The nanny doesnt think we pay her enough?

Question

I have two girls, 8yr old Seb and 6yr old Ana.

The nanny works:

Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays:

1pm - 6.00pm.

Before she picks the girls up from school at 3.30 i expect her to do the washing, ironing, folding, putting away of clothes. &a general tidy of the house and supermarket shopping on mondays. [I give her the money for that in advance and petrol money also, she also gets an extra $20 a day to buy the girls an afternoon treat.]

I pay her $20/per hr. [$300 a week] EXCLUDING petrol and kids snacks like i said before.

She is insatisfied though. The girls love her and so do we, but we cant afford to go much higher and we really dont want to loose her?

She is asking for $25+./hr.

What do you think?

[We do have a fairly big house and a fair bit of washing?]

Answer 1

get a new nanny

there are heaps of other nannys out there u can get but if u really like this nanny then sit down and talk to her.

tell her how u cant afford it and how u all love her and how trust worthy she is but also tell her that u can always replace her good luck

Answer 2

Call around and see what other nanny's are charging. If they are charging more than that, then maybe you should give yours a raise. If they aren't then tell her about it, and give her numbers to call to double check.

Answer 3

How long has it been since she has had a raise? Generally, a cost of living increase is about 4% a year. Maybe a counter offer would be the way to go or if you agree to the $5+ extra, you could expand her responsibilities. She may decide it isn't worth having to do the extra work. I have a friend who is a nanny and she makes $13 hour. She is not compensated for gas or snacks. Your current pay rate is very fair.

Answer 4

$20 is pretty standard..... i was a full time nanny for 4 years and was getting $18 an hr plus petrol and all my food was paid for and i would go on holidays!!    this is how much you should get for just looking after the kids....as a house cleaner the strting rate is $25 so you need to comprimise!!!    because you are making her do washing and ironing you need to take this into consideration... a good ironing lady will charge $25-$30 an hour!!     you will either have to cut down the housework and keep paying her the same or up it to like $22-$25 if you want all the extra's... its hard for you I know, but finding a nanny that will actually do housework and the kids love is very hard to find!!!     how about you get aftenoon tea in the groceries and save the $20 for snacks and put it toward her wage!!!   if the girls love her its not worth getting rid of her!!  my family treated me so well and we are like family and the kids many times have told me that they would never like another nanny cos they loved me the best!!!   good luck though and I would recommend$23 and hr for all the work she is doing!!!   its worth it!!

Answer 5

so i presume this is cash in hand money ?

cause i would jump at that ..... thats great pay!

Answer 6

I am a nanny I make $370  a week after taxes.  I work  5:30am to 6:45pm Mon-Fri.  I watch two children age 4 and 6.  I drive a car provided by them and they also give me gas money and room and board plus all of my food.

For only 3 days a week I think you pay your nanny very well at $300 a week but since you don't want to loose her then I guess you will have to pay her the amount she wants or she will probably quit unless you can come to a compromise.

Answer 7

I only make $15 an hour! (As a full time nanny), and have close to 20 years experience. Can I come work for you?

I think $20 an hour is more than fair.

I would talk with her, openly. Tell your nanny that you love her, and the kids love her. You understand that, she may require more income, but it something that you just can not do. Perhaps you can offer her so other compensation. - some paid personal days, or paid vacation time, instead of increasing her income.

If that doesn't work, perhaps you would be open to the idea of sharecare. This would allow your nanny to watch another child, (a friend of your children, or a neighbor?) in your home.

It would increase your nanny's pay, as the other family would pay her for childcare services, and you won't be paying her more.

Answer 8

When did you employ your Nanny and what was the contract arrangements? If this was a cash in hand job - then unfortunately I don't think you can do much more than either pay what she is asking for or look for another Nanny.

A lot would depend on what qualifications she has and where you live. Like others mentioned it would be a good idea to speak with other parents in your area with Nannies and ask what the going rate is...

Hope this helps and good luck,

mum2MH

Answer 9

YOUR PAYING 20 BUCKS AN HOUR!!!??

IM IN THE WRONG JOB!!!

