A nanny share is when two families engage the services of a single nanny to care for both families' children. Nanny sharing is a creative way to save money and still have a professional in home childcare provider. With child care often being the second largest monthly expense, your mortgage being the first, families find sharing a nanny to be a great solution. It is a common misconception that having a full time professional nanny is out of a family's budget, but sharing, lowers the average costs to $300-$450 a week per family. Although this sounds great, it is easier said than done! Nanny Shares have many pros and cons, and only you can determine if it is the right choice for your family.For more reading on Nanny / Babysittes
First step: Finding the right family to work with! Just like having to interview nannies you will have to interview families first. Here are some things you need to consider:
1. Age of the children - It is probably better to have children close in age so they can play together and become friends, but think about the pros and cons of having multiple children the same or similar age or the opposite.
2. Values - How much is the other family looking to spend on a nanny? What benefits are they willing to offer? You would be surprised at how families differ on the subject.
3. Parenting Philosophy - How do you want the children disciplined? What does your child like to eat and what does their child like to eat? Does one of the children have a food allergy? What are your rules regarding television? The families must agree on these items - different rules for children being cared for together is not possible.
4. Scheduling - How often do either of the families require a nanny? If your schedules do not coordinate, how is this going to impact you? How often does each family go on vacation? How is the nanny compensated when only one family is using her? Timing is everything.
5. Activities - Do both families allow the nanny to take their children on outings to the zoo or parks? You would be surprised at how many families do not want the nanny to take the child out. You must consider how this will affect your day.
Second Step: Once you have found a possible family you would like to share a nanny with you still need to think about the following:
1. The Nanny Search - Both families should get together and write a job description, work agreement and qualities they are looking for in a nanny. They should agree on how the nanny search will be executed and determine responsibilities for each step of the way. If an agency is used: the fee amount, who pays it, and any fee-splitting arrangements should be in writing. If an agency is not being used, make sure you agree on a process for screening, background checking and reference checking. During the interview process, the nanny should have the opportunity to meet all parties before accepting the position.
2. Where will the care be given? - some families rotate; others use only one home. If care will not be given in each family's home, consideration should be given to the wear and tear which will occur in the home where the care is given.
* Is that home maintained and clean to the satisfaction of both families?
* Is the home child proofed?
* Are there pets in the home? What care must be taken to protect all children?
* Who will be responsible for supplying the toys and replacing broken ones?
* What about meals which the children and caregiver will be eating during the day - who will provide the food and pay for it?
3. Salary - When a nanny is hired by 2 families her salary is usually higher due to the more complex situation, but when split between two families will still result in a big cost savings. Consider what happens if there are days where one family's children are not being cared for - is the same salary to be paid or is a lower hourly rate ok? The same salary is recommended, but this must be worked out ahead of time. Families and the nanny should coordinate the withholding of payroll taxes and consult a payroll company (GTM) or accountant to find out how to handle this appropriately.
4. Benefits - What benefits will you offer your nanny? How do you plan to coordinate vacations? If the host family is vacationing, will the nanny be required to go to the other family's home? Full time nannies expect to receive weekly pay for every week of the year, even if a family does not need her care on any particular day or week. Typical benefits include paid federal holidays and 1-2 weeks of paid vacation.
5. Illnesses - It is important to work out what happens when the children are sick. It will be possible that the sick child will be living at the home where the care is being provided that day. Will the care be given at the other home that particular day?
6. Communication - Open lines of communication are very important. Both families and the nanny should be comfortable in bringing up any issues that might arise. Make it a point to check in once a month and give regular reviews to your nanny.
7. Contracts - Both families should have a contract not only with the nanny but each other. This should cover all the details like salary, benefits etc, but also what happens if one family wants out of the share. Always discuss an exit strategy, including what the rights and obligations of each family are, when the relationship ends.
Pros:
* More personalized attention than a day care and for less money
* Additional duties can be done like light housekeeping and laundry
Cons:
* It is very difficult for two families to find a nanny they agree on
* There is the risk of being left with a nanny who was hired for a certain salary
Sharing a nanny can be the best of both worlds or more trouble than it is worth. Evaluate your personal goals and what you want to get out of your childcare provider. Can your provider meet your goals while caring for other children? After weighing the pros and cons you will be able to determine if this is the right avenue for you.
