Tuesday

Holiday Bonuses Part II

Holiday Bonuses-Part II
Position: full time Nanny
Bonus: $1500
Weekly Salary: $800
Any Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: Tungsten Palm Pilot with cell phone, Bulgari watch, leather gloves
City, State and Country: Contra Costa County, CA
Length of Time you Have worked for the Family: 1 year, 1 month
"I work for the most amazing single mother. She is kind and generous and raising her children with all the right values. Life is good".
Comment
Position/Title: Full Time live in Nanny
Bonus: None.
Weekly Salary: Explanation below
Supplementary gifts: Projection Alarm Clock (alarm clock that projects time on ceiling at night)
Length of time Worked for family: August 2006-present
City, State and Country: Delaware
"I have been with this family as a live in nanny since August. The last week of October I sat the parents down and had a monthly review meeting and asked for a raise, because I was making less than 200/week. (after taxes) I was told then that they were shutting down the business that the mother ran, and therefore they were giving me their three weeks notice because they could no longer afford to keep me. I decided to stay with the family and work 'as needed' (about 4 hours a day, usually) for rent until I could secure another position. For Christmas, I bought them one of those moving/sound pictures... They loved it. In return, they gave me a gift that I saw them wrap and take to their parent's the night before as an "extra gift" just in case they'd forgotten someone. When I realized that that was the gift that they were giving me, I was a little offended at first. But, I realize that "regifting" has become quite normal these days, and even though I was a little offended, I still did appreciate it. Being able to be with the kids on Christmas day was probably one of the best times I've had in any past Christmas. I hope this helps at all. This family has been great to me in SO many ways... Can you please add that part in there too? I don't want people to think that these people are horrible"
Comment
Position: FT Live out Nanny
Bonus: $500
Weekly Salary: $500
Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: photos framed of me and the child I care for.
Length of time I've worked for family: 1 year
City, State and Country: Seattle, WA
Comment
Position: Full time nanny to a 20 month old
Bonus: $300
Your Weekly Salary: $475 for 53 hours a week. I also get paid for any weekend hours I work (they hourly rate is usually one dollar more than usual).
Any Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: 4-5 checks for $50 and "Crocs" to match the child's shoes. They have taken my husband and I out to eat once.
Length of Time you Have worked for the Family: June 2006 to the present
City, State and Country: St. Louis, MO, USA
"The family I work for is a very loving family. They treat me as if I were part of the family and really value my opinion. I look forward to knowing them personally and professionally for a long time".
Comment
Position: Full Time nanny for mother who works from an office in her home.
Weekly Salary: $750 for 43 hour work week
Bonus: none
Any Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: Nothing, really. (See below)
Length of Time you Have worked for the Family: 8 months
City, State and Country: Boston, MA
"The mother was going to host Christmas Eve at her house so she went out and bought all of the ingredients for pies and cookies, baking chocolates, sugar, etc. As she always does, she got behind on her work project (Lord knows what she does all day on the computer-I think she is on a chat board). When she begged off on hosting and passed the buck to her brother and sister-in-law, that was one thing. I wasn't really thinking of a bonus or a gift from her because she is miserable and self centered. On December 22, my last day of work before vacation, she handed me three shopping bags full of flour, sugar and baking type things. She said 'this is for you and your family so you can have a Merry Christmas'. Does she think I didn't witness nearly every (loud) phone call she had that week with her sister in law? I graciously accepted her gift. I dropped it off at a Teen Recreation center that I am familiar with. No doubt she thinks she did me a huge favor. The nerve!
Her husband is really cool. I don't know how he puts up with her. She's neither nice nor attractive".

