Anonymous wrote:NP here, with a related question. We have our old nanny coming back for a few days to watch our kids (4 and 6) while we go on vacation. So she'll drop them at school at 9am, then pick them up at 3pm, and stay and watch them overnight also. She's free to do what she likes, including going home, during the 9-3pm timeframe. Any suggestions on a fair approach? Full hourly rate for all that time, or half-hourly during some of it like perhaps the sleeping time or school time?

Discuss with her. For this, I would agree to hourly for hours from kids waking until I got back from drop off, flat rate during school hours to be switched to hourly if I was called in, hourly from when I left to go to pick up until kids were all asleep, the flat rate overnight to be switched to hourly if kids woke or I was otherwise working instead of just available. But that’s me.

NP here, with a related question. We have our old nanny coming back for a few days to watch our kids (4 and 6) while we go on vacation. So she'll drop them at school at 9am, then pick them up at 3pm, and stay and watch them overnight also. She's free to do what she likes, including going home, during the 9-3pm timeframe. Any suggestions on a fair approach? Full hourly rate for all that time, or half-hourly during some of it like perhaps the sleeping time or school time?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is why I have an au pair (paid way more than stipend). Nannies wanting to get paid for sitting around. I mean really.

My point was that I’m not just sitting around. If your AP can go do whatever she wants, then I’m glad for you. But you shouldn’t reasonably expect her to walk out of her movie, class or other scheduled activity to pick up your sick child from school.

That almost never happens. Maybe once a year. To expect to be paid every hour in case once a year she had to leave an appointment is just crazy.

You need to seriously reread the thread. If you go out of town and you are paying someone to watch your kid, do you tell them, don’t worry about the school day bc nothing happens? If so, when/if something happens who do you call since you aren’t paying the nanny to be available? You can’t call the nanny bc she has already made her plans. Are you going to hop on a plane and get to your child in a reasonable amount of time?

This is why you are paying the nanny to be available. Yeah, you can absolutely risk it that nothing will happen to your child but that why when you go out of town you take the necessary precautions. If you want a nanny on call you have to pay them. This is simple logic.

It is illegal to pay an au pair even one penny over stipend. You are breaking the law and I hope you get caught. You are a criminal.

You’re allowed to pay as much as you want, as long as you don’t have the AP work over 45 hours or do things that she’s not supposed to do. LOTS of families pay more than the stipend, even if it’s only rounding up a few dollars to $200.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is why I have an au pair (paid way more than stipend). Nannies wanting to get paid for sitting around. I mean really.

My point was that I’m not just sitting around. If your AP can go do whatever she wants, then I’m glad for you. But you shouldn’t reasonably expect her to walk out of her movie, class or other scheduled activity to pick up your sick child from school.

That almost never happens. Maybe once a year. To expect to be paid every hour in case once a year she had to leave an appointment is just crazy.

You need to seriously reread the thread. If you go out of town and you are paying someone to watch your kid, do you tell them, don’t worry about the school day bc nothing happens? If so, when/if something happens who do you call since you aren’t paying the nanny to be available? You can’t call the nanny bc she has already made her plans. Are you going to hop on a plane and get to your child in a reasonable amount of time?

This is why you are paying the nanny to be available. Yeah, you can absolutely risk it that nothing will happen to your child but that why when you go out of town you take the necessary precautions. If you want a nanny on call you have to pay them. This is simple logic.

It is illegal to pay an au pair even one penny over stipend. You are breaking the law and I hope you get caught. You are a criminal.

You get paid for every second you have responsibility for child and this includes school, because if kid get sick, school is closed, snow days, etc., You will be the one to take care of child. If they try to cheat you then when one of the above happens, you don't have to take care of kid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is why I have an au pair (paid way more than stipend). Nannies wanting to get paid for sitting around. I mean really.

My point was that I’m not just sitting around. If your AP can go do whatever she wants, then I’m glad for you. But you shouldn’t reasonably expect her to walk out of her movie, class or other scheduled activity to pick up your sick child from school.

That almost never happens. Maybe once a year. To expect to be paid every hour in case once a year she had to leave an appointment is just crazy.

Actually, for you to expect her to leave an appointment when you're not paying her is crazy. We pay our nanny full-time, even though our kids are in school. If we weren't, I would not expect her to be on call during that time.

Yes

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is why I have an au pair (paid way more than stipend). Nannies wanting to get paid for sitting around. I mean really.

My point was that I’m not just sitting around. If your AP can go do whatever she wants, then I’m glad for you. But you shouldn’t reasonably expect her to walk out of her movie, class or other scheduled activity to pick up your sick child from school.

That almost never happens. Maybe once a year. To expect to be paid every hour in case once a year she had to leave an appointment is just crazy.

You need to seriously reread the thread. If you go out of town and you are paying someone to watch your kid, do you tell them, don’t worry about the school day bc nothing happens? If so, when/if something happens who do you call since you aren’t paying the nanny to be available? You can’t call the nanny bc she has already made her plans. Are you going to hop on a plane and get to your child in a reasonable amount of time?

This is why you are paying the nanny to be available. Yeah, you can absolutely risk it that nothing will happen to your child but that why when you go out of town you take the necessary precautions. If you want a nanny on call you have to pay them. This is simple logic.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is why I have an au pair (paid way more than stipend). Nannies wanting to get paid for sitting around. I mean really.

My point was that I’m not just sitting around. If your AP can go do whatever she wants, then I’m glad for you. But you shouldn’t reasonably expect her to walk out of her movie, class or other scheduled activity to pick up your sick child from school.

That almost never happens. Maybe once a year. To expect to be paid every hour in case once a year she had to leave an appointment is just crazy.

Good for you.

In my situation:
Numerous snow days, most announced after I started my day
After school activities canceled due to imminent weather
Picked up child due to injury
Picked up child due to illness
Boss forgot: keys, phone, make up, gym shoes, work clothes, gym bag, etc.

And those are just the things that involved me going to school or my boss’ work.

I have very little downtime while working. I take a single hour to go work out, but I’ve had to leave early to attend to kids, which is why my phone is always with me. Other than that, I’m doing something for my charges, boss or the house from the time I start (before kids get up) until the last kid goes to bed. Then, I get to rest, relax and read until my boss comes home. So yes, like many nannies who are full time plus, I’m paid while kids aren’t with me, because I’m the one who is responsible for dealing with what happens.

An AP is nothing like a full time plus nanny. Hours are limited to 45, rules define what they’re allowed to do, and inexperience means that they’re not going to do most of what a career nanny does. I’m glad an AP works for you. But an AP won’t work for everyone.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is why I have an au pair (paid way more than stipend). Nannies wanting to get paid for sitting around. I mean really.

My point was that I’m not just sitting around. If your AP can go do whatever she wants, then I’m glad for you. But you shouldn’t reasonably expect her to walk out of her movie, class or other scheduled activity to pick up your sick child from school.

That almost never happens. Maybe once a year. To expect to be paid every hour in case once a year she had to leave an appointment is just crazy.