Received Thursday, November 20, 2008. - Perspective & Opinion
I am a nanny living and working in New York City. I have 6 years of full time experience (with 8 years part-time prior to that). I have a list of references going back a full 14 years and all of them glowing. I currently work as a Mon.-Fri. live-in nanny for a Manhattan family where I make $88K/year plus benefits.
In the next year I will be making a move to Portland, ME and I'm wondering what I will find in the nanny market there. Obviously I will not make the same amount of money as I am currently because of cost of living differences and the fact that there isn't the same concentration of wealth in Maine as compared to New York.
Are you a nanny in Maine or a nanny employer? What kinds of salaries am I likely to find?
27 comments:
Portland Maine is one of my favorite places ever.
Sorry, that's all I have to contribute. I have no idea how the nanny market is there.
Good luck :-)
Looking for someone to cover your job? I am looking for a new position in Manhattan, I am in jersey now. Also have tons of experience, multiples and special needs.
Let me know please!
Thanks, but my contract extends through August 2009, so I'm not leaving it anytime soon. I'm just trying to get a sense of how much I'll have to save up before making the move in about a year.
Can I ask did you go thru an agency?
Yes, I've had several jobs in Manhattan and I've always gone through an agency. It makes everything easier for the nanny, I think. Working with an agency everything is so much more upfront. I can say things like, "I will only interview with families where both parents work full time and who are willing to pay at least $__/week and all (or at least close to all) my health insurance costs." If I didn't use an agency I'd have to do so much more screening of families who just don't fit my needs. It works the same way for parents as well, I assume.
Born and Raised in Maine!!!!!
I've lived in Maine my whole life (besides right now while in college).
There is one agency in Maine that I know of (and I doubt there are any more actually). It is Portland Nannies, Inc. and their website is http://www.portlandnannies.com/
Portland is a great city, though compared to Manhattan it is completely different. I have spent quite a bit of time in NYC as well, so I can definitely make a comparison. I grew up making special trips to Portland with my family. We only lived like 40 min away. It is a great little city with a lot of character. As far as the nanny positions go, it will be VERY VERY different from NY. The pay will be half what you make (probably even less).
What is bringing you to Portland? Just curious :)
I have a lot of connections to the Portland area (friends & family) and am up there at least 3-4 times during the year. I'm feeling a bit "done" with New York after 12 years of living here, so it seems like (one of) the logical places to go.
I live in Maine and two of my friends nannied here. They make about $15/hour on average. Some lawyers don't even make what you are making right now, here in Maine. Taxes are high here. But the place is beautiful. I have lived her 4 years and LOVE it. You will take a pay cut but have a quality of life increase. My friends that were paid well nannying worked in the really expensive coastal towns (about an hour northeast of portland).
Just wondering what agency do you use in Mnahattan??
I got my current job through Greenhouse Staffing. In the past I've also had fabulous placements from A Choice Nanny, I think that they're some of the nicest people in NYC.
On the negative side, I had a truly horrible time working with Domestic Job Picks (they used to be called Domestically Yours). There are two agents in that company, one of them is mean and the other blatantly hit on me. Both of them just tell the parents and the nanny what they want to hear, regardless of the truth. When you sit in their office to fill out an application you hear them saying nasty things about their clients to the nannies, and then vica versa. It's incredibly unprofessional.
So, that's my take on Nanny Agencies in the city.
I'm kind of amazed that no one has come on this post to flame you about how much you get paid, OP. It's nice to see.
Yes, pretty shocking, Pleasantly. No indignant mothers knocking her for making a decent living. No one challenging her on what she makes either. Funny that.
Just a guess, but maybe it has something to do with the fact that she didn't make outlandish claims that her pay range is "average" for nannies or that anyone in any profession who makes less than that is "crap".
Your right Cali Mom.
No, she didn't make outlandish claims or act entitled . . . but she is shamefully biased against SAHMs and I find that disgusting.
My wife and I just finished a 3 month nanny search and I was so incredibly disappointed when each and ever American, college educated, experienced nanny turned their nose up at my wife. Most of them wouldn't even come and interview, like the OP, and the ones who did made excuses and turned my wife down. And we were offering $25/hour!
I find the OP's closed minded nature really disheartening.
