Hi so having read this site - how do I go about doing a good background check on a nanny? I am in NJ/NY. Even calling references doesn't really seem like enough. Thanks!
A background check is fast and easy to do online. I have had great success using Akiba which offers diverse search options and Intelius which at $49.99 is one of the lowest priced options for online background checks. Additionally, many private detectives agencies, such as ASG will complete the background check for you. JD
NYC what is the going rate for a live in Nanny?How many days a week does a live in Nanny usually work?
Most nannies work a five day work week, either Monday thru Friday or Tuesday thru Saturday. According to the International Nanny Association in Houston, the average salary for a live-in nanny is $500 a week, while a live-out nanny makes $550 a week. The National Alliance of Professional Nanny Agencies in Seattle puts the starting hourly wage for a nanny without nanny-school training ranges between $10 and $15, while an experienced nanny with a degree may earn $16 to $25 an hour. The going rate in New York is dependant on the qualifications you seek in the nanny, her background and experience and the number of children she will be responsible for. For Nannies.Com offers additional information on nanny salaries and compensation packages. JD
What is the average bonus for a great nanny? We hired an amazing nanny seven months ago and hired her away from a family she really loved. We want to make sure we don't shortchange her this holiday.
Nanny bonuses vary from one week's to one month's salary based on tenure and customs in your area, plus a personal gift. (Source)
51 comments:
i dont understand how the meebo works. I typed this into meebo yesterday?? thanks for answering. finally.
There is no way I would give a month's salary to a nanny as a bonus.
I'm sure Jane has a real job and other family committments. She can't always just drop everything to respond to a question. A one-day turnaround is really not bad for a free service...
As for the questions...NYC nannies (good ones) make substantially more than nannies in other areas because of the cost of living. I live in Atlanta and make roughly $850/wk. $550 might be the average for live-out nannies, but keep in mind that factors in both the high and (very) low end. I cannot fathom trying to live in NYC on $550 a week. (I would not even want to attempt to live in Atlanta on that amount.) Obviously live-in nannies have fewer expenses, so they don't need to make as much as live-out nannies. But there should not be a huge difference. They are still doing an important job. I would ask around to other families in your area or to agencies that place in NYC to see what they recommend.
Standard hours... Monday-Friday (or sometimes Tuesday-Saturday) is a pretty standard week. Most nannies (especially live-in) are willing to be pretty flexible. But for her sake and yours, make sure she gets a weekend to recover and refresh. (I'd much rather work five ten-hour days than seven six-hour days.)
Holiday bonuses...although the previous poster seems upset by the idea of a month's salary as a bonus, it's definitely not unheard of. Rare, but not absurd. In the past, I've generally been given one week's salary (or slightly more) in cash plus a few hundred dollars in gift certificates as a gift. (And I've also always gotten a sentimental gift from the children.)
Good luck!
Nannies often work late without notice and extra hours with no compensation. Take this into account when figuring out their bonus. I also think that this starting salary is way too low! I work in New York and started at $1000 per week.
To the above poster..well you are cheap! This pereson is the most important person you will EVER hire...they are caring for the most important part of your life!!! You entrust this person with your children and in turn..if you have a good nanny..she is teaching your children manners,how to share and showering them with love 8-10 hours a day! If you employ her fulltime..she spends more "awake" time with your children during the week than you do..and you are lucky to have a great role model for them since you are unable to fulfill that role yourself! Nannies fill a vital role and the parents that employ them need to realize that. I am not talking about an occasional 25 hour a week sitter..I am talking the primary care provider of your children! Wake up and take care of the person taking care or your children you stingy cheapskate!!! Next time your getting your fake nails done or in some business meeting..think about who's watching your children...what's that worth to you!
regarding the salaries, I agree that is low in comparison to what I pay my nanny, but perhaps it is because so many people that I know-even people that could pay more- are simply okay with having housekeeper types in the nanny role. And they make about 600 a week. My standards are high. I have the best nanny & she has been with me for 7 years and a month is not out of the question as for her bonus!
