Thursday

CL - WTF (#2 of an ongoing series)

Received Thursday, August 7, 2008
$225/wk "FULL-TIME NANNY NEEDED" - Infant & Toddler - $225 / wk Salary
Reply to: jeepin_shep@yahoo.com
Date: 2008-08-04, 1:08PM

My wife and I are looking for in-home childcare for our two sons, ages 8 months and 20 months. The prospective nanny's schedule will rotate as my wife's work schedule is different every week. The general idea, however, is that we are looking for someone who would be available to come to our apartment 4 days during the week for about 7 - 9 hours per day. The nanny would also need to be available for 4 - 6 hours per Saturday, two Saturdays per month.

Pay will be a "salary" of $225 per week. Payday will be on Friday and will usually be in cash, but may occasionally be in the form of a check. Based on my research, this is a fairly typical salary for two children in my boys' age group for in-home care.

The nanny would simply need to make sure our oldest is fed a snack in the morning, a simple lunch, and a snack in the afternoon (as well as making sure he has plenty to drink throughout the day). Our youngest is currently on formula, so he would only need a formula bottle at lunch time (as he will have already eaten before the nanny arrives and will eat again after the nanny has left) and juice throughout the day. Obviously, diaper changes throughout the day are a given.

We will provide all diapers, food/formula and snacks as well as a detailed guide of their daily routine. We do NOT provide meals for the nanny. Our previous nanny would either bring lunch everyday or have food delivered. We do not mind if the nanny wishes to leave food in our pantry to prepare their own lunch everyday.

We like for the boys to be engaged with outside time, play time and lap time. Our oldest will also enjoy coloring and stories. Duties would also include light housekeeping such as loading/unloading dishwasher, cleaning up toys at the end of the day, and occasional vacuuming.

If the nanny is sick or otherwise unable to provide care for the boys at any time, we ask that we are given plenty of notice to find a replacement sitter for that time. The position is semi-salaried in that we will pay $225 per week regardless of hours worked in the 4 weekdays and 2 Saturdays per month. We found that this works better than hourly as it allows us and the nanny to budget accordingly. If the nanny is unavailable to work Saturdays, pay will be reduced to $200 per week. However, we do not provide "sick days" or "vacation days". This means that, if the nanny calls in sick, each day taken off will amount to a $50 reduction in pay for that week. If the nanny takes a full week off, no pay will be given for that week. This allows us to hire temporary help for that time without taking on the burden of paying double. If you prefer to work for hourly wages instead, then pay will be based on $6.00 per hour from the time that you arrive until the time that my wife or I arrive home from work. Payday will still be on Friday.

We are located just outside of downtown Woodstock. The work day will vary but will generally be a combination of the following:
Four weekdays ranging from:
7:30 am – 4:30 pm (approx. 9 hours)
10 am – 6 pm (approx. 8 hours)
12 pm – 7 pm (approx. 7 hours)
Two Saturdays for 4 – 6 hours in the evening.
Some days may be as short as 5 – 6 hours depending on the combination of my wife's and my work schedules.
The ideal candidate would be someone who possesses the following:
Technical – at least 2 years of verifiable experience, good references, a clean driving history, a dependable vehicle, up-to-date auto insurance, non-smoker, drug-free
Character – patient, has a heart for caring for young children, dresses modestly, punctual, reliable
Religious – It is important to us that our children's caregiver holds to the same moral standard, religious affiliation, and ideals as my wife and I. Please include in your response what local place of worship you attend, how regularly you attend, and how involved you are in serving at your church. If you would like to include a brief testimony, that would also be very much appreciated.

Original URL: http://atlanta.craigslist.org/kid/782592984.html

40 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like how the description of feeding is to "simply" feed the older child and only give the infant one bottle. These people are crazy! For $225 a week, no wonder there are horror stories out there. Good Luck

Anonymous said...

What the Hell is a Testimony? And why would you give it to be a nanny, would you give same to work on Wall Street?

Anonymous said...

$225 a week to take care of 2 small children? And, you will not give her any sick days or vacation days? Wow! you really care about your kids (insert sarcasm here)

Oh and a testimony is how you came to know God, I guess these people are devout Christians and want a nanny who feels the same way

Unknown said...

This is a joke.

MaryPoppin'Pills said...

Up to 9 hrs., but only giving ONE bottle??
Sounds like this kid will starve before Mom and Dad get home!

And juice throughout the day? I thought 6-8 oz. was the max that a child was suppose to get?

And the pay .... slave wage.

Whoever found this Ad picked a real winner.

Anonymous said...

Juice:
How much is too much?

Anonymous said...

OMG!! Great post...

