Op I think that pp have it right! Start a little lower and leave room for yearly raise. I am a nanny and I have 7 years exp., I took a job similar to yours and started at $15hr but I got 3wks vacation, and guaranteed hrs, plus they pay a portion of my taxes. But most importantly, they are nice to work for, flexible, loving and involved with their children etc. it is NOT all about the $$ so don't go out of you pay comfort zone or you may begin to resent the nanny.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, funny how everyone seems to keep saying you should be able to find a nanny, but none of them can tell you where.

OP didn't ask us where to look, did she? I may have missed that...

I am not the op but in a similar situation. Can you please let me know where I can post my offer for potential candidates to see?

Anyone?

This has been done to death.

Neighborhood listservs
College boards
Sittercity
Craigslist (actually a viable option)
Care.com
Other online parent groups (yahoo or meetup type places)
Community center boards

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, funny how everyone seems to keep saying you should be able to find a nanny, but none of them can tell you where.

OP didn't ask us where to look, did she? I may have missed that...

I am not the op but in a similar situation. Can you please let me know where I can post my offer for potential candidates to see?

Anyone?

Anonymous wrote:I do not recommend hiring someone who said they could only accept $X and then changes their mind and says they will take less after all.

You would be missing out on some great nannies then. I have done this twice because I have had great feelings about the families I have ended up working for. I understand that they are able to pay a certain amount and have been able to negotiate great benefits and pay raises in lieu of a higher starting rate. Smart nannies negotiate, even if that means taking a lower rate. It's not always about hourly pay...sad that some people are too short sighted to understand this.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, funny how everyone seems to keep saying you should be able to find a nanny, but none of them can tell you where.

OP didn't ask us where to look, did she? I may have missed that...

She didn't. PP is just being snarky.

I do not recommend hiring someone who said they could only accept $X and then changes their mind and says they will take less after all.

If you only want 2 years experience, then you could try offering $14 - $15 and see what kind of candidates you get. If they are not people you'd want to hire, then you can up your offer from there when you advertise.

One thing I'll suggest is that if you want this person to stay long term (more than a year) you need to leave yourself room for at least a bit of a raise at her yearly review. So if an additional dollar an hour is out of your budget at $17/hour, you should not start with that rate.

OP, what you're offering is plenty. Especially considering it's broken up over a 4 day work week. This means the nanny can find a job for one day a week if she needs more income. This is, of course, assuming the 4 days are set and don't change week to week?

If you were able to, you could add extra vacation time in lieu of more money. Even changing the 5 paid sick days + 2 weeks paid vacation into 15 (or would it be 13?) paid vacation days. I know for me personally, I hate calling in sick because I don't like to leave my family in a bind. So I often have sick days that go unused.

Keep in mind long-term and future raises as well, especially if you're at the top of your budget.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With my experience (over 10 years) I won't accept less than $19 per hr for 2 kids, the going rate in the DC area is $10 per child in a nanny share, some families pay more. I think $17 & $ 18 is a bit too low for 2 kids.

OP here. Ok, that is fair. But I am not looking for someone with 10 years of experience. So for someone with maybe 2 years of experience, what would be fair?

Yes. More than. If the nannies you interviewed and liked had no exceptional qualities, there is no reason to offer more than you are.

Anonymous wrote:With my experience (over 10 years) I won't accept less than $19 per hr for 2 kids, the going rate in the DC area is $10 per child in a nanny share, some families pay more. I think $17 & $ 18 is a bit too low for 2 kids.

OP here. Ok, that is fair. But I am not looking for someone with 10 years of experience. So for someone with maybe 2 years of experience, what would be fair?

With my experience (over 10 years) I won't accept less than $19 per hr for 2 kids, the going rate in the DC area is $10 per child in a nanny share, some families pay more. I think $17 & $ 18 is a bit too low for 2 kids.

We've found nannies at that price range through agencies and through Sittercity. The agencies will obiviously charge a fee for their service. Even White House has nannies at the lower price per hour range - they also have more specialized people available of course if you need a household manager type person.

OP, one of the issues you may be running into is that your total weekly compensation is probably lower than most jobs, despite the fact that the hourly rate you're offering is fair.

Most nanny jobs are in the 45+ hours per week range due to parents needing to log in at least 8 hours in the office, plus commute each way. Many nannies want/need those jobs with long hours.

With that being said, you should be able to find someone at the rate you are offering. It just might take a little more time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, funny how everyone seems to keep saying you should be able to find a nanny, but none of them can tell you where.

OP didn't ask us where to look, did she? I may have missed that...

I am not the op but in a similar situation. Can you please let me know where I can post my offer for potential candidates to see?

Anonymous wrote:OP, funny how everyone seems to keep saying you should be able to find a nanny, but none of them can tell you where.

OP didn't ask us where to look, did she? I may have missed that...