What do you pay your nanny?

She does both. Sometimes she asks, sometimes she gathers her stuff. I am almost always either doing paperwork or getting dinner ready. Also, she is given wiggle room as far as when she takes her vacation. She is just not paid for vacation that SHE takes outside of those 3 weeks as I have to make other childcare arrangements and have to pay someone else for other weeks off.
 
Although I am fortunate to stay home with my children and do not have to have "nannies", the very thought that someone who cares for my children might be giving me "attitude" would never fly with me...................
 
I live in Mexico, and we have plenty of maids. Since our Nacional economy is not very good, I pay mine around 800 dollars a month, and let me tell you, here is a LOT of money. In fact all my friends tell me that i will spolid her with that kind of money. She lives in, and she makes everything, from cooking to cleaning the dogs, cats and ferrets. She works 6 days a week, and she is entitle to a week of vacation for every year that she has work with you. For christmas we have to give them a 15 day salarie and is called aguinaldo. So when they leave for the US, to get more money, and they come back for vacations, they tell to all their family that they have a car, and house and so on, so the other members of the family get excited and want to go to the US, but sometimes they come back to stay, and they look for A job here, and i have met a few that when they come and ask for job, they tell you, a dont do laundry, i dont clean the bathrooms and so on, and we just laugh,and then ,they cant find a job because if they dont do that, we dont need them, we need them to CLEAN ,period, if a wanted to do something else, we will have a Secretary. So, if you have a mexican inmigrant, they know EXACTLY that they have to do what is necesary in your house, is our culture, in anyways I am trying to tell you that they dont deserve less,is just the way it is, so if you talk to them clearly, they will understand,and they will feel that you are speaking the true to them. I know that they are working in the US now, so it is very different, and you have different laws, and the prices are different to, so they need more money to survive, in my opinion you should tell them, that they need to do everything, that you need them to do, dont be afraid, because when they return, they face the thing that here, they have to work for less money, and harder, and belive me, they will be back to their families. Mexicans are warm people, and they tend to love the family they are working with, they are great with children and loyal. About upairs
I dont know a thing, but usually you get paid for the education that you had, since they speak al least two languages, are more prepared, I supose they earn more, is like you have a degree, well if you have a PHD, then you shoud be making more money. Wel l,my intentions are not to hurt anybodys feelings, Iam just telling you, how does it works around here. Hope that you and your nanny will get to an agreement.
Sara:)
 
Hi!

I have a full time live out nanny for my DS2. She also "watches" DS11 after school. She gets paid 12.50 an hour, with two weeks paid vacation, 3 paid sick days, and 7 (I think) paid holidays. She can either choose to take her vacation when we do, or if she doesn't, she is still paid but she house sits/dog sits during that time. She usually eats two meals a day at my house, "on me." She gets a week pay bonus at Christmas, plus presents from the boys at Christmas and her birthday which average around 200$ all in for each event.

I work from home three days a week, and in the office two.

I am a stickler about arriving on time, but she is very punctual. If I were you, I would simply enforce her arrival time rather than worrying about paying for arriving late (YMMV). There are times when I arrive home early, or finish up early and want to go out with the kids, and in those cases, I "let her go," but since it was my idea, I still pay her. I am pretty flexible about when she asks for an hour off early, and usually still pay her unless it is so early it can be half a v-day (in which case it erodes her vacation time) but at the same time, she knows there is NO flexibility on the days when I am at my office and she is great about always being available on those days (NEVER has asked for a v-day on a day she knows I go to the office).

Her work consists of full care of DS2, including driving him to activities, art projects in the house, stroller walks to the park, meals, dressing, bathing, getting into jammies. She also does his laundry (not ours). She picks up DS11 from school, monitors snack,homework and chore completion, tutors him in French and supervises playdates and also drives him places when necessary. She also will play wii and generally hang around with both boys together. She is teaching them both German.

She's been with us a year and a half, so we are very familiar with each other, and I work very hard at keeping the lines of communication open and making my expectations known. While I agree with other posters that a nanny is watching your most precious "things," I also believe that that is not a reason to tip toe around a person and not keep the employer/employee relationship clear. Mutual respect is a must. If you feel you've been fair and communicative with her, and she is walking on you and being passive aggressive, it is not a good fit. I would worry how she is with your children when you're not there, not because you've pissed her off and she'll retaliate, but because a person of that type of character will be passive aggressive and take a mile when an inch is given in every aspect of their dealings with you, whether it is arriving on time or changing a diaper often enough.

