Another thread about nanny costs (sorry)

[KatsuQueen]

Hi, I've been busy doing calculations trying to figure out how to cover childcare costs when I go back to work later in the year and I'm hoping that some helpful forumites could advise, or just say, yes your numbers sound right or no, you have forgotten about xyz etc.

Minikatsu went to a childminder and I was happy with that, but now that I have two, a nanny or nannyshare really appeals. Mainly because the thought of wrestling two children out the door by 7:30am, and doing the pick-up at 6ish and whole bathtime/bedtime routine with everyone (especially me) tired and fractious is making me depressed.

So at least if the nanny comes to house I am spared that drop-off and I can come home to two clean and fragrant children, fed and all cute and cuddly in their jim jams. (well that's the dream)

But working out costs (based on other posts and nanny tax calculator)- ?10/hour for 3 days would cost us about ?1800! Yikes! If that's true I'll just have to accept the fact that we can't afford a nanny and look at other options.

I also looked at nanny share - but the hourly cost is higher ?12/ hour and if we paid 65% of the cost (eg if the other family only had one child, which is realistic) - it still costs about ?1550 - which helps but seems a lot of hassle for not much gain.

Also how does the bathing work when you are in a nanny share - does it happen? Do you keep towels etc at each others houses? Or does it not really happen?

I think I have just about concluded that we can;t afford a nanny! It's not that I am against childminders/nurseries etc but exploring all the options.

[chantelle]

I wouldn't dismiss a nanny or nanny share out of hand. Some (qualified) nannies work for less than ?10/hour, while many nanny shares are paying less than ?12/hour. I'm not saying it isn't valuable work and that nannies don't deserve a fair wage but that's the reality.

I'm also not sure that a family with two children typically pays two-thirds of the cost. Presumably one of your children will be eligible for free nursery education at some stage and then off to school before you know it.

Finally, ?1550 a month must be around the cost for two in nursery/childminder anyway?

Shares mean you don't get certain benefits of a nanny though, like I would never expect our nanny to do laundry and she doesn't do a lot of meal preparation either. (we leave/other family brings food.) But as ours has always been based at our house, we don't have to do drop offs or pick ups which is wonderful. You also get more flexibility with a nanny if you must be late, or if your child is sick.

However, I've never heard of a nanny share that involved any bathing!

Good luck.

[amydown]

The cost estimates do sound roughly right. You could also contact Simply Childcare or a nanny tac company (we use nanny PAYE and they are very helpful) for current market rates. We have been in a very happy share for over a year now and I would recommend a nanny share if you can find a good family and an experienced nanny that can handle the challenges that come with a share arrangement. It's really good for the children to be together and to share the attention of the carer I think.

I would agree with Chantelle about bathing - our nanny gives the kids dinner (she cooks all the meals in our case), a bit of a wind down time and then we take it from there at 6.30pm for bath and bedtime.

[mrsS]

I used to work as a nanny a few years ago when I was doing my masters. Started off with one family and did my last nanny job in 2009 which was a nanny share with two boys. If I remember right, I was paid ?10/hour but if I would have had more than two kids I would definitely ask for more. Nannying is very hard work especially if it involves looking after very young children. I did bathe the kids at times and gave them both breakfast, lunch and dinner. Prepared all meals. I did no housework though, maybe a bit of laundry but only if I had time.

[sb]

.

[dulwichgirl2]

Sorry to raise this but are you factoring in that the ten pounds is probably being quoted net?

[KatsuQueen]

Thanks for the info everyone. MrsS I do appreciate that it is very hard work! :)

Dulwichgirl2 - yes I have added tax and NI to the basic net rate, thanks!

[alieh]

Yes, your numbers look about right. It is pretty scary! The problem is that even if you find a nanny that costs less than ?10/hour, it is the plus 40% in tax and NI that really hurts so even a ?1/hour "savings" doesn't help that much. Plus we found that in this area ?10/hour net was standard except for people with very little experience.

The cost of two at a childminder will be a bit cheaper. It seemed that the cost of 2 at most of the nurseries in this area was not much different than a nanny.

[amydown]

Just wanted to add, you might want to factor in weekly kitty money, food costs for children and nanny's lunch plus car expenses if you need your nanny to do any driving. Despite the extra expense, a good nanny can make a huge difference to the quality of your life!!!! Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

[Saffron]

Did anyone see 'Panorama: The Cost of Raising Britain'? It's still on the BBC iPlayer, I think. It was very interesting. We are considering childcare options for Little Saff. My grey hairs are multiplying just thinking about the cost. The living wage for London is now around ?8.50/hr. I would expect to pay ?10-12 for an experienced nanny.

[mrsS]

Yes I did, quite interesting. There is another clip on BBC here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17234753 which is good. I think UK has a lot to learn from Scandinavia when it comes to childcare, I am Swedish myself and people at home are absolutely shocked when they hear how expensive it is here. In Sweden the maximum fee is ?120 per month for a fulltime place in nursery, and the fees are split in half if you have a second child.

[Saffron]

...and the Scandinavian (Norwegian?) nursery featured on Panorama takes the children overnight at the nursery once a month, so parents can have a night to themselves!

[KatsuQueen]

Someone has suggested a "nanny with own child" arrangement, which might suit us so I will look into that too. Minikatsu was really happy at his childminder so I'm not really worried about the quality of care they will get if they go to the right childminder. But there were days when it was awful getting him out the door by 7:30 and I felt terrible all day at work because I only had 1 hour to spend with my son and I had spent it shouting at him.

But as MrKatsu pointed out - there are lots of people who do it, so we can too. And I should stop being such a wuss!

(Edited to say: I mean there are lots of people who manage the drop-off and pick-up routine...not lots of people who shout at their children...)

[donnymum]

Hi katsuqueen,

I worked in London as a nanny and a nanny shared and below is a list of duties I would expect if I hired a nanny:

All children's laundry

All meals prepared for children (children's weekend meals if required)

Children to be bath if requested

I would expect to be paid between ?10-14 per hour.

Have you looked into possibly having an au pair? They do need to live in but a cheaper alternative.