower their rate a bit and find someone fantastic for $22/hour.

The only people who lose out are:

1) Families who refuse to accept that there is no such thing as a fantastic $13/hour nanny and go through nannies every few months without reevaluating what the actual issue is for their family.

2) Nannies who overprice their abilities and wonder why they can't find a long term job.

Anonymous wrote:WTF is with all the “dear team” crap. I literally can’t take that poster seriously.

Do you talk like that in real life? Do you have any friends cause you seem annoying in writing, you must be totally horrid face to face