LoneRanger, what's "disgusting" about a nanny preferring to work for a family with two working parents? As a former nanny and a current employer of a nanny, I share her sentiment. It doesn't automatically imply a judgment against stay at home parents.
I don't think its a good idea to work full-time with a parent at home either. Now maybe part-time. But not as a live-in. I think when theres two hens in the nest it never works out.
Alot of jealousy sometimes comes into play. On both sides. And nitpicking.
Lone Ranger,
As a nanny who has worked for a SAHM mom, I share the OPs sentiments. It's not a reflection on you or your wife, and it's certainly not about the pay. Think of it this way: how would you feel if you had to spend your entire work day with your boss. Your boss constantly telling you what to do, how to do it, what you did wrong, where to go, etc. And on top of that, you and your boss are both trying to do the exact same job and mostly it's just awkward and you end up getting in each other's way. That's what working with a NICE stay at home mom is like. Working with a rude or overbearing stay at home mom is about 23423420438098 times worse.
You make how much?????
My salary is what it is. I'm British, which gives me an advantage in the New York market. The nannies in my circle (at my charges' school) all make about the same amount, no one less than $80K, I think.
We work for our money, though. I feel bad for nannies and employers I read about on this site. It seems like they're always squabbling over something or other. My bosses don't have to worry about getting home at a certain time or wondering how I'll react if they ask me to pick up something at the store or be in the apartment to receive a package. I make myself flexible because I'm being paid a premium. Not every family can afford this, I realize, but what I think is sad is the families who try and pretend they can and then have all this conflict.
As for not working for a SAHM. That's my choice. Lone Ranger, I'm sorry you've had difficulty. I've not really heard about a family having problems finding quality care when they're providing the right environment for it.
OP, I am a British nanny too (with American citizenship) and have just found my first NYC job. Will be moving in January. Any tips?? Thank you!!
I have worked for two separate families on two different nanny jobs that stayed in the home. One mother was a telecommuter and the other lady was a SAHM. It never worked out. I tried my darndest to do as I was told and not cause any conflict. I held my tongue numerous times. But it could never work out. One lady told me I wasn't mashing the potatoes like she did and she took over and started to mash them for me. The other mother told me I didn't cut the veggies the right shape...as her son was happily munching them down!
Anyways, now I do not work for parents who stay home, I even specify it in my online ads for jobs. I expected a lot of people reacting in a suspicious manner, but not one negative response in the bunch. I now work for a family where both parents are at work and I am home alone w/the child. The job is so much easier w/out all the interference and the child and I have a great time. It also helps when the parent is gone, because when the child knows they are home, they tend to behave in a different manner altogether.
I live in Portland and I'm a nanny. I've lived here for 12 years and babysat for the past 8. Finding a nannying job was a bit difficult for me, I ended up taking over for my friend when she left for school. I also got some work through friends of a family I have babysat for the past 5 years. I currently work through an agency for special needs children. Right now I work with a little boy with extreme disabilities and I'll be starting with another child soon. I love doing the special needs work, it's incredibly rewarding and I always have a lot of fun at work. If you are interested in doing special needs work, I can give you the names of some agencies. Pay is definitely less than what you are used to, since I work through a non-profit agency, I make $13/hour. You also may have to be open to commuting, I couldn't find anything directly in Portland, I'm working in Buxton and North Yarmouth, which are both about a half-hour commute from Portland. Like Jenna said, there is portlandnannies.com, however people I know who have used that agency did not have good experiences. You can also look on Craigslist, but I never found anything on there. Portland is a great city, good luck. If you a nanny contact in Portland, let me know. :)
Lone Ranger-I've worked for many SAHM and WAHM. Too bad I have a great job right now. Keep looking,the right one is out there.
As for Cali Mom, I said people who hire someone for $15 in NYC is going to get crap and I stand by it. It's apparent with every post on this board about nannies from NYC that they're paid under the table and are recieving crap in wages. After all, that didn't that Park Slope survey prove that most of the people in Brooklyn who participated in the survey don't even pay taxes on their nannies? Yeah, go ahead, and defend THOSE people.
I bought a brand new nanny in Portland at the dollar store for 99 cents. Sadly, the tax was extra.
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