Guidelines for employing a live-in nanny

Trustworthy, efficient, and loving live-in nannies are to be cherished and encouraged to remain as such. The following suggestions are based on what nannies have shared with us over the years. I share them with you in an effort to make your experience a caring and rewarding one for you and your children.

01.       We strongly emphasize a commitment of one year and the first week or two may be crucial to your nanny's decision to stay with you. Take the time to show your nanny around the town, introduce her or him to other nannies in the neighborhood. Help your nanny get her/his bearings. Provide a map of your locale and brochures of things to do in the area. Expect to show the routes around town more than once. If possible, do not put her/him to work the first day. Instead, make it a celebration!

02.       We hope you have a regular housekeeper, housekeeper if you do not, at least hire a cleaner to have the house as neat, and organized as possible for your nanny's arrival. Your nanny's room should not be full of your things. Clean out the closet, have plenty of dresser space, a mirror, a bulletin board for photos, and put a TV and stereo in the room so your nanny truly feels this is a personal space. A private phone line and internet access for your nanny is a plus.

03.       Schedule as much time as possible alone for your nanny with the children to establish a rapport between them. This bonding may take time to develop. Parental backup must be available to ensure that the children treat your nanny with respect. Successful placements most often occur where the children are aware that their new nanny has the full support of the parents.

04.       Most families that employ live-in nannies provide a car exclusively for the nanny's use. Parents with small children do not stay at home without access to a vehicle. Don't expect that of your nanny. You can put mileage restrictions on the car but she should have the right to drive during free time. Be sure to have proper insurance coverage.

05.       Make room in the pantry and refrigerator for special foods your nanny may want to buy with her/his own money. A small fridge in her living space is a real plus.

06.       Ideally, employers should install a private phone for your nanny to use. She/he would pay for personal long distance charges. A nice benefit is to pay $10 to $20 per month toward these charges so your nanny can stay in touch with family and friends.

07.       Nannies may occasionally enjoy having a friend stay over on a day off. If this is agreeable with you, request that your nanny make prior arrangements with you. If any of her family members comes to visit, it would be nice and greatly appreciated by your nanny if you allow them to stay in your home.

08.       Thoroughly instruct your nanny about all security precautions taken in your home. Nannies should never let in repair people without your prior approval. Tell your nanny who is coming and when. If anyone shows up unexpectedly, the nanny should call you at your place of work before letting him or her enter your home.

09.       Most nannies are young women. They may be sensitive to kidding and certainly to mockery. You may be moody in the privacy of your home but if you make your nanny the brunt of this moodiness on a continual basis, you may be left without the childcare you need. Take your nanny out for ice cream after dinner occasionally, if not for a full-course dinner.

10.    The very best relationships develop when people take time to communicate. Encourage the discussion of working conditions with you if something seems amiss. Criticize gently. We recommend regular meetings to discuss yours and hers expectation openly and fairly. A wise employer will schedule a time and place where there will be no interruptions.

11.    Nannies thrive if they feel salary raises are possible. An end-of-year bonus is an effective way to insure that your nanny will complete her contract. A 401k is also appropriate.

12.    Since nannies are salaried, it can be tempting to heap on the hours without giving additional pay. The salary you pay should reflect up to a 50-hour week (with dollar value of housing/vehicle use and total salary reflecting overtime to comply w/ 40-hour week Labor Law rules). Anything over 50 hours should be compensated with extra pay or extra time off. Be careful that you do not increase your nanny's workload without also increasing her salary. Be sure the workload does not distract from your nanny's primary responsibility: the proper care of your children. Children will thrive from the creative energy of a nanny not drained by too many domestic chores.

13.    As an employer, you need to be clear as to your special pet peeves, like clutter in the kitchen, etc. In areas not as crucial to your peace of mind, allow your nanny to show individuality as much as possible. Be realistic about the busy hands of small children. Expecting your house to look like no children live there when you arrive home is unreasonable.

14.    Have respect for your nanny's plans. Avoid asking for last minute babysitting. Your nanny may not tell you it is inconvenient, but frequent babysitting may cause resentment. Ideally, you will go over your schedule with your nanny on a monthly and weekly basis so everyone knows what to expect.

15.    The best employer/nanny relationships are a careful blend of mutual politeness, friendliness, and respect for privacy. We encourage nannies to be flexible with their employers regarding hours of work as the careers of their employers are often demanding. However, employers need to understand a nanny's need to interact with peers during off-hours and need to trust that plans for free time will be respected.

