17 Year Old Nanny

Hi S., She should charge 20 a day per child. Here's the thing she is not an actual nanny,so they are not going to pay her what a Licesend nanny would charge. I am a Licesened Daycare provider and I charge 120 a week per child, that's 24 a day per child, if she charges to much they might just go with a licsend nanny or individual, then she won't make anything. And I would let her handle this on her own, she can put her asking out there, and she can make the decision weather or not to take the job by what they are wiling to offer her. J. L.

That is only $4.40 an hr if she is working an 8 hr day.
That is a sooo wrong! Please do not let her do it unless she gets paid more.

yeah i had that issue too with a family i worked for. they had a son who was good but a little on the needy side which made it hard for me to juggle my daughter whom i brought with me. when i asked for a higher pay because i wasnt making anything (25 a day and i was there from 730a to 4-430p) and i was on call all week because the dad didnt always have a sub job. anywho i asked for a higher pay and they agreed then after 2 weeks said that they couldnt afford it even after the two of them sat down and discussed it before agreeing to pay more.
my personal opinion is that they should pay her atleast minimum wage an hour. so like out here in CA it is like 8.25 (i think) soo if she worked 4 hours then she would bring home 33 bucks. but i also agree that they should pay her more because she has more then one child. so i think 10 an hour is appropriate for her to ask for. if they cant afford that then they need to agree on something. if she doesnt feel comfortable asking for a raise but wants one maybe go wit her for support. good luck.

She's a "teen" and usually, teens are "cheaper" than an adult experience sitter, but still, I think they took advantage of her. She now has last summer as "experience" and if she did any other babysitting besides for that family, then she has accrued more experience.

This summer, I would engage in the negotiation... along with her. A 17 year old, can still get "convinced"/pressured to be paid the same amount as last year.... having 2 Parents, talking to a 17 year old at the same time about "pay" and "hours" can be intimidating. If the parents "balk" at the fact that you are helping/supervising the babysitting negotiations with your daughter, remind them that she is still in High-School (I am assuming) and she is still underage.. not being 18 yet.

Most sitters, range anywhere from $10/hour and Up.
I am assuming she will babysitting them all day, ie: 8 hours??? If so, in my city, an all day babysitter is about $650/month and up. I used to babysit in my home... just ONE child, and I charged approx $550 per month... but this was years ago, and the rates has increased since then. My friend for example, with one child, pays her Sitter $650/month. But, maybe each city differs on the going rate.

Next, YOU have to decide if she wants to be paid either "hourly" or by a "flat rate."

Now, she will actually be watching 3 kids.... realistically. And, they have to be honest about it, because even if they tell her to babysit only the 2 kids... the 10 yr. old will still be around in the home... AND IF ANYTHING SHOULD HAPPEN TO HIM WHILE SHE IS ON DUTY, SHE WILL BE LIABLE... AND JUST AS RESPONSIBLE FOR HIM TOO. Even if the Parents said to babysit only the 2 twins. BE sure you know that.

I would ask the parents to SIGN a paper/contract, stipulating their agreement... that it is ONLY the twins she will be responsible for. THEN someone else has to watch the eldest child.
No 10 year old should be left to his own supervision anyway. ANY parent would know that. That is asking for trouble.

They are just trying to get away with paying your daughter for 2 kids... and not their 3rd child, so that they don't have to pay as much. They are being cheap.

Be honest with them. Ask for honest pay that is on par with the rates in your town. Ask for a signed agreement...
Stipulate either hourly pay or a flat-rate, monthly... to be paid ON time at the time services begin, and that she would only start babysitting once she is paid for the month... otherwise they could just put off paying her and make excuses. OR, you can as an option stipulate that your daughter get paid DAILY, or weekly.

have your daughter keep a time chart, on how many hours she works too. If she is asked to babysit for hours BEYOND her agreed upon hours, then it is "extra" pay.... most charge about $5 per every 1/2 hour over-time, beyond the regular work hours/schedule.

I am APPALLED that they only paid her $35 last summer! That is totally rude and cheap. Mind you, babysitting rates are typically based on the person babysitting ONE child.... in your daughter's case she would be watching THREE kids. Therefore, her pay should reflect that.

HELP your daughter get fair pay and requirements.... and something that they BOTH sign that releases her of any"liability/injury" etc., for both her (just in case she gets hurt herself while on duty), and per their kids. You can find these boiler-plate "contracts" and forms online.

All the best, hope this helps,
Susan

I understand that she is 17, but in my opinion they are not being fair to your daughter. I am assuming you are talking at least 8 hours a day, which is less than $5 an hour. That's not even minimum wage. I would recommend that your daughter agree to the job only if she is being paid hourly. If they agree to $9 or $10 hour then she is much closer to being paid a fair wage for her work.

I was a nanny for ten years and spent an entire summer when I was 19, not much older than your daughter, working full time between three families. I worked mornings 20 hours a week with a set of 15 month old twins, afternoons with a 9 yo, 7 yo and 3 yo. I also spent Saturdays, all day, with a 10 yo. All of these families paid me the same $10/hr rate.