And to all those people who tsk tsk and judge me; I am tired of hearing you complain about your subpar childcare.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Your nanny is lucky to have you and vice-versa!!!!You are right..many people are ok with sub-par childcare..shame on them!!!!!!But maybe someday when their children are looking for a nursing home to put their parents in or a nurse to come to the home and take care of them they too will settle for sub-par elderly care...after all you live what you learn... Who knows?
with this crowd, would you want to put out a high estimat for nanny salries? youd be torn a new one.
first of all a professional nanny is not a housekeeper, is not a cleaner, is not a dog walker. I am a professional nanny in New York for the past 12 years. Ido earn over $2000 a week after tax and with full health benefits. Last year my bonus was $25,ooo.I am college educated so why shouldnt I earn this much and get this bonus. I would get as much if not more in other sectors.
$25 an hour on a 40 hour work week is $1,000 dollars a week.
I think the range is expressed here. I know a nanny who makes $1200 a week and works about 50 hours a week.
I think in some areas of the NY area, including the UES and Greenwich, CT- the family's scour the earth to find the very best nannies for their children and are able to and do pay them generously.
Who pays those rates? That is too cheap! Here in NY a live out nanny on a weekly paycheck gets about $650 per week and average pay for a nanny who get hourly pay is from $12 to $15 per hour-and none of them have any degrees! Where does this information come from??
$25,000..BS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I don't think so
To 5:24,
I just love you!
It's still BS!!!!!!!!!!!!
"None of them have degrees" That is an extremely ignorant statement. Apparently you and your friends don't employ top tier nannies.
A nanny with a BA
yes I am the person that got $25,000 bonus and for your information I know many professional nannies who get the same. Also there is no need for rude comments.....I am just stating a fact!!
To the nanny with the 25,000 bonus. Please send me a copy of the check. I aint buyin' it.
Would someone write something on best nanny bonuses?
We gave our nanny a Christmas present last year of one month's salary plus a personal present. But she's underpaid and she and we know it; we just can't afford to pay any higher right now; she knows that too; she's great and we love her. We have a nanny because our kids' food allergies make it immpossible for them to go to daycare - financial-wise, we're the type that would struggle to afford group daycare. And we're probably not the only people out there who try to make up to our underpaid nannies by giving a big Christmas present.
God help us if someone hires her away, because when you have special needs kids who could need an epi pen and ambulence at any moment, Then you need a really smart, attentive nanny with very clear English! You can't go cheap - even if you can't afford anyone who frankly isn't a bargain.
The nanny who got the $25,000 bonus - she doesn't say, but that may also be a "here's help paying your taxes" bonus if her employer doens't withhold taxes properly.
I wouldn't dare type the numbers of what I gave my nanny as a bonus last year. She had been with us 4 years and no one could ever compare to her. She left to get married. This year we have a good nanny. She's probably even a great nanny; it's hard to tell because we were so spoiled by our first nanny. Jus the same, we will give her 2 weeks pay as a bonus as well as a couple of gifts.
If those of you who are reading this have a problem with that and don't value your nanny that much, ask yourself why then she is taking care of your precious children!
I am the nanny that got that bonus and I did say i was paid after full health insurance and tax
First of all a check is returned to the person who wrote it..... you do not have a copy of your check. Secondly why would a person lie about such a thing.
should anyone in your life get a better bonus than your nanny? I don't think so! I have a part time college student 2 days a week as I am a stay at home mother. After I had my second child, I sought to return to the workforce but after three nanny mistakes, I resigned myself to staying home. This is not to say nannies are bad, quite the opposite. My neighbor has a nanny I salivate over. If she was in my family's life, everything would be easier & better. If I had the fortune to employ her full time, there is nothing I wouldn't do to keep her happy! I don't know what possible bonus she could get- but it just could never be enough!
When I worked fulltime, my nanny always got half of whatever bonus my company gave me (or the whole thing, in the years it was small, or one month`s salary in the tight years I didn`t get a bonus). By doing her job well, she made it possible for me to do my job at all. You have to take care of the people who take care of you.
Regarding the nanny who claimed to get a $25,000 bonus -- when we lived in Tokyo, when expat families left, some of them gave their long-term nannies similar bonuses, as a severance bonus for years of service. We gave our nanny about half that when we left, and I wish we were richer and could have given her that.
I actually had people get mad at me for what they called my "overpayment." One very wealthy friend said, "People like you make it hard for the rest of us." Oh, hard to exploit your help? So sooooorrryyyyy!