Jobs and benefits usually get lost in the mix when it comes to sharing a nanny, but Steve Krex said it best, "Help Me - Help You" and find out your benefits with several Nanny Jobs available to you by contacting the Chicago Nanny Agency.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Bacot
Showing posts with label nanny. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nanny. Show all posts
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Nanny Share 101 and What to Expect
Friday, January 6, 2012
Things You should Know About Nanny Work
There are various kinds of nanny jobs that are popular these days, so finding the appropriate nanny jobs depends on your needs. When you are searching for any job, you should consider habits, weaknesses, skill and your goals. Knowing to promote your positive assets is important if you are in search of comfortable, rewarding, long-term nanny work. Nanny jobs are not appropriate for everyone, so investing in some self-analysis will be the first important way to find a nanny work that is appropriate for you.
Things you Need to know about nanny job
1. Your qualification: Many parents are looking for a nanny with particular, accomplished experience in nanny services. If you have already worked in that field before, you should create a list of what you preferred best about those works, what you have learned from them, where you lacked, and what strategy you would like to change on your next job. Experience is really important to your employer while hiring you as a nanny. So give time to review your experiences from the past and understand how you have changed or you have to change.
2. What is the reason for looking for nanny job?
Parents may be interested in hiring you as a nanny if they see that you have an important experience with child care department, even if you don’t have any experience in nanny services. It can be with your own family or your job in the past where you were a teacher, nurse or a daycare worker. Parents also consider education, so getting a degree, particularly if it is in healthcare sciences, child psychology or a early childhood education, you will be considered for the nanny job.
3. Do you love kids?
There are many childcare organizations that are least interested or find no joy in the work they do everyday. It is very important that you love your job, parents want a nanny who can communicate with the children and children should also feel comfortable with the nannies. So if you want to be a nanny, consider the time that you have spent with children in the past and how comfortable you are with them. You should be comfortable with the behavior of children, their bad moods, dirty diapers, hugs and tears.
Things you Need to know about nanny job
1. Your qualification: Many parents are looking for a nanny with particular, accomplished experience in nanny services. If you have already worked in that field before, you should create a list of what you preferred best about those works, what you have learned from them, where you lacked, and what strategy you would like to change on your next job. Experience is really important to your employer while hiring you as a nanny. So give time to review your experiences from the past and understand how you have changed or you have to change.
2. What is the reason for looking for nanny job?
Parents may be interested in hiring you as a nanny if they see that you have an important experience with child care department, even if you don’t have any experience in nanny services. It can be with your own family or your job in the past where you were a teacher, nurse or a daycare worker. Parents also consider education, so getting a degree, particularly if it is in healthcare sciences, child psychology or a early childhood education, you will be considered for the nanny job.
3. Do you love kids?
There are many childcare organizations that are least interested or find no joy in the work they do everyday. It is very important that you love your job, parents want a nanny who can communicate with the children and children should also feel comfortable with the nannies. So if you want to be a nanny, consider the time that you have spent with children in the past and how comfortable you are with them. You should be comfortable with the behavior of children, their bad moods, dirty diapers, hugs and tears.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Nanny Housekeeper or Live-in Nanny : Which is Better?
Below mentioned are some queries that you have to answer to decide which type of nanny is perfect for your family:
1. The Age of your children
2. How many days in a week you need nanny service?
3. Daily working hours for a nanny.
4. Do you need a nanny at night or a specialist nanny for newborns.
5. Are you looking for a live-in or live-out nanny?
6. Are you looking for other nanny services such as housekeeping?
7. What is your budget for nanny service and what is the prevailing rate in your neighborhood?
8. Do you need a full time nanny or part time nanny?
9. Do you have enough space at your house for live-in nanny? Can you provide her a private bedroom and bathroom? Can you give her access to your family car?
Benefits of Live-in Nanny at your house:
You never know when you need to work on a project that may take long time, sometimes it may need you to work late at night, travel out of station. In such conditions live-in nanny would be a great option. She can provide full time coverage and flexibility. They will be there when you need them to take care of your house and kids.
Full Time Nanny Benefits:
A full time nanny can also be of good advantage when it comes to running the household more effectively and efficiently.
When your children are left with full-time nanny, you can notice that your children are communicating with nanny. If your child is comfortable with nanny then that itself is a good way to know if the nanny is a good fit. It is really a great stress reliever when you have someone whom you can trust and depend on. When you have a good nanny, you can be assured that your children are safe when you are not around.
