I need nanny advice! I am currently working for a family that I love. Both parents work in the medical field and make great money. I'm adding this in because I feel that I may be getting ripped off. I watch a 7 month old for about 11 hours a day, 4 times a week. My pay is $300 a week tax free. I calculated it and I am making about $6.81 an hour. The minimum wage here in the midwest is over $7 an hour. I have 5 years of nannying experience and I am CPR certified.
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24 comments:
Yes, you are.
Why did you agree to such a low pay?
PS: You're actually making less if you calculate it properly. 11 hours 4 times a week comes up to 44 hours per week, so it's 4 hours overtime.
Yep, sounds like yoga landed on a stingy family. But like it was mentioned in the post above, YOU AGREED to it...
Look for another job, because stingy families are one of the worst type to work for.
I meant *you not Yoga
you should not have agreed to such a low rate - let us know what happens
omg!!!! totally ripped off!!!! I can't believe people would want to pay that. girl do your math before you agree to such things! you need to quit like yesterday!!!
Op here..
I agreed to it thinking I was working 3x a week. 4 at most on occasion. They were orginally offering $250 a week and I asked for more. It is hard for me to think about quitting because they seem to be very generous people. They gave me a $120 birthday gift. But maybe I am kidding myself.
Yes you are, you are being taken advantage of BIG TIME
Any advice on what to tell them? I know I am a great nanny so I know I deserve more.
Oh course they are ripping you off. They are trying to get a cheap deal! In most areas a daycare center for a 7 month old would be more then the original 250 they were looking to spend. I made more than this in the midwest ten years ago when I was a nanny. Where in the midwest are you?
Honestly, I suggest you not to bother and directly looking for another job.
The reason why I am saying this is because of this simple fact. You said they were both in the medical field which makes me believe they aren't clueless about how market works. They are most likely intelligent people and probably know what they are doing when deciding to pay you this miserable weekly amount.
My point is that if they chose to pay you as little as 300£ (you said they even wanted to go with 250£) You are dealing with stingy people. The other reason might would have been because they can't afford a nanny but you made it sound like they can.
THEY ARE NO CURE for stingy people. I know what I'm talking about, I've had a toooon of them when applying through Gumtree which is why I ended up going through agencies only. Only then I started finding decent families.
You need to find a new job that offers you a decent salary for your experience and AT LEAST the minimum legal(which isn't competitive but it's the law)
Good luck , please keep posted!
I am in MO.
...I'm in Chicago, work 20-25 hours/week (mon-fri), children nap ~2.5 hrs daily while I'm there (I have no other tasks than childcare so I study), and get paid $405. Anything over the 25 hours is paid overtime (which hasn't happened in the 6 months I've been with the family), I have 12 public holidays off (and paid), 5 paid PTO days and 7 paid sick days. Any date night babysitting is $15/hr until midnight - after midnight it's $20/hr (they have date night at least 2x per month, usually 8pm-2am) cash. They have me as an independent contractor which is too bad but the hours and pay work great with my grad school so I decided it's worth it (plus I can deduct health insurance premium from my taxes, yay!)!
But my point is, yes, you are getting ripped off. Either tell the family (since they are already used to paying you what they do, it might be pointless) or find a new family. Don't be afraid to ask what you are worth! Some families have no idea what a nanny should be paid so unless you tell them they won't know!
I'm sorry but posts like this get major sideeye from me. Who thinks 300 is ok?
Unless you're working two days pet week, it's not ok. You are being taken advantage of. You should quit. Grass is green. The sun rises in the morning.
Ok? We good? Did we answer all the important questions of the day? Seriously sideeying this post. It cannot be real life!
