I’ve been with my nanny family for almost 4 months now. This is their first time having a nanny and it’s my first nanny job, so I’m trying to figure out what is normal/expected versus what I should be pushing back on. I’d really appreciate other nannies’ perspectives because I’m feeling pretty stuck.
For some background on my experience, I have an AAS degree in Early Childhood Studies, over 2 years of experience as a lead teacher in a daycare (primarily working with the 1–18 month age range), and 7+ years of experience working with children through babysitting, daycare, and after-school care positions. This is my first nanny position, though, so I’m still learning what is considered normal in the nanny world.
When I was hired, I asked for $23/hr, but they ultimately offered me $20/hr. I also noticed that they didn’t have my nanny contract ready until the day I started, and the hours listed on the contract were fewer than what we originally discussed. I realize I should have been more firm about these things before starting, but I was excited to get my first nanny position and didn’t know what was normal.
My main responsibility is their two daughters, who are almost 2 and 3. They also have two older boys (11 and 12/13, I believe). I don’t provide the same level of care for the boys, but during the summer they were home every day while their parents were working, so technically they were also under my supervision. For them, I mostly made meals/snacks, let them go to friends’ houses, or allowed friends to come over. Now that school is back, that’s no longer really an issue.
I did wonder whether having the boys home all summer should have meant additional compensation since I was responsible for four children instead of two, even though the boys were pretty independent. Is that something that would normally warrant additional pay?
My schedule is Monday–Thursday. I’m technically scheduled for 34 hours, although in reality it’s usually closer to 32.
I have not been given car seats yet, so I still can’t take the girls anywhere outside of the house.(other than walks in the stroller around the neighborhood) I would really like to be able to take them to places like the library, park, zoo, etc., but haven’t been able to.
There have also been some issues with illness. The girls got HFM, and I wasn’t told/asked about it ahead of time. I found out when I arrived Monday morning, and I still worked the two days before I left for a trip. A couple weeks later, the family came back from a trip and the girls had HFM again, but this time the boys also had it, and I was still expected to work. We don’t currently have a sick policy in our contract, which I realize is something I should have had in place from the beginning.
Another thing that has made me uncomfortable is that they have asked me to work extra hours or come in on a weekend for a date night because I was paid while they were out of town and therefore supposedly “lost out on money.” I understand guaranteed hours are something families pay for even when they don’t need childcare, but I don’t think I’m responsible for making up hours because they went on vacation.
The biggest issue has come up recently with my hours/pay.
They told me they wanted to reduce my guaranteed hours from 34 to 26 hours/week, while increasing my pay from $20 to $21/hr. I told them I couldn’t realistically or financially make 26 hours work. They asked what I realistically need, and I told them that ideally I need 35+ hours (closer to 40 would be best for me) and/or a rate closer to $23/hr or more.
Their main concern seems to be money. They’ve talked to me several times about their finances, including how much the mom actually takes home after paying me. She apparently got her job partly because they wanted to bring in additional income, but after paying for childcare, they don’t feel like they’re bringing home enough extra money.
They’ve now suggested possibly paying me cash and having me handle my own taxes because they believe that would save them money. They said they could potentially give me closer to 40 hours at $20/hr if they could pay me cash and avoid the nanny tax/payroll service.
I told them I would prefer to remain on a W-2 because I like having everything handled properly and don’t want to be responsible for figuring out all of the taxes myself.
I’m feeling really conflicted because I genuinely like the family and the girls, and I don’t want to leave them. At the same time, I don’t know if this position is financially sustainable for me either. I was already planning on asking for a raise within the next couple of months, but now that they’re saying money is tight, I don’t know how realistic that is.
So, nannies, what would you do in my situation?
Is $20/hr reasonable for this position/experience, or should I be looking for $23+?
Would you expect additional compensation for being responsible for the two older kids all summer?
How would you handle the HFM/sick policy situation?
Is it normal for a family to ask you to make up guaranteed hours because they were on vacation?
Would you accept the cash arrangement they’re proposing?
Would you stay at 32–34 hours at $20 if they agree to keep you there, or start looking for another family?
And most importantly, am I expecting too much by wanting 35–40 guaranteed hours and around $23/hr?
I know some of this is probably on me for not having everything clearly negotiated before I started. I’m just looking for honest advice from experienced nannies about what is normal and what isn’t.