You seem to be a person who will pay a person what they are worth.Good for you. As you say how can you overpay someone when they do so much for you and your family. There should be more bosses like you. Well done!
There are all types of nannies and all types of families. Middleclass people are the backbone of our country, but as a professional nanny- I wouldn't take a job working for a family that wasn't abundantly wealthy. The last thing a nanny wants to deal with is a family that has to scrimp. I appreciate that many people don't have money, but just like a decorator might choose to work for someone more affluent and less to be budgeting every penny, it's great for nannies too!
Good nannies!
I get your point Heather, but in my experience, not all super wealthy families treat their help well. I would rather work for a family that values quality childcare, and shows their appriciation by treating me with respect, even if the bonus isn't as big as those of some of my friends who work for Mrs. X types.
here is the deal. every home needs a housekeeper. sometimes it is the stay at home mom. Sometimes it is the working mom on weekends. If you are a nanny and you go work for a family that doesn't have a full time housekeeper, you will no doubt be forced in to housekeeping duties. When of course a family with money can afford a housekeeper and doesn't need to pull all kinds of tricky dix to get the nanny to do grunt work.
I can't believe the tightfisted scrooges that don't give their hard-working nannies whom they entrust with the care of their precious children a decent bonus. By decent, I am talking at least and I mean at least, one month's salary and some lovely gifts.
The bottom line is that there are no rules as to how households work. All that matters is that children are well cared for, safe, & loved and that the adults who provide for these needs are appreciated, respected, & enjoy their roles in the family. So how another family manages to accomplish this is none of your business.
According to most etiquette sources, one week to one month salary should suffice. Any less would be mean, any more would be up to your discretion but I would hardly say that it's the norm to give more than a month's salary as bonus. Don't perpetuate myths to confuse mothers and inflate the going rates.
I am a full time working mother with a wonderful nanny.I cannot believe the last poster ......perpetuating myths to confuse and inflate going rates......I would give my nanny millions if I could afford it. As it is I will again give her 3 months salary....I would gladly give her more....she put me where I am today.Behind every succesful woman there is a wonderful nanny.
Thank you, previous poster, for raising the hopes of all nannies who read this blog and become disenchanted when 95% of them eventually will notget more than a month's salary in bonus.
My boss acted generous when she gave me two weeks. And that was after I was with her 5 years. And she has more money than 99 percent of the population!
"As it is I will again give her 3 months salary..."
It's great that you're rich. I'm not. Neither are most women who hire nannies.
I'll say it again, having a nanny and not giving her-the person who takes care of your most cherished possession-is a bit like going out to a fine french restaurant and balking at the price of your meal and then scrimping on the tip!
Why are you mad that you're paying 50% tip while I am paying a sensible 15%? Why nag us to death when we are already paying our dues? It's great that you give 50% or 3 months' salary or whatever. Some of us can not do the same but we we are not "scrimping" either!!
Wow I got a top and gift card for $40.00 to Olive Garden. Maybe I should move to NY
If you`re rich, and you think your nanny is wonderful, then you ARE cheap if you don`t put your money where your mouth is.
But if money`s tight at your house, a nanny will probably have clued into that fact. Some years, my nanny got one month`s salary as a bonus -- but in years when I did very well, she did very well, too.
It is disheartening to hear 'nannies' gossip about bonuses and pay...you should all be ashamed of yourselves - just like any job; you should do it because you love it, like teachers, and not expect a ridiculous amount of money for just doing your job. Shame on all of you greedy people!
I don't know anyone in any field that doesn't gossip about bonuses. And anyone in any field who is great at their job has a right to be disappointed if their contributions are not acknowledged. Why should a nanny be held to some alternate standards just because part of her job involves loving your children???
To those saying that 650 a week for a nanny is too cheap....and to nannies boasting that less than 1 month worth of bonus is too little - GET A GRIP! Most nannies are paid CASH, and most employers - like me - get absolutely NO tax benefit from that! I still end up giving 2 paid weeks of vacation and 10 sick days to my nanny...my nanny gets paid approximately 650 a week - 50 hours of work. she is a great nanny - but I pay her no less and no more than the market! and I happen to live in the more expensive part of NY State - in Westchester! SO DO NOT POST MISINFORMATION HERE please, and thus try to "raise" the rates - it is just pure BS!
lady, you sure are upset about the rates being raised. In the nicer places in NY and Ct, we use professional staffing resources. Our nannies are paid on the books and have health insurance. You are nothing more than a felon contributing to the downfall of America.