I watch a 5 year old and a 1 year old three days a week. This usually adds up somewhere between 20 and 40 hours. When I started we agreed that I would be paid $200 each week regardless of how much I work (babysitting is a separate rate). This includes any time either of us has appointments, goes on vacation, etc. I am still in college and think this is perfectly fair for what I do. In addition, he is always giving me bonuses when he thinks I go above and beyond or I have to stay overnight (even though his was part of the deal). I love the kids and the family and never feel overworked or underpaid. I know both parents make good money, but it just isn't feasible for them to pay a "regular" nanny rate. Despite what you may consider a pitiful pay rate this is one of the most generous families I have ever encountered. My point is: just because they pay less than you expect them to does not mean they are stingy. If this is the rate you agreed to and you truly enjoy your job I don't see any reason to quit. Especially if you only see the wages as unfair in comparison to others. Any reasonable family will discuss this with you and try to find a solution that is mutually beneficial. I think people jump to quitting as the solution far too easily on this site. That would be a last resort for me. Just weigh what you like about this job against getting paid better for a job that might not be as enjoyable. If a better agreement cannot be reached with your bosses, maybe it is time to look for a new position. Good luck!
You're kidding yourself if you think you're being paid fairly. Up to forty hours for two hundred? Is this crazy town?
Yeah maybe those weeks I might come out behind, but when the weeks I have off and still get paid are figured in I come out to about $10 or $12 an hour. Not nearly as much as some on here make, but enough for me.
Do you realize that most nannies-myself included- get paid well PLUS families pay if they go on vacation, grandparents come into town, parents take a sick day or whatever? This means that I get a great hourly rate + the above mentioned + sick, holiday and vacation pay. You don't have to choose. This is a job. Why would you accept such a crappy situation? And please don't say you love the kids/family. So do I. Again you don't have to choose.
Lol. I was thinking the same. I get paid hourly. One week may be 20 hours. Another week may be 27 hours. But I still get paid for Each hour I work.
Why settle for low wages?
Hahahahahaha! For real? If you like to be taken advantage of like a pigeon , good for you ;)
Nannies like you and OP encourages those kind of families to bring down wages which is why we are seeing an increasing number of crappy jobs online.
I love thoroughly the kids as well as the parents I am working with and guess what? I am paid well, have PAID vacations including many other benefits.
OP wanted an opinion , well now she knows ;)
I'm in WI, nanny part time evey other weekend, and I get $15/hr fir two kids, 2.4 y and 14 months. Very nice familiy whom I found online. I've been a part time nanny for seven years, and it's been a learning experience in terms of both communication and wages.
Based on your comments OP, I'm gathering that you are a young, inexperienced nanny. I'm also willing to bet that your previous experience was non-formal, most likely family and/or friends, or a summer position. This is mist likely why you are clueless about salary. Yes, you are being ripped off, and you need to figure out what the market rate is in your area, ask them for a raise, or find a new job. It's your choice.
In the meantime, if you do decide to remain a nanny, write down what you are looking for in a family and during your next interview, be firm about your wages. If it sounds too low, but they are so nice, pass on it. You have bills to pay, and the family is clueless about nannies and pay.
Let us know what happens!
Like I said before, you are getting ripped off. I am from IA and made more than this as a 15 year old nanny in the early 90's.
I think some families elect to pay salary/weekly rate/monthly rate/etc instead of hourly for ease. If we are talking hourly, someone has to keep track, and every week calculate the payment, and either write a check, give cash or make a transfer. With the regular rate it can be set as re-occuring and no one has to think too much about it unless there was overtime or date-night. True, some parents are business owners and might simply put you on a payroll (I did that with previous family) - but usually other than timekeeping everything else is done by the bookkeeper. If things are set up, great!
As far as fair wages, living in a big city, I'd never accept anything that would work out less than $14/hr per one child, no matter however many hrs worked. Yes, I have a scholarship, but I also have to pay rent, bills, school supplies, and often, supplies for the activities I do with the kids (I don't recommend that but if I didn't do it with them, I'd still need to do it, for free with other kids - it's part of my assignments from school)
As a nanny, you cannot be an independent contractor. You work for someone - you don't make your own hours up. All to say, they are not legally documenting child-care (w2)
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