Anonymous
11/09/2017 07:37
Subject: What have you done to accommodate nanny's 3-week overseas trip?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I am nanny -- full American for those out there.
I have had families I work for that gave me 4 to 5 weeks off per year, and no that did not include holidays, sick time and days they traveled with out me.
My most current family gives me 21 days off, and yes I use it all. Most of the time I take 2 weeks and than a week during another time. I have asked at my 1 yr review for another 7 days add, they have already agreed.
During the interview we already discussed the need for a back up carer. Once I was hired, we discussed it more. We have a great back up system. For when I am on vacation (and if I was also to get sick). It is important for me to travel the world. I covered all of the US when I was younger. Now I am adding everywhere else. At the age of 38 I have seen almost all of Europe, Asia and Africa. My next trips will bring me south, I hope to cover all of south America in the next few years (yes I say years because I enjoy taking my time in each area and learning about the culture). I also will be heading to Antarctica in 2019. Travel is important to me and luckily it is to my current family, We travel all over with the baby. He has more miles than me (ok not really but for a child that is barely one he is catching up to me).
Nannies are not robots, they get sick --- sometimes it can be a weeklong or if there is any surgery it may be longer. You should have some type of back up in place.
That said people also take vacations (again not robots). If a person has the time off than they should be allowed to take it. If they don't than no they should not be allowed to take more time (ie unpaid).
But you know this request would be a deal-breaker for a lot of families, right?
It's not that families don't exist who can accommodate this. It's that the vast majority of American families cannot, and are not interested in figuring out how to make it work.
Well I have never had a problem. I have been a nanny since I was 21, so 17 years. I have had 4 families in the 17 years (including my most current one.) I don't jump around and find families here and there. I also have never been out of work, I have always had another position lined up before ending one. So guess I am doing something right. And I will be at this current job for another 6 to 8 if not more.
You don;t know the jobs you lost because of your need to take so much time off, PP. Glad it has worked out for you but you can't prove a negative.
Anonymous
11/09/2017 00:15
Subject: What have you done to accommodate nanny's 3-week overseas trip?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I am nanny -- full American for those out there.
I have had families I work for that gave me 4 to 5 weeks off per year, and no that did not include holidays, sick time and days they traveled with out me.
My most current family gives me 21 days off, and yes I use it all. Most of the time I take 2 weeks and than a week during another time. I have asked at my 1 yr review for another 7 days add, they have already agreed.
During the interview we already discussed the need for a back up carer. Once I was hired, we discussed it more. We have a great back up system. For when I am on vacation (and if I was also to get sick). It is important for me to travel the world. I covered all of the US when I was younger. Now I am adding everywhere else. At the age of 38 I have seen almost all of Europe, Asia and Africa. My next trips will bring me south, I hope to cover all of south America in the next few years (yes I say years because I enjoy taking my time in each area and learning about the culture). I also will be heading to Antarctica in 2019. Travel is important to me and luckily it is to my current family, We travel all over with the baby. He has more miles than me (ok not really but for a child that is barely one he is catching up to me).
Nannies are not robots, they get sick --- sometimes it can be a weeklong or if there is any surgery it may be longer. You should have some type of back up in place.
That said people also take vacations (again not robots). If a person has the time off than they should be allowed to take it. If they don't than no they should not be allowed to take more time (ie unpaid).
But you know this request would be a deal-breaker for a lot of families, right?
It's not that families don't exist who can accommodate this. It's that the vast majority of American families cannot, and are not interested in figuring out how to make it work.
Well I have never had a problem. I have been a nanny since I was 21, so 17 years. I have had 4 families in the 17 years (including my most current one.) I don't jump around and find families here and there. I also have never been out of work, I have always had another position lined up before ending one. So guess I am doing something right. And I will be at this current job for another 6 to 8 if not more.
Anonymous
11/08/2017 20:31
Subject: Re:What have you done to accommodate nanny's 3-week overseas trip?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I would shorten her vacation to two weeks - then take one week off and have DH take one week off.
This is one of the reasons I hired an American nanny, OP. This always happens with foreign nannies.
But I've heard many times of situations where the nanny asks for a long vacation, the parents say they can only accommodate a shorter one, nanny agrees...then once she is over in the home country, a day or two before she is supposed to return, she contacts the parents and says she is actually going to stay longer....
YUP! Happens a lot!