You get what you pay for. Most of the nannies working for cash are IMMIGRANTS and wouldn't be able to work any other position anyway. So if you consider the immigrant status of most of the nannies,$650 almost seems HIGH.
I of course prefer a cultured and refined American or European; professionally trained.
Just get a Nanny who's Chinese or Filipino. Take care of all the red tape to get her there and make her a live in. You can pay her $500 month to start and cover her food and she will be more than ready to jump at the idea! She'll be making over 4x more than a lot of people with Gov't jobs in her own country. She'll send the money home and put her children through University (whatever the case may be)
You can type Au pair in Google and find one easily. Put up the money at front to get her there and she will gladly let you subtract it over time to pay you back. I have never met a harder worker than my Filipino nanny/housekeeper. She's grateful for her job and doesn't complain. I live overseas and Asian people just work harder. They were brought up differently so you don't have to worry about finding some creep to watch your kids. I'm sorry but the state that North America is in....I wouldn't trust some North American woman I don't know with my child. References are easy to fake and a criminal records check doesn't tell you who the person is or whether or not they have criminal tendencies. To work overseas my maid HAD to get a criminal records check....but the fact that I had vacationed for 3 months in the home she was employed in the Philippines helped me see what kind of person she is. Having lived overseas I will say that Asian women are much harder workers than Western. We've had it easier our hole lives and expect more. I'm not rich and can't afford to pay a nanny $650/week much less $1000! But I CAN afford $500/month. For that I get the best live in anyone can ask for. She watches our baby while we work. She cooks, cleans and does our laundry and shopping. So if there's anyone out there on a limited budget and needs a Nanny, you can find a GOOD one on line from other countries!
Exactly what kind of redtape are we talking about here- making her legal?
What a worthless piece of American you are- so happy to exploit people 500/month- ever heard of daycare loser- that's the kind of help your rype deserves.
You just wait until miss filipino is integrated into the American society and realize that she does not have to put up with this crap- oh wait- you don't let her outdoors do you?
Unbelievable, tell me who you are so I can report yuor sorry but- your kind is responsible for b ad economic growth.
Cook and clean and watch a child- you slavery is not yet over my friends as long as people like these roam the streets and have children and perpetuate this bad behavior
I teach overseas where I live and that is MUCH more than reasonable.
Miss Filipino is making more money in 1 year than she would in 5 years with her previous employer. I already stated that I live overseas. However that does not change the fact that Asian nannies are far less expensive and much more reliable than Westerners. We are 3 people to clean up after and she is bored most of the time. We are VERY good to her as well. We're sad she is away from her family but we pay for her calls from Korea to Philippines on the internet and after 6 months with us she'll have University paid for both her older children. They are very poor and our money goes real far there. Even if she were to live in the US, a person can hire a live in for $1000 or less per month. That's paying them WELL! They'll send money home and have the rest to themselves.
Oh and I agree with you, Americans are worthless and I'm glad I'm not one of them!
FINAL MESSAGE: If you need good child care but can't afford these "holier than thou" university drop outs, try one from overseas!
If you do you won't regret it!
I'm relocating to NYC to become a live-in nanny and I'm not sure what to expect as salary. I'll be traveling there next week to meet with many potential families, and when asked "what are your salary expectation?" I simply don't know what to say. I'm college educated and have a great deal of childcare experience. I want to be paid "on the books" and I would also like health insurance. I've heard of families paying anywhere from $700-1500/weekly in that area, but I don't want to have false expectations. Any advice??
