Everything You Need to Know About Hiring a Nanny
Increasingly, both parents are going out to work and with demanding careers, families are looking for good quality, reliable childcare. Many families opt for a nanny who not only becomes part of the family, but also provides essential wrap-around care for the children within their own home environment. A live-in Nanny usually works 10-12 hours a day, many will work one day on the weekend with a day off in lieu, during the week. Salaries currently range between £300 and £500 per week depending on qualifications, location, number of children to be cared for, duties and time off.
Whether you are a busy working parent or you don’t know where to start with your search. An agency is there to take the pressure off. Using a nanny agency, means that you can give them all your requirements and expectations. And they will carry out the search on your behalf. They will ensure that they have been pre-screened, with a wide range of checks and reference checks carried out to ensure a safe candidate with a high level of experience is presented to you.
A Nanny will become a part of your family so it is important to ensure that they have suitable characteristics. Look for a nanny who is going to fit in with your family. And who has the same interests as your children. Live-in nannies provide care on a sole or shared charge basis. The duties should be clearly noted in the contract. And should be agreed by both parties prior to the start of the job.
A nanny’s main role is to look after your children. They will be responsible for the general care of your children, including carrying out all nursery duties. However, you may decide that you are also need extra help with other household duties. If this is the case, consider hiring a nanny housekeeper. To not only help with the care of your children, but to also help with household duties including washing, ironing, and running errands. A Nanny and a Nanny housekeeper, are two separate roles.
When hiring a nanny, you become an employer so have a responsibility to pay tax. As the employer, you will need to ensure deductions are made from the Nanny’s gross salary and are paid to the HMRC. Nannies offer more flexibility than a Nursery or Childminder as they are available to start work early and finish late. Live-in nannies become part of the family offering the security and continuity of care that is rarely available otherwise.
It is realistic to expect to return to your house in the condition you left it. Unloading the dishwasher, emptying the full kitchen trash, and cleaning up around the high chair are all realistic expectations. It is not realistic to expect the nanny to spend time cleaning bathrooms, mopping floors, etc. A nanny typically works with little adult interaction and no meaningful breaks away from work. She needs some time in her day to sit down and take a break before resuming full childcare responsibilites.
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