I don’t get this. Our nanny is taking a long vacation (2.5 weeks) over holidays which we are stretching to accommodate. If she pulled something like that I would absolutely be looking for a new nanny.
No one expects it, and the reason is always something reasonable when weighed against the cost of returning for another trip later (well, I shouldn't say "always"). Then you start talking to other people, and you discover how often this happens.
So the nannies who do this are lying straight to their employers face, and booking later return plane tickets with the intention of making up a last minute excuse? because actually changing plane tickets at the last minute can be really expensive...
Anonymous
11/08/2017 18:24
Subject: Re:What have you done to accommodate nanny's 3-week overseas trip?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I would shorten her vacation to two weeks - then take one week off and have DH take one week off.
This is one of the reasons I hired an American nanny, OP. This always happens with foreign nannies.
But I've heard many times of situations where the nanny asks for a long vacation, the parents say they can only accommodate a shorter one, nanny agrees...then once she is over in the home country, a day or two before she is supposed to return, she contacts the parents and says she is actually going to stay longer....
YUP! Happens a lot!
I don’t get this. Our nanny is taking a long vacation (2.5 weeks) over holidays which we are stretching to accommodate. If she pulled something like that I would absolutely be looking for a new nanny.
No one expects it, and the reason is always something reasonable when weighed against the cost of returning for another trip later (well, I shouldn't say "always"). Then you start talking to other people, and you discover how often this happens.
Anonymous
11/08/2017 17:10
Subject: Re:What have you done to accommodate nanny's 3-week overseas trip?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I would shorten her vacation to two weeks - then take one week off and have DH take one week off.
This is one of the reasons I hired an American nanny, OP. This always happens with foreign nannies.
But I've heard many times of situations where the nanny asks for a long vacation, the parents say they can only accommodate a shorter one, nanny agrees...then once she is over in the home country, a day or two before she is supposed to return, she contacts the parents and says she is actually going to stay longer....
YUP! Happens a lot!
I don’t get this. Our nanny is taking a long vacation (2.5 weeks) over holidays which we are stretching to accommodate. If she pulled something like that I would absolutely be looking for a new nanny.
Anonymous
11/08/2017 16:26
Subject: Re:What have you done to accommodate nanny's 3-week overseas trip?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I would shorten her vacation to two weeks - then take one week off and have DH take one week off.
This is one of the reasons I hired an American nanny, OP. This always happens with foreign nannies.
But I've heard many times of situations where the nanny asks for a long vacation, the parents say they can only accommodate a shorter one, nanny agrees...then once she is over in the home country, a day or two before she is supposed to return, she contacts the parents and says she is actually going to stay longer....
YUP! Happens a lot!
Anonymous
11/08/2017 05:33
Subject: Re:What have you done to accommodate nanny's 3-week overseas trip?
Honestly, this extended trip business only works if you don't really need the nanny in the first place. (i.e. SAHM who can cover for a few weeks, or grandparents who can cover in a pinch). Most NFs I know take time to carefully select and orient their nannies/children and can't afford to do so multiple times a year or every other year. That's one of the reasons they choose nannies, for the continuity. (If they want to have new faces all the time, there is the au pair option, with its own challenges and benefits.) I agree with the PP. If at all possible, I don't want temporaries in my home and I don't want to leave my children with people that I haven't had the opportunity to become comfortable with. I would be very disappointed if paying $$$ for a nanny also required that I scramble for alternative care every year or two. Note: not talking about normal vacation time that we coordinate on and use as our own family vacation time.
Anonymous
11/07/2017 21:51
Subject: Re:What have you done to accommodate nanny's 3-week overseas trip?
We do not have loves that could accommodate a three week vacation for our nanny. It would be a deal breaker for us. I don't want a temporary nanny in our home. End of discussion. If you few nannies found people that are okay with it - good for you. It isn't me (or anyone I know).
Our nanny is American.
Our nanny is American.
Anonymous
11/07/2017 21:39
Subject: Re:What have you done to accommodate nanny's 3-week overseas trip?
This happened to us, but even worse. Nanny was going for 3 weeks (using all vacation time — contract allowed her to roll over max 1 week to the next year) and, right before she was due to return, she hurt her back and had to stay another week. She did have some health issue, but I’d put 95% on it being total BS. I was on maternity leave, so it was relatively OK to cover in that sense... On the flip side, it totally sucked watching my not quite 2 year old and my 4 week old at the same time all day every day that early on by myself (and in winter, unfortunately).