Comment
Position: Nanny
Bonus:$50
Your Weekly Salary: $300
Any Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: a knife set
Length of Time you Have worked for the Family: 10 months
City, State and Country: Brooklyn, NY
"I work in Brooklyn, and the job is Mon-Friday 10-6. I am also allowed to use their phone and PC when the lil boy is sleeping. plus if I chose too I can have breakfast and lunch. The family also did buy my 3 girls something for Christmas".
Comment
Position: Nanny 3 days per week-18 hours per week caring for one infant and one toddler
Bonus: $100
Salary: Fair hourly salary for this area
Any Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: None
Length of time with family: 4 months
Location: Upstate New York
"Before reading some of the entries regarding Christmas bonuses, I felt mine was fair. I now feel that the people I work for either don't know what is fair of haven't dealt with this issue before. I am treated very well and they are very nice and understanding young people. Most of all I love the kids and am happy working here."
Comment
Position: Nanny for two girls 10 & 5
Bonus: $1200
Weekly salary: $700 for 25/30 hours
Supplementary Gifts: Necklace from parents, homemade gifts & trinkets from kids.
Length of time with family: almost 6 years.
City, State: New York, NY
Comment
Your Position: Full Time (Part Time for 4 Months) Back to full time in January for 3 girls
Bonus: $1000
Your Weekly Salary: FT: $675 PT: $350
Any Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: nothing
Length of Time you Have worked for the Family: 3 years
City , State and Country: Chicago, IL USA
"I've worked for this family for 3+ years, and go above and beyond my "duties", I'm flexible and consistently stay late, always arrive early and usually end up working more than my 45 hours. I stay for the girls, the parents are great with them but I don't always feel appreciated. Thank You's are few and far between....but I know that as a whole I work for a great family even if I am under appreciated. The girls make it all worth while!"
Comment
Your Position: Nanny/Household Manager
Bonus: $520
Your Weekly Salary: $520
Any Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: Foot Massager, Pie Plate, Pillow Shams (to go with a bedspread I got for my birthday) and a painting done by my employers mother (an artist). They also sent my husband some "Ove-Gloves" and an emergency radio.
Length of Time you Have worked for the Family: 1.5 years
City, State and Country: Dublin, Ohio, USA
"I have worked for this family for 1.5 years and they have always been generous with gifts. For each occasion (wedding, bridal shower, birthdays) I have received many gifts that I like and need. The wife also picks me up things occasionally that she thinks I would like. The $520 bonus this covers the extra week off I take during the holiday season while the mother stays home from work with the kids (so it is like a third week of paid vacation a year). Overall the family I work for is extremely generous and willing to help me out whenever I need it. They also have compensated me more and more as I have taken on extra responsibilities in their household."
Comment
Position: Nanny
Bonus: $1000
Weekly salary: $500
Any Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: Alot: Champaign, candles, dairy, etc.
I got 1.5 weeks of with full pay.
Length of Time you Have worked for the Family: I have worked for the for 10 months.
City, State and Country: New York
"I absolutely love my job I work an average of 15 to 20 hours a week. and get paid $500 I do not cook, clean bathe the kIds, i do not even make the kids beds. The kid are awesome the LISTEN and they do not have ATTITUDE."
Comment
Position: Full Charge Nanny to 1 child, with a sibling due early 2007
Bonus: $150
Your Weekly Salary: $750 for 50 hour week
Any Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: see below
Length of Time you Have worked for the Family: nearly 2 years
City , State and Country: Metro Atlanta, GA
"While it would have been great to get a big bonus and lots of gifts, I feel that I am working for a terrific family. They purchased a brand new SUV for me in 2005, and have allowed me to use it outside of work as my own car. All I pay for is gas and the occasional car wash. They pay EVERYTHING else (car note, insurance, repairs/maintenance). They also provide a cell phone, and pay 1/2 of my health insurance premiums. In addition, one set of grandparents always remembers me with a small gift.