I say go with your gut - if you feel something is off, something probably is and you and your kids deserve a person in your home that you are all comfortable with.

Good luck -

Jane

edited to add: 15$ an hour seems high to me for Texas. I'm in the NY metro area and there are a LOT of good nannies out of work right now due to the economy around here - they may have been getting more in the past, but 12-15 would be standard right now. (Not talking about nannies for masters of the universe who were and still are pulling in millions a year) I am shocked at the pp who said they were getting more than 15$ in Memphis more than 5 years ago!
 
I rotate between sitters (two teenage sisters) and I pay $60/full day (I'm gone 8:30 - 3) and $30/half day for three kids but they also don't do any thing else. They sit for me two days a week in the summer - the kids go to summer camp the other days - and any day the kids don't have school during the school year.

Based on your description it sound as if there are three things you are looking for from a nanny:

Someone to do your grocery shopping.
Someone to do a little cleaning/laundry.
someone to do watch the kids when you are at work.

Maybe you should re-evaluate how you get these things accomplished and break these jobs up.

The first two are easy. If you don't want/have time to go to the store to go grocery shopping I'd consider one of the home grocery delivery services that stores have been offering - I've done it when I was sick or really busy it's wonderful - I just point and click :surfweb: (grocery shopping in your jammies :laughing:) then put the groceries away when they come. Our local service takes coupons, the prices are the same as in the store, and items I order every time like milk, bread etc. are automatically added to my order and I can delete them if I don't need them. It takes 10 to 15 minutes to place an order if I know what I want.

Around here for about $100/wk, sometimes less, you can get someone to come in once a week and take care of the vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom, do laundry, etc.

Getting someone to take care of the kids might be a little more difficult, but it sounds as though what you need is someone to meet your kids off the bus and keep them until you get home. I'd recommend either enrolling your children in an after school program or getting say a mom with a pre-schooler or kids the same ages as yours or a college student looking to make a little extra who's happy to come and watch the kids and play with them for a few hours - maybe add on driving them to a friends house or to an activity. Pay them a set amount per day instead of per hour - say $30 from 3:30 to 6. You can then investigate other options like summer camp, etc for when school is out. You'd be saving some money and probably making a SAHM looking to supplement her income very happy.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. We actually need someone devoted to our children as all three have various activities throughout the week and sometimes on the same day. My husband usually ends up driving to activities while she cares for the other 2 until I can get home.
 
I was a nanny here in Ohio for 5 families. The last and longest was 6 years. I did not go to nanny school, and was referred by word of mouth each time. The last family was Indian and I watched 2 sometimes 3 boys. The 3rd was a cousin that would just get dropped off. Often all summer long. I was paid twice a month salary. I was expected from 7:15am until 5pm daily. Monday thru friday and never weekends or nights. I was given 2 weeks paid of a year, on the weeks that my employer chose. The boys were about 1 1/2 and 4 when I first started. They were about 7 and 10. When they were younger I had the little one all day, and the oldest went to school, as they got bigger they were both in school full time and I still received my full salary. I got a very minimal raise each year. I drove the boys to and from a private school each day, did the kids and parents laundry, and cleaned up if the kids made a mess (they had a house keeper who cleaned every other week). I did get to go to India for 3 weeks with them in March 2006, fully paid to watch and help with the kids, but worked the entire time and was stuck because I did'n not know the language, but it was amazing and made friends with all of the servants!
Usually if the parents came home early I would stay, but it was unclear often. The mother sometimes would just say I could leave, but the father never did. Christmas was a sweater one year, and a pair of earrings another, I don't remember the rest, and I don't think anything on my birthday? When the cousin would be dropped off I never got more pay.
It's funny how much the little things mattered and were more of a good will thing, such as getting to leave early, or thanks for organizing the garage or basement when the kids were playing outside. I did extras because I was bored as the kids got older, and because I loved them so stinking much! The parents were something else. It does seem large when you are on a budget I know, but they are important people. :)
I know many would not have lasted as long as I.
If you told her her hours would be from 12-6, this was an income she was depending on. Please pay her if you come home early, or could you maybe run an errand or two? But, If you want her to stay, just say so. The coming in late would work to log in the time and have her give you date night make-ups.
Sorry for the rambling. I hope it helps?
 
she is given wiggle room as far as when she takes her vacation. She is just not paid for vacation that SHE takes outside of those 3 weeks as I have to make other childcare arrangements and have to pay someone else for other weeks off.
I think you sound like a PITA to work for based on this sentence. How would you like it if your own boss said that these are the only 3 weeks you can take off all year otherwise it is on your nickel. Vacations is the time the employee wants off, not the time that your employer happens to not need you. You are nickel and diming your nanny and my bet is if you hired another nanny you will be posting shortly there after about some other issue.
 