Advantages of Part-time Nanny
Part-time nannies are more affordable compared to full-time nannies. They usually have their own source of transportation. If you are child needs after school care, part-time nannies are perfect choice. If you work from home and not able concentrate on your child’s activities, part-time nannies can be of good help to you.
So, both live-in and live-out nannies are beneficial, every family is looking for various types of nanny services. Some prefer live-in nannies and some prefer live-out nannies, both are beneficial in certain ways.
1. The Age of your children
2. How many days in a week you need nanny service?
3. Daily working hours for a nanny.
4. Do you need a nanny at night or a specialist nanny for newborns.
5. Are you looking for a live-in or live-out nanny?
6. Are you looking for other nanny services such as housekeeping?
7. What is your budget for nanny service and what is the prevailing rate in your neighborhood?
8. Do you need a full time nanny or part time nanny?
9. Do you have enough space at your house for live-in nanny? Can you provide her a private bedroom and bathroom? Can you give her access to your family car?
Benefits of Live-in Nanny at your house:
You never know when you need to work on a project that may take long time, sometimes it may need you to work late at night, travel out of station. In such conditions live-in nanny would be a great option. She can provide full time coverage and flexibility. They will be there when you need them to take care of your house and kids.
Full Time Nanny Benefits:
A full time nanny can also be of good advantage when it comes to running the household more effectively and efficiently.
When your children are left with full-time nanny, you can notice that your children are communicating with nanny. If your child is comfortable with nanny then that itself is a good way to know if the nanny is a good fit. It is really a great stress reliever when you have someone whom you can trust and depend on. When you have a good nanny, you can be assured that your children are safe when you are not around.
Advantages of Part-time Nanny
Part-time nannies are more affordable compared to full-time nannies. They usually have their own source of transportation. If you are child needs after school care, part-time nannies are perfect choice. If you work from home and not able concentrate on your child’s activities, part-time nannies can be of good help to you.
So, both live-in and live-out nannies are beneficial, every family is looking for various types of nanny services. Some prefer live-in nannies and some prefer live-out nannies, both are beneficial in certain ways.
How to Be a Good Employer For Your Nanny
If your family is one among many other families out there, then you have been through a huge list of nannies. It can be really confusing and frustrating as a parent for you and disappointing for your children because you have to break and form new bond constantly with your nannies. If you want to get over with this habit, the most important thing that you can do is get feedback from their old nannies. If you think this is not possible, you can go online and read various testimonials from nannies who understand the most common problems in the world of nannies. Let us see the most common complaints from various nannies throughout the world.
A Confused job description
No one likes to be surprised by extra set of work every day at the office, this would be an unpleasant surprise, especially when it is the responsibility of someone else and the same thing will also happen with nanny. Childcare is a professional aim of a nanny. It is absolutely fine to ask a nanny to do other housekeeping work, but you can’t expect her to do it without requesting her and you should pay a good reward for that. If you are looking for a complete service of maid, then you should rather hire a maid. The important concern of nanny should always be taking care of children. Childcare should be the primary concern of your nanny, housekeeping work should always be secondary. Nanny can do things like attending school functions, take kids to games and running errands but all these have to mentioned to her while hiring her. If you are expecting her to attend your family vacation, you should let her know this in advance. You have to be very clear about all these things with nanny from the first day.
Nannies not appreciated
Many nannies say that there are various ways by which employers can make them feel appreciate for their work, at the same time there are many ways to show that the employer is just taking advantage of nanny’s services. Childcare is something more than simply sitting around the house throughout the day. Nanny is always out with kids taking them for different activities that may cost her money, she has to spend money out of her pocket for gas, snacks and other things. Families reimburse the nanny for her expenses but they often forget or neglect to appreciate her for doing all those things. Along with reimbursement if you appreciate her service, she would be very happy. Another common thing is disrespecting her personal time. If the family asks nanny to take care of children during her non-working hours occasionally then that is not a problem, but this shouldn’t happen all the time.