We live in a very diverse world. Nanny benefits and employer situations vary so greatly which is easily reflected in many of the above comments. From the "worthless" to the "worthy" whether we are American or Filipino. I'm an American teacher overseas who has nannied in American and in Asia. I've worked for a small salary and been so happy and worked for a larger salary and was miserable. Employer/parent attitudes make a big difference. How much do you care about people in general and others comes out in the respect you give your nanny and thus your own children. I've seen higher paid staff in the USA and in Asia work for higher wages and stick to a job because of the need for the money but inside be miserable because of the rudeness and stress that comes from the employer or parent, inconsiderate expectations and disrespect given to them in front of the children who adopt the attitude of their parents thus building on the rudeness. I've seen caring parents/employers pay their nannies respect and uphold that in front of their children and because of that nannies being happy with less pay because their is peace at work. One of the first signs of disrespect is hearing of a potential employer who is unwilling to hire legally. It may be subtle to some, but I'd take it as a red flag not to be ignored. Part of it is related to not wanting to be bothered with items that take time and patience and thoughtful procedures. It will reflect later in their patience with staff in their home and the complex relationships of children and nannies and the simple fact that LIFE is never just an easy thing to do but the best results come out of careful thought and patience. Basically, how do you want to be treated? My favorite and most dearly loved job was the one where I got only $250 a week... I was young and didn't need much, but I was loved by my parents and felt a part of the family. They enjoyed what I did with the kids and I never felt humiliated. I felt "at home." I could not live on that salary now that I want to pay for my own home or apartment, car etc. but a caring employer will take into account the cost of living and look into the details in order to keep a nanny around for more than one year at a time soften and lessening the emotional transitions on young children.
Jane now has a Job board. You can advertise for a nanny/au pair there.
Okay, so I read a little more than half of the comments so far and this is what I have to say:
To most of the nannies who are posting, shame on you. Why are you a nanny if you're just in it for the money?
Could I work higher profile jobs? Yes. Have I worked for millionaires? Yes. Would I do it again? Not on your life. Sure, the money is great, but in my experience the people with all the dough are complete jerks. They fight you over every penny, sometimes I didn't even get paid at all. The last millionaire I worked for screwed me out of over $2000 . . . and I was cheap. I would've left sooner, but I wanted to find a job first and I was live-in so it took time to arrange things so that I could get out.
My current job is for a regular-joe family. I'm not in a big city. In fact, things are a fairly cheap around here, but I'm still underpaid. They know it. I watch 3-4 kids (5,3,2,1) for 35 hours a week and make $320/week before taxes. Anything on top of the 35 hours is $10/hr, though opportunities for extra hours are rare since they can't really afford to pay for extra childcare. As far as benefits, I get the week of Christmas off and another week of my choosing. Only one of which is paid. I have to give one month's notice before taking vacation. They get one week of vacay per year w/o paying me, as long as they give me a one month heads up. And, since I rarely take sick days, they give them to me paid, though in our contract it's at their discretion. I get no health benefits whatsoever. But they LOVE me. They know they're lucky to have me working for them. Yes, money is tight, but I'd rather have to be careful about my spending and occasionally stressed about it than be treated like a servant, barely like a human being. Or even have to worry about whether or not I'll get paid at all. I love my job. I've been there for years, with no raise (except about .50/hr when the new baby came).
As for my bonus, I got $200 each Christmas(even the one when I'd only been there for a couple of months), along with a small, inexpensive personal gift, something from the kids, and a slightly larger gift on my birthday.
For those of you getting a full weeks pay or more, stop whining. While I agree, if your employer has the money to treat you well, they should. And if it were me and I could afford it, I wouldn't say a month's salary is unreasonable, by any means. Nor would I think $2000 a week would be too much, providing I was getting good childcare. What is worth more than knowing your children are in excellent capable hands when you are away? Fact is, I read in a book on ettiquette about two years ago that childcare providers should recieve a bonus of 10% of their annual income, prorated if they've been with you for less than a year. And if I ever have a good nanny and am capable, I'll give her at least that. But, to me, working for a good family is worth more than the big bonus. I love what I do. I love the people I do it for. I love the kids I work with. So while it can be financially uncomfortable at times to work for them,I wouldn't trade it for any other job. I'll stay with them until they're kids are old enough that they don't need me or until I absolutely can't make the numbers work anymore (in which case I'd ask for a small raise to try to work it out to be able to stay).
All of you who can afford to spoil your nannies, do so. She is one of the most important people in the lives of your children. An unhappy nanny makes an unhappy life, for your child (and hopefully by extension for you).
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