This family is awful! No vacation? No sick days? Write a testimony??

No wonder their last nanny quit! Who would be stupid enough to take this job?

Anonymous said...

Who would take this job? Maybe a desperate, uneducated and possibly "illegal"?

Anonymous said...

these people have to be mormon... they are nut-so about religion/testimonies ... and tend to be cheep and unrealistic in their childcare... how do i know? I am one.

Anonymous said...

That's roughly 29 hours a week, which works out to about $7.75 an hour. I haven't made that little since my high school babysitting days!

Anonymous said...

OMG! I love these. I look at craigslist all the time and I am amazed at some of the things that I read.

After the first one was posted a few days ago, I was trying to go back and find one that I read in our area (Seattle) from a mom looking for childcare who specifically said that the caregiver could "use no drugs other than pot."

I was like WTF? I actually e-mailed it to a few friends and we all had a good laugh about it.

MaryPoppin'Pills said...

Fishermans wife
Omg! "use no drugs other than pot"? That's a BIG WTF? I would love to have seen that one!

Anonymous said...

People like this disgust me.

UmassSlytherin said...

fisherman's wife: that one takes the cake! :)

Regarding this ad: I would not interview for this position. These people sound extremely difficult to work for. I think religeous beliefs are personal, and the only thing a nanny needs to know, which can be discussed in the interview, is that she needs to respect the family's faith, not go by it in her own life. And if that is something the family needs, good luck to them finding that, as well as someone perfect for the position who will do all that stuff as well as do it for that amount of money!

Anonymous said...

OMG LMFAO

Are they kidding me!?!

Seriously there should be an awards ceremony for the most outrageous ads found for childcare help.

There is so much in this one to pick apart I can't choose my favorite but If I must choose, I think that part about the nanny giving plenty of notice if she's going to be sick is it!

How about the bit about the nanny having the same moral standards as them. By moral standards I'm assuming they mean cheap bastards with no regard for the slave desperate enough to work for them.

OMG TOO FUNNY!

Anonymous said...

I am signed up for Sittercity.com and read the listings often. It just amazes me what little pay these people offer. It makes me want to email the people and ask "are you kidding me"? I have seen listings for as little as 5 bucks an hour.. no kidding, here in California.

Anonymous said...

MPP & IMass

I know, I would have LOVED to post it, but it was months ago and I think that the "ads" expire after a certain number of days.

This post was a good one, though. The entire post reeks of someone who is so condescending they are impossible to work for. Seriously, some of their "demands" are so highly illegal (ie, the same religion) and they are so damn cheap they can't even pay for their nanny's lunch!

Ugh, it's people like this who make people who have nannies look bad. They also sound sooo unflexible on the price and the fact that they take off $50 dollars for days that you don't/ can't come in. What type of ass****s do that? Who says "We've read that's the going rate for two children in our area?" Cheapos who want to hire their childcare for the cheapest price possible.

Anonymous said...

Nanny needed for 2 small children ages 3 and 1/2 and 11 months they are good kids we need a nanny to come to our home live in option or live out the dutys include:
Feeding kids breakfast and lunch(dinner if needed)
Keeping house clean
Keeping children entertained
Laundry 2 times a week
Keeping dishes cleaned from children
And other small duties needed by the children
the hours would be from 6-6 Mon-Fri and weekend would pay extra if needed at least a 48 hour notie would be given to the nanny if needed on the weekend
pay would be every friday in cash you would be responsible for taxes. The live-in nanny would have a private room and share all other spaces in the house the live out nanny would be required to arrive @ 5:50 every morning and stay until releived by me or my husband! The pay is 200 a week we will provide all food and items needed the reason we are only willing to pay 200 is you will be at my home and will not have to provide anything just be there!!!!!SPANISH SPEAKING OK!!!! I will not hire you if you can not pass a drug and criminal screening!!!!! Must Be experienced !!!!!!
Call Angela To set up a time to meet

Anonymous said...

WOW. 255 for two kids?! 6 per hour!?!
a 50 dollar deduction for being sick!?!?

they said they did their research, i'm saying BULLSHIT.

Anonymous said...

This is why I go through agencies--so someone else can tell parents like these how completely nuts they are!

Emily said...

Amen, Denver Nanny!

And good luck, CL Gazer--you have to pay MORE in my opinion if you want a 24/7 Live-in, not less and certainly not only $200. For that level of care you're not going to find anyone competent for under $500 a week, and even then I kind of shudder to think who you might be hiring.

Anonymous said...

Ugh. These postings amuse, then horrify me. What kind of testimonies is this man expecting?