Did you modify your contract so it doesn't happen again when you are not on maternity leave?
Anonymous
11/07/2017 21:19
Subject: Re:What have you done to accommodate nanny's 3-week overseas trip?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I would shorten her vacation to two weeks - then take one week off and have DH take one week off.
This is one of the reasons I hired an American nanny, OP. This always happens with foreign nannies.
But I've heard many times of situations where the nanny asks for a long vacation, the parents say they can only accommodate a shorter one, nanny agrees...then once she is over in the home country, a day or two before she is supposed to return, she contacts the parents and says she is actually going to stay longer....
This happened to us, but even worse. Nanny was going for 3 weeks (using all vacation time — contract allowed her to roll over max 1 week to the next year) and, right before she was due to return, she hurt her back and had to stay another week. She did have some health issue, but I’d put 95% on it being total BS. I was on maternity leave, so it was relatively OK to cover in that sense... On the flip side, it totally sucked watching my not quite 2 year old and my 4 week old at the same time all day every day that early on by myself (and in winter, unfortunately).
Anonymous
11/07/2017 15:33
Subject: What have you done to accommodate nanny's 3-week overseas trip?
Anonymous wrote:I am nanny -- full American for those out there.
I have had families I work for that gave me 4 to 5 weeks off per year, and no that did not include holidays, sick time and days they traveled with out me.
My most current family gives me 21 days off, and yes I use it all. Most of the time I take 2 weeks and than a week during another time. I have asked at my 1 yr review for another 7 days add, they have already agreed.
During the interview we already discussed the need for a back up carer. Once I was hired, we discussed it more. We have a great back up system. For when I am on vacation (and if I was also to get sick). It is important for me to travel the world. I covered all of the US when I was younger. Now I am adding everywhere else. At the age of 38 I have seen almost all of Europe, Asia and Africa. My next trips will bring me south, I hope to cover all of south America in the next few years (yes I say years because I enjoy taking my time in each area and learning about the culture). I also will be heading to Antarctica in 2019. Travel is important to me and luckily it is to my current family, We travel all over with the baby. He has more miles than me (ok not really but for a child that is barely one he is catching up to me).
Nannies are not robots, they get sick --- sometimes it can be a weeklong or if there is any surgery it may be longer. You should have some type of back up in place.
That said people also take vacations (again not robots). If a person has the time off than they should be allowed to take it. If they don't than no they should not be allowed to take more time (ie unpaid).
But you know this request would be a deal-breaker for a lot of families, right?
It's not that families don't exist who can accommodate this. It's that the vast majority of American families cannot, and are not interested in figuring out how to make it work.
Anonymous
11/07/2017 12:57
Subject: Re:What have you done to accommodate nanny's 3-week overseas trip?
Seems like OP asked what you have done to accommodate this, not whether or not you would. My family has accommodated our wonderful nanny's extended trips a couple times. It's not easy, but we have done it through a combination of our own (limited) time off work and bringing in grandparents for babysitting duties. Luckily, both sets of grandparents are willing and able to do this - and in fact are overjoyed to have the time with the children. I know of friends who have used backup day care through work and some who have used temp nannies. I have also used one of our nanny's friends (also a nanny in her own right at various times) as "backup" care for our children and that's been great. Your children are more resilient than you think, and a couple days - or a couple weeks - won't throw them off completely. Also, when my nanny has returned from these trips, the children have run right back into her arms and didn't miss a beat. No "readjustment" issues or anything.
Anonymous
11/06/2017 23:48
Subject: What have you done to accommodate nanny's 3-week overseas trip?
I am nanny -- full American for those out there.
I have had families I work for that gave me 4 to 5 weeks off per year, and no that did not include holidays, sick time and days they traveled with out me.
My most current family gives me 21 days off, and yes I use it all. Most of the time I take 2 weeks and than a week during another time. I have asked at my 1 yr review for another 7 days add, they have already agreed.
During the interview we already discussed the need for a back up carer. Once I was hired, we discussed it more. We have a great back up system. For when I am on vacation (and if I was also to get sick). It is important for me to travel the world. I covered all of the US when I was younger. Now I am adding everywhere else. At the age of 38 I have seen almost all of Europe, Asia and Africa. My next trips will bring me south, I hope to cover all of south America in the next few years (yes I say years because I enjoy taking my time in each area and learning about the culture). I also will be heading to Antarctica in 2019. Travel is important to me and luckily it is to my current family, We travel all over with the baby. He has more miles than me (ok not really but for a child that is barely one he is catching up to me).
