shirkingworking

Oh yes - agree with LondonMix. Most nannies won't be happy doing general housework, even if the children are at school/nursery. They'll look after all the children's things though (normally washing their clothes, preparing the children's food, keeping their toys/room tidy, changing their bedding etc.). You might be better off avertising for a nanny/housekeeper if that's what you are after?

Oh dear, this generally causes a bit of an argument... People disagree! I think about ?8 p/h - ?10 p/h net for nannying (depending on experience and hours) in East Dulwich and a bit less for babysitting (if the children are in bed). It's definitely acceptable to have two different rates but agree it up front with the nanny. They might not want to babysit after a long day at work anyway. (Just FYI, ?10 net p/h, working 5 days a week and 10 hours a day is an annual cost to the parents (including NI contributions etc.) of ?38,220 - or a gross annual salary to the nanny of ?34,500. So one parent would have to earn ?52,205 gross to pay that.) But I might be out of date. Try calling a few nanny agencies to see what they say!

Thanks KatDew. Yup - I think I'd prefer for the children not to do that 5 days a week (even though it does sound v good). I do like that there are male "teachers" there.... DS's whole school is staffed by women. Not one man! I am bracing myself for an After School/Holiday Nanny search in about 9 months time!

Hello - I'm (unusually) thinking ahead and trying to work out childcare options once my youngest starts primary school. We're considering an after school/holiday nanny but I wondered if anybody has any experience of JAM? I'm worried that leaving the children in childcare until 6.30 every evening (when I could collect them) is a very long day for them but I thought I'd ask to see what experiences other people have of it? We're also thinking about an au pair. Thanks very much!

I've been following this thread with a lot of interest! We're on our second full time nanny but have had a nanny for the last 5 years. The rate obviously depends on the job, hours and the individual. Much like all other jobs. It's not right to say that the starting salary is ?10 net an hour for any nanny job in East Dulwich. It's not true (nor would that be market rate). Some nannies obviously do get paid that (and some get paid more) and some nannies probably should be paid that well - it all depends on the market, doesn't it? I totally agree that one of the reasons nannies have demanding jobs is that they often work 10 hour days. But junior doctors, nurses, midwives, police officers etc. all work longer hours, have (mostly) spent a great deal of money on degrees and accumulated debts and also work in caring and socially valuable jobs. Pretty sure they work more than 7 working hours a day and I know doctors work 12 hour shifts. (I think it takes 9 years to become a qualified GP for example, and you won't be paid over ?35k until you are qualified - and you'll have clocked up a mountain of debt too.) I think being paid ?35k a year as a nanny is a good wage - not to say nannies don't deserve it but it's way over the London living wage. Some nannies look after one baby, who might sleep for 2.5 hours a day. Some nanies look after children who might go to school/nursery for part of the day. (Yes Tired, I think if you work in a nursery, you get between ?14k and ?18k per year ish.) Looking after other people's children is different and harder in a lot of ways - but maybe easier in others? Looking after your own children, while juggling everything else, is pretty hectic too so us working mums do have an idea of what it's like. Plus we do have weekends and also take week's off when the nanny goes on holiday etc., so it's not as if we waft around in our suits and high heels without thinking about changing a nappy, wiping up baby-sick, rushing out for playdates, music classes, football, swimming, ballet etc. I totally love it but I'm permanently knackered. Our first nanny is still a very close family friend. We see her a lot and miss her terribly. We pay for Ofsted registration but I agree it makes the nanny more marketable so I can see why it not necessarily implicit in a nanny position that the employer will pay. Personally, I'm not so worried about whether or not we provide food for the nanny but that's because we've never really had a problem. Nanny number 1 always brought her own lunch, despite me saying she could always help herself to whatever she wanted. Nanny number 2 helped herself to stuff in the fridge without asking which I was totally fine with. (I was slightly irritated when she had something special/expensive I'd been saving for supper with friends and she shared it with a nanny friend who'd come over for a playdate - however, that was my only food gripe!.) Anyway, I think the upshot is that if you are thinking of employing a nanny for the first time, think about what sort of person you're looking for and what sort of things you'd like the nanny to do. And then it's probably wise to advertise on here and go to a few local agencies. You don't have to use the agencies (it's expensive if you do!) but it's useful to see the CVs of the nannies they are putting forward and the wages they are expecting so you have a feel for what's out there. If you only have one baby, I highly recommend a nannyshare if you can find the right family to share with. Hope it works out for the original poster!!