I do solemnly swear that, for the pittance you are offering, I will neglect, ignore, and (occasionally) scream at your children with frustration. I also vow never, ever to take them outside, to interact with them, or to give the infant more then one bottle a day. I will never call in sick (do you all enjoy strep throat), take vacation (where would I go? I'm making less then minimum wage!) and, most likely, I will leave one day, and never come back. Amen.

Alison said...

There is no way this is a real ad. I can't even imagine someone being crazy enough to take this position!

Sheesh said...

Ummm...the "infant" is 20 months and ONLY drinks a bottle??!! Something is quite wrong.

Anonymous said...

Yawn

V.

Anonymous said...

It says the smaller baby is 8 months old- but one bottle for a 9 hour day is definitely not enough.
Also if someone is on "salary" you don't take money away from them!
These poor little children and the poor nanny who would even consider accepting a job like this. Horrible.

kathleencares said...

$225 a week?! Is this a real job? I hope not.

Anonymous said...

I loved the part where they supplied the diapers and formula. At their own home.

Maybe they should have included that they will also supply the running water, a/c, and soap to wash hands with. Well, for the kids at least. Nanny, bring your own from home.

Anonymous said...

awesome. finally a family not cowing to a lazy nanny's demands!!!!!

Anonymous said...

LOL cowing to nanny demands...Hilarious. I sincerely hope that was sarcasm. This crap is just insane. Those are in home daycare prices for goodness sake not nanny prices. So weird. And it mentions they had a nanny before, she must have a screw loose.

Anonymous said...

The sad truth is, someone will take this job. She will possibly have fled a life of desperate poverty, and risked her life to come here illegally in order to send money home to feed her own children. And these people will exploit her.

Anonymous said...

wow! is this for real? i mean
1) the pay is below the poverty level for full-time work.
2) no food for the nanny?! are you serious? bring food or have it delivered. oh, thanks so much for allowing the nanny to take up space in your pantry!
3) you want notification in advance when the nanny is going to be sick, and the best
4) what sort of religion do you belong to that it is okay to exploit someone who relies on you for full-time work and has a heart for caring for young children?!

Anonymous said...

nj nanny you are awesome. as a Christian, your post made me laugh out loud.

Anonymous said...

I just wanted to ask, how in the hell are you supposed to give plenty of notice when you're sick? I don't know about you guys, but it usually comes on pretty quick with me, and then poof!, I wake up feeling like crapola. Just mind-numbingly ridiculous, these people should not have kids!

Anonymous said...

I know someone who does work 50 hours a week for 250. I told her that she's getting screwed in pay but she has two kids of her own and says she needs the job.

someone will answer to this post. someone who is inexperienced in nannying and wants to gain some experience so she'll be able to work for a better family later.


thats the sad truth for some people.


these people should not have a nanny if they can't afford one, and 255 a week isn't enough.

chick said...

I wrote them. I'll publish any response I might get. Here's my letter:

Dear Parents,

Your ad came to my attention recently, and I felt moved to share some important information with you regarding standard nanny salaries and benefits.

While your quote of $225 per week might pay for adequate family daycare, it is not a realistic nanny salary, especially here in the XXXXX area. Most nannies with minimal experience and eduation can earn at least $8 per hour, while nannies with education, experience, and excellent references can earn upwards of $18 per hour. The vast majority of nannies get benefits as well, such as paid sick days, paid vacation, even cell service paid for by their employers, and occasionally an employer provided car.

The link below provides terrific information on nanny salaries and benefits:

http://www.4nannies.com/info/salary.cfm

Here are some price averages for other forms of childcare:

Corporate daycare: Infants $225 and up per week, toddlers $200 and up per week

Family daycare: Infants and Toddlers $100 and up per week each

Au Pair: lives in, cost averages $300 per week plus room and board

All daycares require payment 52 weeks per year, whether you use the service or not. Au Pairs MUST be paid 52 weeks per year, and a Nanny is no different. If you pay well, and treat your provider well, they will be much less likely to move on quickly for a better paying position.

In reading your ad, it is clear that you love your children and want the best for them. I hope you will read the infomation in the link I provided, and that you will re-consider the salary you are offering. If your budget allows for only $225 per week for childcare, perhaps you should consider a nice family daycare.

UmassSlytherin said...

Awesome, chick! :) Extremely tactful too!

Anonymous said...

Good post Chick

But you were too nice : )

pana said...

I feel soooo sorry for your children!!!

Kelsey said...

So because I KNOW that I will be sick next week, let me give you my notice now so that you can find someone. WTF is wrong with these people?!
If these people are so religious they might want to think about COMPASSION towards the nanny and the way they are CHEATING her out of her fair pay, sanity, etc.