The thing to remember about bonuses in the nanny world is that EVERY job is different. You can't compare Nanny A to Nanny B the way you could compare Salesperson A to Salesperson B. So, some will get huge bonuses, some will get nothing. I think a more relevant survey might cover overall job satisfaction, whether there is mutual respect between nanny/parents/children, and whether a nanny would choose to work for the family again, knowing what she knows now. "
Comment
Position: Part Time Nanny
Weekly Salary: $400 for 16 hours of work.
Bonus: None
Any Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: 1 carat diamond earrings!!
Length of Time you Have worked for the Family: three months
City , State and Country: Boston, MA
Comment
Position: Nanny for 2 families (about 16 hours each job)
Bonus: $100 cash from one and $200 cash from the other
Your Weekly Salary: $500 total per week (tax free)
Any Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: Received a very nice set of perfume from the more generous family. Also received 2 weeks paid vacation from both families during the holidays in which they did not need me due to family in town, kids out of school and out of town trips. I am also being paid to house-sit while the family is out of town (1 wk), and this is cheap vacation for me and hubby!!
Length of Time you Have worked for the Family: 12 months and 8 months (Jan '05 and April '05)
City , State and Country: Jupiter, FL (USA)
Comment
Position: nanny
Bonus: $50.00
Your Weekly Salary: $250.00
Any Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: yes
Length of Time you Have worked for the Family: 1.5 months
City , State and Country: Blackwood, NJ USA
Comment
Position: I'm an Private Nanny, for 3 boys, including cooking/laundry, but no other cleaning.
Bonus $1600
Weekly salary: $470 net (approx $620 gross)
Any Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: a beautiful Sweater, Tank top, and a $20 gift card to Starbucks.
Length of Time you Have worked for the Family: 4 yrs. 1 month.
City , State and Country: This position is a Live IN and located in Toronto Canada, so all dollar amounts are in Canadian Dollars
"I am very happy with my Bonus,(also considering my birthday was 2 weeks ago, areceivedieved a yoga voga suit.) but I also believe I deserve every sent of it, I will do almost anything for this family, including Christmas Shopping/ wrapping, Planning Birthday Parties/ volunteering at the kids Schools, and Caring for the Children for them to go to Europe for a week (with extra pay of course). I'm curiousrious to know what the nationalities of these nannies are, I find if you are an immigrant you allow these parents to take advantage of you."
Comment
Position: I work for two families actually because both are PT. I work 12 hrs a week for one fam and 15 for the other.
Bonus: None
Weekly salary: No response
Any Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: I only received something from one family, BUT, both families advanced me a weeks pay to get holiday shopping done, are extremely nice, flexible with my schedule, AND allow me to bring my 1 year old son with me. =) As for the bonus, the one family gave me a $50 giftcard, a mug full of hot chocolate mixes, and toys for my son. I feel extremely lucky and am content with both my positions.
Length of Time you Have worked for the Family: I have been at both positions only a few weeks.
City , State and Country: I live in Illinois.
Comment
Position: Full Time Nanny
Bonus: See Below
Weekly Salary: See Below
Any Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: None
City , State and Country: Mercer Island, WA
Length of Time you Have worked for the Family: five and a half years. "While working full time I receivedeved a Christmas bonus every year of $500 until last year when I received $600. That was about a weeks salary. That job ended in July but I still work for them a couple nights a month for date nights. This year I worked (watching the kids) during their Christmas party. When I arrived they handed me an envelope with my pay for the evening and "a little extra and received $350. I was very surprised and more than satisfied."
......Read more after the Jump..........................
Click here to continue Reading Holiday Bonuses, Part II

