Tuesday

Need Help Quitting Please

I have been working for a family for the past 8 months being a nanny to their 9 year old son. When I got hired we set on a schedule which would be part-time in the afternoons (roughly 4 hours a day) and 1 day for 7 or 8 hours if I was willing to run errands and do the grocery shopping which I did so basically 24/25 hours a week. I told them that I couldn't ever go below the 22 hours a week because ideally I needed 30+ hours but since they were highly recommended to me by a previous employer I was ok doing part-time for them for a while which the mom said at least to commit for a year and I accepted.

Well, everything was fine aside from her attitude and being picky with things, I learned to deal with her and kind of get to know her and so I made less mistakes as far as buying exactly what she wanted and doing certain things with her child like board games and reading. One day out of the blue the dad tells me that the child was going to begin a new sport that very next day, 2 times a week and so I didn't need to come in until two hours later than usual which cut my time in half for those days and then on another day they cut at least another hour. He asked me to bare with them and that it should be only for a few weeks so I said I could understand for a few weeks but if they found that they didn't need my help as much as before to let me know so that I could find something else that works better for me and he said that they would that I shouldn't worry. He said this was temporary and things would be back to normal soon but they couldn't pay me until I began to work the hours again. Now mind you they schedule everything so I don't understand why they didn't give me a heads up on the change of hours before. Why didn't they give me the option for me to find something else if they no longer needed me?
Anyways this was two months ago and it hasn't changed if anything I get less hours or all of a sudden two days before they set a play date for the kid and I don't get to come in and lose my hours. It just feels like they want me to leave and so I have gone out now to a few interviews and I hope I will get something full time soon. I am wondering what would be the best way to leave them?

Should I talk to them in person and give them two weeks notice?

The problem is the mother always gets home an hour later after I leave and so basically I just deal with the dad but I do like communicating better in person. Would it be ok to just send them a group text or email and quit?

I don't like to burn bridges and I have never honestly had to leave a job like this. I also feel bad about my previous employer who connected me to them and I don't want to leave on bad terms. How can I go about this? I do not want to make it feel that we can work it out anyways because I'm set on leaving and I no longer desire that position so how can I leave nicely but very firm?

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

you should quit in person with whichever parent is there on the day you decide to give notice. just be honest--you need a certain number of hours to be able to pay your bills. you accepted less hours than you needed at first because they were so highly recommended, but you've been working even fewer hours for months now. be nice and tell them how much you've enjoyed working for them, but you simply need more hours. any reasonable person would understand. i'm a mom and i would never cut my nanny's hours like that. they should have respected your original schedule, and at least offered you other days to make up for the hours they cut.

Crescent said...

You can give them one last chance- say we talked about this two months ago. If this isnt going to get back to 24 hrs immediately, i need to move on- if they dont respond right there, you give notice.

Leah said...

Unfortunately, some families tend do this.
I just experimented last week a case almost like that. I quit my job without notice. Because sometimes is the only way parents will learn something from this kind of situation.

Something, I've learned from my mistakes: Always have more than 3 part times jobs, because when you lose you job (full time) or want to quit it, you always have the others part times to save you. And nowadays, parents can not afford anymore for long/short time babysitter/housekeeper in their homes.

Unknown said...

I have been in similar situations before. If you talk to them, and they are not willing or able to offer more hours, then quit. Also, having a second job, is not a bad idea. Also, always have a contract. I learned that the hard way.

Unknown said...

I have been in similar situations before. If you talk to them, and they are not willing or able to offer more hours, then quit. Also, having a second job, is not a bad idea. Also, always have a contract. I learned that the hard way.

mandynanny said...

I agree with Colleen,if no contract was on place you're most likely going to encounter families like this,over and over again! I've been nannying,almost 13 years,every family except for one has tried to get over on pay,one way or another! The contract always saves me because I can bring it up in a matter of fact way,that this is what we agreed on and if it doesn't work for them then I will have to find something else. It always surprises me how families don't realize we have all the same bills,etc that they do! I just laugh it off and say "I'm sorry but I don't want to be homeless anytime soon" They usually feel stupid and then pay whatever they owe .Good luck!

Unknown said...

Right now I'm in a similar situation. Coming September I will be getting far less hours. On top of that for the last three monts the relationship with the MB has declined as she has been incredibly stressed with work and a new puppy (which in my opinion they never should have gotten.) so it got to a point where I dreaded coming to work in the morning regardless of my love for my charges.

So I decided to give them my 2-week notice.
Well I was chewed out. She went off on me that I was leaving them "high and dry." Well crazy thing is, we have a contract that specifies a 2-week notice, not more and not less. So I went with that, naturally. She claimed the contract meant I had to stay with her until school started (this wasn't stated anywhere though. The contract was simply "valid" until school began and then we would draft a new one.)

Not sure where in her mind she was thinking that I would want to stay a day longer the way she would treat me!

Absolutely horrid woman. I'll miss her children SO much. I'll be starting my new family this coming Monday though and I can not wait!
I wish you luck, you'll be fine! Everything always works out in the end somehow :-)