Nannies are not robots, they get sick --- sometimes it can be a weeklong or if there is any surgery it may be longer. You should have some type of back up in place.
That said people also take vacations (again not robots). If a person has the time off than they should be allowed to take it. If they don't than no they should not be allowed to take more time (ie unpaid).
I have had families I work for that gave me 4 to 5 weeks off per year, and no that did not include holidays, sick time and days they traveled with out me.
My most current family gives me 21 days off, and yes I use it all. Most of the time I take 2 weeks and than a week during another time. I have asked at my 1 yr review for another 7 days add, they have already agreed.
During the interview we already discussed the need for a back up carer. Once I was hired, we discussed it more. We have a great back up system. For when I am on vacation (and if I was also to get sick). It is important for me to travel the world. I covered all of the US when I was younger. Now I am adding everywhere else. At the age of 38 I have seen almost all of Europe, Asia and Africa. My next trips will bring me south, I hope to cover all of south America in the next few years (yes I say years because I enjoy taking my time in each area and learning about the culture). I also will be heading to Antarctica in 2019. Travel is important to me and luckily it is to my current family, We travel all over with the baby. He has more miles than me (ok not really but for a child that is barely one he is catching up to me).
Nannies are not robots, they get sick --- sometimes it can be a weeklong or if there is any surgery it may be longer. You should have some type of back up in place.
That said people also take vacations (again not robots). If a person has the time off than they should be allowed to take it. If they don't than no they should not be allowed to take more time (ie unpaid).
Anonymous
11/06/2017 22:32
Subject: What have you done to accommodate nanny's 3-week overseas trip?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:[b]Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:[b]Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:America first!! Right, pp? ?
When you employ a foreign nanny and you like her, you make it work with a temp.
Oh, stop the crap. You have a foreign nanny because she is cheaper. End of discussion.
Actually I am a foreign nanny (with a degree since apparently that's important in this thread) who is now a legal US citizen and I take a month of time off and my nanny family who has employed me for 5 years is perfectly happy to hire a temp.
Why hire a foreign nanny? Well I speak 5 languages. 3 fluent, 2 conversational. We are also more open minded apparently.
I am an American nanny who speaks three languages fluently. I have never taken more than one week off at a time. I fail to see how being inconvenienced makes the employer "open minded". That is all we are talking about, PP - the inconvenience of the month long nanny vacation.
I actually really feel sorry for you. Travel is important and you are missing out.
I am working, Child. I have responsibilities. I am a grown up with a mortgage and husband who also works. We both traveled a great deal in college, doing a year abroad, and when we were with the Peace Corp. Now we have jobs that we honor.
My home is paid off, 'child'. I am also working and have employers that allow me to travel.
DP here. So what is the "travel is important and you are missing out" and "I feel sorry for you" crap? You are being stunningly childish, PP. I laughed when I read how the Peace Corp nanny took you down.
You currently have employers who allow you to take extended time off. Good for you. That is not the norm in this country nor is it what OP is interested in.
Anonymous
11/06/2017 19:23
Subject: What have you done to accommodate nanny's 3-week overseas trip?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:[b]Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:[b]Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:America first!! Right, pp? ?
When you employ a foreign nanny and you like her, you make it work with a temp.
Oh, stop the crap. You have a foreign nanny because she is cheaper. End of discussion.
Actually I am a foreign nanny (with a degree since apparently that's important in this thread) who is now a legal US citizen and I take a month of time off and my nanny family who has employed me for 5 years is perfectly happy to hire a temp.
Why hire a foreign nanny? Well I speak 5 languages. 3 fluent, 2 conversational. We are also more open minded apparently.
I am an American nanny who speaks three languages fluently. I have never taken more than one week off at a time. I fail to see how being inconvenienced makes the employer "open minded". That is all we are talking about, PP - the inconvenience of the month long nanny vacation.
I actually really feel sorry for you. Travel is important and you are missing out.
I am working, Child. I have responsibilities. I am a grown up with a mortgage and husband who also works. We both traveled a great deal in college, doing a year abroad, and when we were with the Peace Corp. Now we have jobs that we honor.
My home is paid off, 'child'. I am also working and have employers that allow me to travel.