If they are asking her back this summer, then they were obviously pleased with the job she did last summer. They are not going to tell her a flat out no, they will find a compromise. But if your daughter can make more money flipping burgers...then why would she take the job.

I hope this helps and your daughter gets a more appropriate wage.

S. M

Stork's Best Friend
www.storksbestfriend.com

Everyone is right...the pay scale is ridiculous...even taken as "under the counter" aka untaxed pay, that's ridiculous.

I think you have a fantastic opportunity here, though. How many of us stress out about asking for a raise or different/better/legal working conditions? There are whole segments of bookstores designated for dealing with these issues...and here you have a golden moment right in front of you, to help to teach your daughter to be calm, assertive, and to do what's right for her. Yay!!! Obviously, we as adults often screw this one up (accepting far less then we're worth), so don't expect her to be perfect.

You can outline many possible different scenarios, and practice with her ahead of time, even sit right next to her while she's on the phone and let her do it "herself".

There are obviously a lot of different ways that you two can use

"I'm really uncomfortable with the idea of watching 3 children, fulltime, for essentially 4 dollars an hour...."

to

"I've been thinking about working part time as a nanny while I'm going through school, and as such I need to build up my resume. While I've loved working with your children, I need to have a fair market payscale, references, and not be watching some siblings 'unofficially'. If you guys would be willing to meet the entry-level low payscale of 10 dollars per hour, and have all THREE of your children under 14 listed as in my charge...etc etc...otherwise as much as i've enjoyed watching your children I should probably go with a family that would be able to meet the standard parameters I'd need for my resume."

to

etc, etc, etc.

Good Luck!! How scary, and how fun!

She needs to get paid way more than that. She is watching 3 children. They are taking advantage of her. She either needs to talk to them with you their or get another job. Sorry so short I have to hurry.
Sue

$8-$10 per hour. She should be able to talk about it with them herself.

My daughter is also 17 and takes care off a set of 8 year old twins they pay her at least 10.00 an hour and usually round it up higher. I also sit full time for one child and get $80.00 a day. I would tell her this is the rate and if they can't or won't pay it get another job. Good luck.

How wonderful that your daughter is thriving in the world of child care. It isn't an easy job!! My now 19 year old daughter has been doing this for a few years now. She charged $5 per hour for the first child and then $1.00 per hour for each additional child. That should certainly include the 10 year old. If he is in the house and something happened, I am quite sure the authorities (and probably the parents) would hold your daughter responsible. If they decide to claim the childcare on taxes (agreement needs to be made beforehand) then she needs to make sure to charge enough to cover her taxes which will include her full social security and Medicare amounts (Not half- like she would with a regular employer). My daughter is now charging $9 plus the dollar and parents have her booked for months. (She is an education major). Yes, she should talk to them herself, but rehearsing it with you playing the devils advocate might help. Give her a hug for me!

Regardless of what they say; the parents would not leave the 10-year-old home alone, all day-all summer, if there was not a nanny. So she will be responsible for him too.

We all know that times are hard, but no one can expect someone else to care for their 3 kids at half of minimum wage.

Babysitting is labor intensive work and often parents expect to have a few household chores done as well as fixing meals and the clean up afterwards.

This family needs to pay your daughter minimum wage, at the least, for caring for their children. If she wants the job, she should be prepared with an agreement to be signed by herself and the parents. That way there are no misunderstandings. She can just say, this is what I charge this summer.

I would call a couple of day cares and see what there daily charge would be and then cut it in half, but they should provide her snacks and lunch and pay for any outings they take. She should call them 1st and then if need be you can step in to verify things.

I would hop on craigslist and see what people charge. Where we live it is anywhere from $15-$40 a day per child that covers licensed and unlicensed. I watch a little boy in my home during the week and get $25. However I also have 3 boys of my own who are home with me. As far as helping your daughter negotiate her pay I think you should stay out of it I would not feel comfortable with someone watching my children if they could not stand up and speak their mind.

We pay $10 per hour for our 17 year old sitter, and $12 per hour for our older sitters.

Wow, that certainly isn't enough. I used to be a "live-out nanny" too and had 3 girls to watch - 5, 6, and 7 at the time. I was paid about 10/hour. You could ask your daughter if she feels comfortable enough asking them for more, but if she's too shy then don't let her be taken advantage of - say something to them! Just keep it very friendly and they should (hopefully) be understanding. :)

I haven't had the chance to read the other responses.

I'm assuming "all day" is at least 7 or 8 hours. In that case $35 is seriously under-paying your daughter and taking advantage of her.

I pay $12/hr for my nanny and $15/hr for another babysitter. For a very inexperienced babysitter (regardless of age) I would pay $10/hr. And all of this is just for one child. For 3 kids I would pay more.

I certainly think your 17 year old deserves more, but she is old enough to do the talking herself, maybe with you by her side for support. She should go into the conversation prepared to tell them what the going rates are.

i didn't read all the responses, but i have 2 children, and i pay $65 for 6-8 hours.
$35 is really low. that is not ok...
i would have your daughter talk to her and let her know how much she wants to get paid. You can always have her meet her in the middle if she really wants the job. but not too low.