Answer 10

I'm glad you can afford a nanny like that. :) Well, that would be 375.00 a week.  Honestly, there are plenty of people that will work for 300.00 a week to get some extra money.  I'm sure you can find a nanny that will do it for that amount of money.

However, if you love this nanny and your kids do to, and she does her job well, then if you can afford 375.00 a week then go for it. If you can't, explain to her that you can't afford 375.00 but maybey 325 or something like that, to try and keep her around.

I wish you the best of luck.

Answer 11

in australia that is a good wage for 15hours a week

i think she is trying to push you and see how far you will go,

id do the same  lol

goodluck

oh and if your in south australia, id do it for 17an hour and you can trust me cos im a mum of one lol

Answer 12

it sounds like a good pay. It is only 3 days. I would tell her you are sorry but that is the most you are willing to pay and look for someone else

Answer 13

my niece makes 900 a week 2 and 4 yr  olds

Answer 14

I think her request is fair.  It's not really a question of whether you are paying her enough, but rather if she's happy with what she makes.  I would never want someone who is watching my kids to be unhappy about the arrangement.  I think the first step should be to give her a counter offer.  Talk to her and say that you can't afford a 5 dollar increase right now, but you can afford $3.  It's still a good raise, but you are still in control of the situation.  If you truly can't afford the pay increase, tell her that you'll need a month to find a replacement. She may not want to leave, and will stick around anyways.

Answer 15

I think you should raise your own kids instead of paying someone else to do it.

Answer 16

This also depends on where you live and how good she is.  I would be careful though.  In NYC, they make $30/per hr.  I don't have a nanny but I have friends that do.  A good nanny that truly cares about your kids are few and far between.  She has you between a rock and a hard place.  Your prices seem more than fair.  But, since she wants an increase, try a compromise.  Instead of $300 per week offer her $325.  I'm sure she has been speaking to other nanny's in the area.  Most nanny's aren't responsible for household duties therefore, she may be taking that into account.  A cleaning person alone, charges anywhere from 15 - 40 dollars per hour depending on location.  You can price around, but make sure you mention the extra responsibilities she has (laundry, cleaning and shopping).  Call a nanny service and see what they charge.  They will give you a free estimate.  In the long run you will probably be better off keeping her.  You know what you have, but you don't know what you're getting.

Answer 17

Psh $300 a week for 15 hours? I almost think that is too much. I got $250 a week for 25-30 hours and I got by just great (this does depend on the cost of living). The average rate of pay for a nanny working 30 hours is about $1,000 per month.

All of the things you ask her to do are part of normal nanny duties. General tidying of the house is no big deal, and she can easily fit in washing and ironing before she picks up your daughters (I think 2 and a half hours is plenty of time for that), plus you give her money for petrol. That is a sweet deal!

Since you don't want to lose her, consider why she might be asking for more. If she rents and her rent goes up, she may need extra income to pay for that. You could offer her an extra room in your basement for free. She will have somewhere to stay and one less room to clean for you.

Personally,if she needs extra money she still has the other 4 days of the week to work.

Another reason she might be wanting more money is because secretly she can't stand working for you and thinks extra money would make it more manageable. If this is the case, there isn't really anything you can do to change her mind except make sure you treat her with respect and not like a surrogate parent.

We nannies don't like it when the parents expect us to completely rear their children for them, and I have had some over-controlling families that have actually "taught" me how to be a parent to their children in the ways that they would if they had the time to care (imagine you are a nanny and the family is walking you through the steps of proper yelling, proper cooking, proper sitting...) Thankfully, I don't think you are like that. I think the purpose of a nanny is to be a caregiver that is seperate from the parent. The duties might be the same, but the interaction should be different. Make sure you are giving her the chance to use her own creative style of nanny-ing rather than jumping in and making everything "your" way. I know you have expectations to how you want your girls raised, but there should still be room for her to use her own creativity.

If you really cannot afford to go any higher, tell her that and tell her why. Explain that you and the girls love her and would love it if she stuck around, but that you understand if she has to find another job that pays more. After that, there is nothing you can do but find another nanny willing to accept your rate of pay (which personally if I lived near you I would jump on that in a second!)