37 comments:

Anonymous said...

To the nanny in Brooklyn NY working for $300 per week with the $50 bonus. It's called a nanny agency. Use it. Get the hell out of there and find a job with someone who can afford a nanny!

Anonymous said...

no offense, but what is a nanny going to do with a Bulgari watch?

Anonymous said...

I would not be okay with something regifted. Nor would I be all excited about a projection alarm clock, especially if my boss got it for me. I would take that as an insult alluding that I had a problem being on time!

Anonymous said...

Diamond earrings for a nanny who has worked for you for only three months? And part time?

Anonymous said...

I love that so many nannies, even those who got crappy gifts and bonuses-have nice things to say about the people they work for. Very refreshing.

Anonymous said...

My nanny is worth more then all of these things combined! I have to keep her under lock and key so she isn't stolen by some shifty upper east sider.

Anonymous said...

why would an employer get a nanny a personal massager?

Anonymous said...

"she's neither nice nor attractive"
Love it!

Anonymous said...

"she's neither nice nor attractive"

I sure hope for the nanny's sake that she does not read this blog!

Anonymous said...

$200 a week? How can anyone with any self respect work for $200 a week? I make $180 per day! M-F and when I work weekens, I make 270 per day!

Anonymous said...

i find it odd that many nannies say things like "who with any self-respect would work for yaddayaddayadda."
these comments are naive. in different parts of the country rates are different. not everyone can find the perfect job. if a nanny takes a job she needs to pay rent, food, utilities, things for her family, etc, it doesn't say anything about her self-respect. some people are between a rock and a hard place. in a perfect world you could wait for the perfect job to come along, but things are not always perfect.
high-priced nannies should keep this in mind before they make themselves sound like elitist asses.

Anonymous said...

To 601 PM If I were a nanny making a bundle, and I read about a nanny who sounded like she had something to offer who was earning a ridiculously low amount of money, I would suggest she do better for herself too. Tell her the options. You know? Go to an agency. Get referred to a good family who will pay what she is worth, not rip her off and abuse her generosity. Hell, go work at Starbuck's where even part-timers get full benefits including dental. And you wouldn't work extra hours without getting paid. I would do that for anybody, and I'm not an "elitist asshole". What's wrong with helping others out of a bad situation?

Anonymous said...

How to sum this up?
A foot massager is not an appropriate gift unless you are over 80. A personal massager is not appropriate unless you are buying for your lesbian lover. Regifting is never en vogue and is always crass and in exceptionally poor taste. Blackwood, NJ must be some cavern of Hell on earth if nannies are skipping to work for $350 per week. A palm pilot or other such device is a great gift for a nanny. I was surprised only one person received such. The mother who dumped her baking supplies on the nanny is a miserable witch but it sounds like she lucked out and has a solid and generous nanny. What the hell is a gift of "Dairy" and I'm sorry but $20 on a Starbucks gift card would last me all of a day and half. LOL at getting the husband Ove Gloves and oh yeah-I don't care how loving the family you work for is-I am assuming you provide loving care to their children? Less than a week's bonus is insulting. I used to get some good loving from my former boss-but it certainly wasn't instead of the bonus I so richly deserved!

Anonymous said...

High Priced Nannies often work next door to people who are of the same status as their employers who pay some immigrant or housekeeper a feeble wage to do a job they have the capacity to pay an educated and professional nanny. I don't think it is elitist for one nanny doing well to tell another nanny to keep on looking!

Anonymous said...

no it's not elitist to tell another nanny to keep on looking. however it is indeed elitist to suggest that she has no self-respect, which is what said poster was responding to.

Anonymous said...

to the nanny who got the regifted projection alarm clock and was so nice about it,
YOUR EMPLOYERS DO NOT DESERVE YOU! I can tell by your letter how much you love those kids and how nice you are. I hope a kinder family steals you away!

Anonymous said...

Yes! I just emailed this to both of my employers at their places of business!

Anonymous said...

10:50 poster...

From your lips to god's ears!! I am the op of the "projection alarm clock/regifted" post... Yes, it actually did happen and yes i still to appreciate the sediment. This family has been super-great to me, aside from the regifted incident. Of course all of us great nannies feel underappreciated at times, so it could be a bias opinion that i got upset about that.
Yes, i'm looking for another position at this time; although it's really difficult at times because i can't imagine leaving these kids. I have grown to love them almost as my own and they've grown so much in the few months i've been here i'm afraid when i come back to visit i won't recognize me or vice versa!!! Anyways, hopefully i'll be able to find another position soon before my wallet files neglect charges. haha.

Thanks for the support poster 10:50... It made my day to read your comment.

Anonymous said...

To the person who said this "Bonus: $500
Your Weekly Salary: $450
Any Supplementary Gifts aside from The Bonus: A box full of socks (inside joke) and an aero garden." You also ended by saying you have been through 4 families and didn't settle til you found the perfect one. Yet you make less than half of what I make. So me thinks you settled!

Anonymous said...

Well, maybe Prjection Alarm Clock Nanny really isn't worth more than $200/wk since she apparently doesn't know the differenct between "sediment" and "sentiment."

Anonymous said...