I think the difference is that the poster EXPECTS the nanny there between 2-6 and the NANNY is choosing to come in late and leave early.

If it was the poster telling the nanny she could come late/early then that is one thing. But when the original agreement was she would be paid for hours actual worked and the Nanny chooses NOT to work the full 6 hours, she doesn't get paid the full 6 hours. If she's skimming 30 minutes off her time 3-4 days a week, that's over $1,300 a year of pay the Nanny is receiving and the poster is getting no benefit.

When we had a nanny/babysitter come to the house we paid $175-$200/wk and we usually ended the services before our vacation (we had it for the summer). The schedule rotated each week (it was based on my husbands schedule) but was never more then 25 hours a week (usually close to 20). We considered it salaried and thus they got paid the total if they worked 10 hours or the full 25. If we were going to go several hours over the 25 max, we made other arrangements so it wouldn't go to far over.

We now put them in summer camp with the Y (as they are both old enough for it now)
 
where do you live that you can get a babysitter for $5????

Wanted to chime in here and say it is VERY regional. I am in WI and sitters/day care here run between $2-$3.50 per hour per child. A "sitter" would be at the low end, and an actual day care would be at the higher end. Blows my mind when I see people paying so much more. :confused3
 
I think you sound like a PITA to work for based on this sentence. How would you like it if your own boss said that these are the only 3 weeks you can take off all year otherwise it is on your nickel. Vacations is the time the employee wants off, not the time that your employer happens to not need you. You are nickel and diming your nanny and my bet is if you hired another nanny you will be posting shortly there after about some other issue.

First off, in many companies now your lucky to get 2-3 weeks paid vacation. Further MANY MANY companies have blackout dates for vacation an/or base availability on seniority. I know at my father's work there are people on the bottom rung that are extremely limited on when they get to take their 2 weeks vacation due to having a large number of people in the department above them that had 4-6 weeks vacation. Some would only have a choice of 8 available weeks to take their time.

Further, it's not like she sprung this on the Nanny after the nanny was hired. The nanny took the job knowing this was case. If the Nanny didn't like it she needed to either try to renegotiate the deal or not take the job.
 
First off, in many companies now your lucky to get 2-3 weeks paid vacation. Further MANY MANY companies have blackout dates for vacation an/or base availability on seniority. I know at my father's work there are people on the bottom rung that are extremely limited on when they get to take their 2 weeks vacation due to having a large number of people in the department above them that had 4-6 weeks vacation. Some would only have a choice of 8 available weeks to take their time.

Further, it's not like she sprung this on the Nanny after the nanny was hired. The nanny took the job knowing this was case. If the Nanny didn't like it she needed to either try to renegotiate the deal or not take the job.
Perhaps at midwestern processing/manufacturing plants wher the line still has to run vacation is limited to the weeks the plant is closed that may be the case, but this nanny is caring for the most precious cargo. The OP in this situation needs to sit down and have a frank and honest employer to employee conversation. My guess is the OP (employer) is festering feelings about the 15 or 30 minutes here and there verses saying something professionally to the nanny (employee) in this situation.

My hunch is that the employer may also asking other things of the employee that are also fostering resement from the employee. Maybe the employer is asking the nanny to do things outside the original agreement (e.g., picking up kids in her car without reimbursement for gas, doing dishes, etc.)
 
Yup I forgot, I was also using my own car, but I did get mileage, whatever the going rate was legally. I would google it. I would pay my gas out of it, and put the rest towards maintenance and insurance. I always wanted to make sure the car was safe.
 
The vacation terms are actually what SHE asked for when she was hired as this was the arrangement so had with the previous 2 families she worked for. I fear some of the posters have the wrong impression of me. I am trying to salvage the relationship because I do like her and want to be sure I am being fair with her, but I also don't want to walk on egg shells in my own home. We have actually had several au pairs as their contracts were for a year at a time. They usually want to return home after their contract is completed. We still consider them family and our children have been in 5 of their weddings.
 
Want to chime on this. I babysat for many many years. I am going to just go with the last year I did it which I considered more nanny like and then the next two years I babysat at my house.

