Hi, we interviewed a potential caregiver today and she would like to bring her child. Her daughter is a year and a half. Typically in this area nannies make $14-$18 an hour. We have been thinking $15-17 an hour for three kids, but how much of a discount should we think about if caregiver is brininging her own child? This is a major metro area. Thanks!
Update: The discount would be for us not her! I feel we should pay less as we are essentially subsidizing her childcare. There is no doubt in my mind we would pay less than we would pay someone who was not bringing a kid. The question is only how much. And yes I have three kids, so obviously I wouldn't lower the pay significantly.
I don't think you should discount her pay you wouldn't discount a daycare provider because she has her own child(ren) there. You should make it clear that for any activities she will have to pay for her own child and that if her child daughter being there interferes with her work then her pay will go down.
Hi Barbara,
As a former Nanny I am not sure if having the daughter with her would impact her job performance, and I think discounting her pay should only be necessary if her job was impacted. My last family had 3 children under 5, and we often had neighbor kids coming over, so I was up to 4-5 kid a day. I was able to provide all with enriching activities and they all had fun.
I would be clear with her that her salary is $xx.xx and if having her daughter there impacts her duties, like the laundry isn't done or the kids are not being provided with activities, then the salary will be reevaluated. I would also make it clear that if she takes the kids to the Zoo or other activity, that she needs to pay for her daughter's ticket, unless you're ok paying for that too.
Having another playmate could be a good thing for your children, as long as they are being cared for.
Speaking from experience, being a Nanny is a job of love,not pay, so reducing her salary just because she wants to bring her daughter may be really tough on her.
I hope this helps.
R. Magby
I took a peek at your profile and it sounds like the Nanny is going to have her hands full with your three children....Her daughter is going to make 4 toddlers that she is going to be caring for...if you ( and she ) don't think it is an issue...then I certainly wouldn't reduce her pay because she is bringing her child with her. My feeling is that she may be a single Mom who would be paying so much for child care that she would not be able to live on what was left over at the end of the week. I would suggest that you come to some written agreements on things like any damage that her daughter causes ( although how you are going to be able to prove which toddler did what damage is a mystery to me!!!), who is going to pay for her daughters admission to any activities that she takes the children on...etc. If you feel like this is the woman that is the best fit for your family, I would not let the fact that she wants to bring her child with her, make you hesitate. You can continue to re-evaluate the situation as time goes by.
I've been a nanny for the past almost 6 years, for a family with 3 children. Their ages are currently 7, 12, and 14. When I had my son (who is now 3), they arranged other care for about 2 months so I could recover and get into a routine, then I came back. My pay was not lowered, and it didn't need to be. Yes, I was paying more/different attention to my child, but I wasn't giving the other children less attention. It's also much easier to incorporate another toddler (hers) into the group's activities, and I don't believe she would ever DREAM of expecting you to pay for her child's fare to anything. I also don't believe the parents should have to pay for an expensive activity that the nnny decided to take the children to. If I took the three kids to the zoo, because *I* wanted to take them, why should their parents pay for that? They didn't decide to take the kids. However, this isn't something I ever discussed with the parents, I just didn't charge them for activities I chose to take the kids to, nor did I charge them meals I paid out of the house for (unless the parents requested this meal/activity/etc for the children). After all, acivities are available at the home, for free, as is food.
Long answer short, I wouldn't dock her pay unless you see something amiss. She's a mom, more than likely she's good at juggling what needs to be done, and you (hopefully) won't find her job lacking. And if nothing else, your kids will benefit by having another playmate.
Why would you offer her a discount for bringing HER child with her? If anything this is a blessing for her because she does not have to seek out childcare and pay for her child to be cared for while she is caring for yours . My daughter is a nanny and discounts in her area or ours (both metro areas) are not a normal practice. And for three kids, definitely in the range of $15-$18 is appropriate
I wouldn't reduce her rate unless you include the child's meals. Personally, I wouldn't hire a nanny that needed to bring a child. These are my reasons: I was a nanny to my niece for 14 months. I took good care of the kids, but having a 4 year old to watch with a 4 month old and trying to maintain the household was too much one day and my daughter colored their BRAND NEW coffee table with nail polish. Thankfully, it came off, but I would have been responsible for it if it were ruined. My sister was not happy. Secondly, I would be afraid that the person would be paying more attention to their own child and not enough on mine.
If you have decided to hire this lady though, I'd pay her the same as you were planning, but maybe put it in writing that if her child breaks something in your house, then she is responsible to pay for it.
To be honest she is there to care for your children, I would tell her in a nice way it's not appropriate for her to bring her own child with her. She will be spending time on your pay taking care of her own child and not yours, even if she is just changing a diaper, accidents can happen...
By the way, when working in the field of child care people who bring their own children have to pay at least half price, they don't get child care for free.
I suggest that you call a company that provides nanny services for their clients and ask them what their policy is.
I suggest that you talk with her about yours and her expectations and as others have suggested if she's still able to do what you want her to do then she should have the same salary. Some would depend on the ages of your children. How close of supervision do they need. Do you have an infant, toddler, preschooler, who also needs a lot of interaction and how will her child get along with yours? If they don't get along or if she isn't able to do what you're hiring her to do then it doesn't matter how much you pay her.
Because I believe that it's good thing for little ones to be with their parent when ever possible, I would look as her wanting to bring her child as a possible indication that she understands children's needs. Or not. Talk with her about what she will expect from herself and her daughter while being employed at your house.
Perhaps you've already explored the possibilities that having her child with her and are thinking that it will be a drawback causing you to want to pay her less. I suggest that if you expect poor performance then you should look for someone else. I would pay her the same. I would expect to feel that the advantages out weighed the disadvantages after talking with her.