I thought my families were great until i read this. The only "bonus" I got from one family was 50 dollars and another I got 130.00 to supplement my pay while they were away [I dont even consider this a bonus and I LOVE how they tried to make it seem like they were doing me some huge favor for paying me while they went away on vacation]. I make decent money at one but the other I make roughly about 140 bucks a week.

Anonymous said...

6:46 don't be mean (as in small or petty). As Steve Martin once said "Some people have a way with words, some people no have way."

Anonymous said...

a 2 weeks bonus is really generous

Anonymous said...

a 2 week bonus is NOT necesssarily generous. If it is the first or second year, then yes. Realistically the family should factor in what it would cost to replace the nanny, time off work, retraining and agency fees. The normal agency fee for a nanny is now $3500. If you have a nanny for seven years, and your children have that tremendous benefit of having the same person care for them, she is most definitely worth more than two weeks pay!
I have had the same nanny for 9 years. 9 years! I would never insult her with 2 weeks pay as a bonus.

Anonymous said...

to anyone that thinks a nanny is not worth at least 450 aweek your cheap!!! i am so sick of people,especially mothers who want laundry and cleaning done buit dont want to pay. i take care of a 2 and 3yr old that are brats because of their snobby mopther. she only pays me 12 an hour but in my are its very seasonal. i dont caRe where you live if you do the work and are a good natured nanny you should get paid for it./ there is a big difference between a nanny and a babysitter!!!! imm 32 and not a high school student doing afterschool.

Anonymous said...

4:05 PM,
I agree that nannies are not babysitters and that many employers try to gauge their nannies or get them to perform the role of housekeepers, laundress, fix it men. I cannot imagine a nanny who takes $450 is worth much. And no offense, but you sound angry, bitter and semi illiterate so I cannot imagine your weekly rate would ever be a high one!

Anonymous said...

To the person who replied asking--
"no offense, but what is a nanny going to do with a Bulgari watch?"
How about wear it?
WTF? Are you implying that all of us nannies should just always wander around in dirty spit up covered sweat pants and not look nice or wear nice things?
Seriously....

Anonymous said...

2 words.......get out

Anonymous said...

again and again I think why do people stay in these jobs if they are so unhappy? Why not find a job you can be happy in wheather it is a nanny or something else? Stop complaining and do something about it...

Anonymous said...

alot of these nannies- if you read closely stay because they love the kids! Also, maybe getting a job is hard if you don't know how to spell "whether".

Anonymous said...

guess what love does not pay the rent or the bills. stop making excuses and get a new job.

Anonymous said...

if you marry for money, it sure the hell does.

Anonymous said...

I am the nanny that got the foot massager. There was a comment about how this was not a good gift. I wanted to clarify the gift a little, I have chronic foot pain, so this gift was perfect.

Anonymous said...

yikes, gotta love the 'what the hell does she DO all day???' mom... I could never work permanently for one of those mothers... it sort of makes me feel like I am aiding and abetting in child abuse...WHY do they have children, WHY? If any of you are mothers without jobs who have a nanny for your children you all make me sick. Raising your children is the greatest resposibility you will ever have and you will look back on these years with regret. No, it is not always 'fun' but it will always be worth it. I can't imagine sitting in front of a computer all day while someone else raises my children. Money rots the soul.

Anonymous said...

It makes me sad to hear of so many employers who aren't more thoughtful when it comes to their nanny. I am a full-time nanny who takes home $500 a week on top of an SUV, health insurance, my own furnished apartment, groceries and many small gifts here or there. My employers gave me a 10% bonus for Christmas (aprox. $3,000) and I had only been with them for 7 months at that time. I thought this was "normal" (not that that made me appreciate it any less, they're fabulous and so kind and thoughtful!) among many other gifts from the parents as well as their extended family. I feel discouraged that not too many other nannies have had such a great experience. And I agree-- find an agency. use it. Get out of crappy paying jobs- if you're a good childcare provider, you deserve more!

Anonymous said...

I am the nanny that got the foot massager. There was a comment about how this was not a good gift. I wanted to clarify the gift a little, I have chronic foot pain, so this gift was perfect.

Anonymous said...

to anyone that thinks a nanny is not worth at least 450 aweek your cheap. thankss