This was 11 years ago that I worked one day a week and was paid $125/day. It worked out to $12.50 an hour about but I was paid on a daily basis. No matter what time they arrived home I was still paid the full amount and there were a few (very few) where they ran over on the time. I think her asking for hourly but expecting to get paid for the full 6 hours is just a miscommunication in the way it was worded. I expect that she wanted $90/day. It is very odd to stay once the parents get home. The kids would flock to them and I would feel odd like I was just sitting and invading in their personal time together. There were days when the kids didn't bother greeting their parents and preferred to keep playing but most days they were happy to see mom or dad.

At the time I made that amount I got paid $15/hour to babysit so they were getting a *deal* since it was a for sure thing. I made the kids lunch (one was 9 months and the other 4). Took the older to preschool for half the day always took them for walks, etc. I cleaned up after the children but they asked that I not do any housework and instead focus on the kids. I usually did what I could when the one would nap and other was at school.

After having my own child I decided I would watch children in my home. I made $25/day (and that was high for around here). I moved less then 25 miles from where I lived (near Atlanta so I was still in the same area more or less - living 50 miles out I still live in Atlanta). So huge difference in pay. My hours were sucky always and I got paid no vacation time, etc.

I feel like you are probably being fair hourly pay wise (but not positive on that part) but I would consider it a per day pay. I would ask for her to arrive promptly on time or deduct that part of the pay. I don't think it is a big deal to do the grocery shopping or little things you asked for. Actually passes the time by more quickly and I would enjoy it.

I have actually considered looking for another job like I used to have. I miss the kids terribly and would love to meet more wonderful families.
 
the current mileage is $0.50 if your reimbursed, think its like $0.23 if you claim on taxes. It dropped again at the beginning of the year :confused3 even though gas is going back up *sigh*

Actually, if the plant is closed, that is a layoff/shutdown and the workers don't get paid, but can collect unemployment.

It's not just manufacturing plants. Many places have seniority rules or other things that prohibit the ability to take vacation whenever you want. For many of us (i'm included in that as I had to start thinking about what I wanted off for the summer last September as that was when some dockets were getting scheduled for June) those revolve around our job responsibilities and when one needs to be at work.

If the Nanny doesn't want her paid vacation during those three weeks, my thought would be fine, but then take them when the Nanny wants, but your not getting paid the three weeks we are on vacation.

The nanny might get more sympathy from me if she's told the week before that oh we are on vacation next week, but that's not a fact we are dealing with (as we don't know when she is told).

But again, this is what she agreed to do, so arguing that it was wrong for the employer to require this doesn't make sense. That is like saying if you agree to work for x amount and the employer pays you x amount, the employer is in the wrong because they didn't pay you y.
 
I can only give an idea of what I made in the midwest in 1991-1992, to give a comparison (a minimum maybe??lol). I watched 1 child, for a teacher and advertisement person. I was there M-F from 8 30 till 3 or so. The ending time varied, but they wanted me available to stay till at least 3 or 3 30, so they paid me a per diem, not per hour. No chores, although I chose to do dishes, vacuum, etc while the baby napped. I don't like to be bored. I was offered $225/week cash, or $175/week by check. Since the mom was a teacher, if she was called off (snow day), I was off and since she was still paid, so was I. Same for short weeks. In fact, if either parent stayed home sick, I was still paid (they wanted to pay me to be available to them). If I called off sick, no pay (never called off though).

I was off all summer without pay, but knew that going in and worked a seasonal waitress job...and got occasional babysitting gigs at the nanny job at $15/hour cash.

I wouldn't expect the prices have gone down any, so hopefully my info gives you some comparison, 18 yrs old though it is, lol.
 
I think you sound like a PITA to work for based on this sentence. How would you like it if your own boss said that these are the only 3 weeks you can take off all year otherwise it is on your nickel. Vacations is the time the employee wants off, not the time that your employer happens to not need you. You are nickel and diming your nanny and my bet is if you hired another nanny you will be posting shortly there after about some other issue.

I don't get paid for any days I don't work, but I know in advance when the family will be on vacation. I know I am part-time, but I don't think many employers give a nanny 3 weeks paid vacation even if they are full time Shoot, I am a teacher and I only get 10 sick days and 2 personal days a year.

I planned my vacation around my employers' vacation last summer. That way, I didn't go without pay the week they were gone AND the week I was gone. Plus, they didn't have to find someone to keep their child while I was gone. They are willing to do that, but I am willing to be flexible. I am thankful to have a second job doing something I enjoy.

MArsha
 
















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