Hello, I found your site and wanted to ask for some guidance. My question is how should I structure a financial arrangement for a housekeeper/nanny?
I have a lady that has been working for me for about 6 months. She is from Mexico and understands English very well but does not speak it as well. She has two school age children. She is very recently separated from her abusive husband and is going to be moving into our apartment in the back with her two children. We have been paying her $10/hour to babysit/clean. She works from 9-3 now because she has to pick up and drop off her kids at school. Right now she is working 3 days a week. I want to put her on full time, 5 days a week. That will change next year when they switch schools. We do not use her yet on the weekends but would like to have her start sitting one weekend night so we can go out. We have two children at home now, 3 and 1, and my wife is also at home. L is not a nanny but more a caretaker/babysitter.
How do I work out rent and pay so that it is fair for both of us. We will be paying utilities so there are no bills that she has to pay for housing.
Make sure her hourly wage and number of hours a week are set, then add up what you would pay her in a month at that wage, then subtract the amount you would charge in rent for the apartment.
ReplyDeleteBe sure to agree up front who is paying for the food that she and her children will eat.
Also, if you were in her situation, how much would you need to live on? I think putting yourself in your nanny's financial shoes is a good way to avoid resentments in the future. So many people I have worked for don't understand what it's like to live paycheck to paycheck, so make sure you think about what her expenses are.
I think $10 an hour is the floor amount. She will be living in, and you will want her to work more and more hours. You are already expecting a weekend night. You can't pay her too much. She is taking care of your heart by caring for your children. Look at it that way.
ReplyDeleteI don't know the answers to all your questions, but I do know that $10/hour for a housekeeper and nanny, especially one who is a single mother of two is far too little. My god, pay and treat your employees well.
ReplyDeleteso.. does this woman have a working VISA? a greencard? any reason to suspect she isn't eligable to work in the US?
ReplyDeleteUntil I know these answers I will not give you advice. As far as I'm concerned you are breaking the law.
Are you serious? $10/hour. This woman deserves at least $15/hour for being a nanny/housekeeper. I'm sorry, but I can't stand when people advertise for a nanny/housekeeper. They are not the same thing!
ReplyDeleteYou need to do what someone else said and set her hours and pay up BEFORE she moves in, and compensate her for additional time (including the weekend nights).
Totally depends on your area. I have a college degree, I obviously speak fluent English, excellent previous nanny experience, I am live-out, and I started my current nanny job at $13 an hour. Sorry, but not all nannies are created equal, and a "sitter" quality caretaker with no experience and poor language skills could expect to make "sitter quality" wages, with adjustments for rent and the fact that certain hours your children will not be the sole responsibility during certain childcare hours. I would call around and try to find what a similar sublet room would cost her, then give her a discounted rate (subtracted from her pay) written into her contract, so that if she does choose to find her own place and move out, you could just add that back onto her paycheck. I would also call different daycare in your area and find what their employees start at per hour. Have her LOG HER HOURS and if she isn't logged in, don't expect her to lift a finger. And, yes, double check, make sure she's legal :) Good luck!
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