16.    Bad days happen to all of us. Count to ten, walk away, and call the agency if you must. However, cut your nanny some slack if she/he is a bit "off.” Some nannies are not assertive enough to tell you when their plate is full. Instead, they do a job slowdown. Observe, and be aware of the pressures your nanny may be feeling.

17.    Nannies tell us that when work is piled up for them when they return from their two days off, it can be stressful and discouraging. Perhaps a "Monday morning bonus" can be waiting for your nanny to compensate when extra work has accumulated. This work should always be child-related unless you are paying extra for other domestic work your nanny has consented to do.

18.    Any other "perks" you can provide may insure a long-lasting relationship. Creating your nanny's own space with all the creature comforts is a given. A membership to the local Y or fitness club is always good for mental health and physical well-being. An extra trip home during the year, even a weekend at a local ski area or tickets to a concert or play will show gratitude on the part of the employer. Nannies should be provided health insurance. There are companies that specialize in health insurance for nannies and the rates are very low. Nannies should get at least some of the state/federal holidays off with pay, or other days off as compensation. Allowing time for a college class or two and even paying some or all of the tuition is a wonderful reward.

19.    Unless you are specifically hiring a live-in housekeeper, be very aware of the domestic chores you expect. Nannies that are wonderful with children may bristle at parents who will not make their own bed, carry their own plate to the sink after meals or who entertain and leave the clean up to the nanny. Try to keep the domestic chores as child-related as possible. Employers who truly want house cleaner service may get some of it from the nanny, but should expect to pay more. Some nannies love to double as personal assistants, for shopping, errands, scheduling travel, supervising other domestic help, perhaps assisting in your business endeavors. It adds variety to the day, and if children are in school, it makes sense to utilize your nanny for other duties. At this point, your nanny becomes more of a household manager/personal assistant and pay should reflect that. Paying under the table is outdated. This is a REAL career and the employer needs to treat it as such.

20.    Frequent marital arguments within hearing range of a live-in nanny are unsettling. We have had nannies quit because of this alone.

21.    Curfews for nannies are not a good idea. Obviously, you need to step in if your nanny is coming in at all hours and is not getting up in the morning. Please do not abuse the excuse that you need to set your alarm system. If you trust your nanny with your children, you can trust your nanny with the code to the alarm system.

22.    Remember, the first couple of weeks can be somewhat rough as the nanny adjusts to a new culture (yours) and your children adjust to your nanny. Keep the lines of communication open. Encourage your nanny to call us, or make call yourself, we can provide you a great service by helping your nanny communicate concerns to you.

23.    If a nanny is working long hours for you during the week to cover your work time and commute, look into finding other coverage for nights and weekends. Check with a school counselor or child development teacher. A warm and competent high school senior or college student may be a real boon to keeping your permanent nanny from burn out.

24.    Many nannies and families form bonds that last a lifetime. This is how it should be. Life is often less than perfect, but never thinks you are the winner if you manage to keep a nanny on the job through intimidation. Children deserve a nanny who loves the work. You can make the workplace delightful or miserable, depending on your skills as a humane employer.

 Salary range: Whatever salary you pay should reflect a 50-hour workweek. Employers should always compensate anything over that with extra pay or extra time off during weeks that are not so hectic in your home. Nannies must be flexible, and these wonderful, cherished employees are there for your support--but don't burn them out! If you must work, long hours at your career, use your nanny for that coverage, and hire a local live out for evening or weekend coverage. Many nannies are happy to do the extra coverage, but the employer should acknowledge it as such and reimburse accordingly--or you may be looking for a new nanny just as you thought things were going so well! Local

Note:   If you need far more than 50-55 hours per week on a consistent basis, talk to us! If the compensation and "perks" are adequate, the applicants who are qualified for such a demanding but interesting position will step forward.

The salary range for beginning nannies with good, strong childcare experience but no previous live-in experience is $400 to $475 net per week.

Experienced nannies earn $500 to $800 net and up per week depending on the hours and number of children.

A nanny should be treated as a professional. Put together the most complete package you can for your nanny, I.e. health insurance, two week paid vacation per year, perhaps an extra trip home during the year, use of a car (ideally exclusive use of a car). Providing time for some higher education and perhaps paying some tuition could insure the longevity, you need from your nanny.