A Confused job description
No one likes to be surprised by extra set of work every day at the office, this would be an unpleasant surprise, especially when it is the responsibility of someone else and the same thing will also happen with nanny. Childcare is a professional aim of a nanny. It is absolutely fine to ask a nanny to do other housekeeping work, but you can’t expect her to do it without requesting her and you should pay a good reward for that. If you are looking for a complete service of maid, then you should rather hire a maid. The important concern of nanny should always be taking care of children. Childcare should be the primary concern of your nanny, housekeeping work should always be secondary. Nanny can do things like attending school functions, take kids to games and running errands but all these have to mentioned to her while hiring her. If you are expecting her to attend your family vacation, you should let her know this in advance. You have to be very clear about all these things with nanny from the first day.
Nannies not appreciated
Many nannies say that there are various ways by which employers can make them feel appreciate for their work, at the same time there are many ways to show that the employer is just taking advantage of nanny’s services. Childcare is something more than simply sitting around the house throughout the day. Nanny is always out with kids taking them for different activities that may cost her money, she has to spend money out of her pocket for gas, snacks and other things. Families reimburse the nanny for her expenses but they often forget or neglect to appreciate her for doing all those things. Along with reimbursement if you appreciate her service, she would be very happy. Another common thing is disrespecting her personal time. If the family asks nanny to take care of children during her non-working hours occasionally then that is not a problem, but this shouldn’t happen all the time.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Paying Your Nanny
Author Bio:
Samuel is doing some researches about babysitter as well as Nanny, as a result, he is writing articles on how to find a nanny and etc.
If you are planning to have a nanny at your house, it can mean many things for your family and the most important of all is her pay. There are many things that you might be considering while hiring a nanny for your kid, but the salary is a big thing for many families. Along with other things you should make sure that the money that you are paying to your nanny is making her happy, because she will be a good nanny if she is happy. It can be every expensive sometimes to get a good nanny, it gets more difficult when it comes to nanny taxing. It gets more complicated when you have hired a person to work in your house as a worker.
The best thing is that nanny salary doesn’t have to be some totally confusing aspect that makes the advantages and minor steps in having a good nanny helping with the raising your child a good option. You can surely find inexpensive ways to handle the budget the nanny of your child without having to cut down on important aspects of your budget, and generally you can also make sure that you are not going to overdo yourself or be amazed during the time of tax. It only takes having a little caution and proper organization to be assured that you are getting a good nanny for your child and family.
While negotiating the salary for the nanny, make sure that you have your own final budget in your mind. Always try to be truthful with your potential nannies. Don’t underpay them and make them unhappy, but that also doesn’t mean that you pay them something unrealistic, be sensible about what you can and what you can’t afford.
You may have considered nanny’s pay into your budget, but you might not have thought of small things. Remember that you might be giving her rides to home, which adds into your time and money, extra expenditure if you go for a trip where the presence of nanny is necessary. Being sensible about the total expenses means being well prepared if the situation occurs and you need to shed some extra money.
Samuel is doing some researches about babysitter as well as Nanny, as a result, he is writing articles on how to find a nanny and etc.
If you are planning to have a nanny at your house, it can mean many things for your family and the most important of all is her pay. There are many things that you might be considering while hiring a nanny for your kid, but the salary is a big thing for many families. Along with other things you should make sure that the money that you are paying to your nanny is making her happy, because she will be a good nanny if she is happy. It can be every expensive sometimes to get a good nanny, it gets more difficult when it comes to nanny taxing. It gets more complicated when you have hired a person to work in your house as a worker.
The best thing is that nanny salary doesn’t have to be some totally confusing aspect that makes the advantages and minor steps in having a good nanny helping with the raising your child a good option. You can surely find inexpensive ways to handle the budget the nanny of your child without having to cut down on important aspects of your budget, and generally you can also make sure that you are not going to overdo yourself or be amazed during the time of tax. It only takes having a little caution and proper organization to be assured that you are getting a good nanny for your child and family.
While negotiating the salary for the nanny, make sure that you have your own final budget in your mind. Always try to be truthful with your potential nannies. Don’t underpay them and make them unhappy, but that also doesn’t mean that you pay them something unrealistic, be sensible about what you can and what you can’t afford.
You may have considered nanny’s pay into your budget, but you might not have thought of small things. Remember that you might be giving her rides to home, which adds into your time and money, extra expenditure if you go for a trip where the presence of nanny is necessary. Being sensible about the total expenses means being well prepared if the situation occurs and you need to shed some extra money.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
How to Find a Good Nanny
Author Bio:
Samuel is doing some researches about babysitter as well as Nanny, as a result, he is writing articles on how to find a nanny and etc.
While searching through a group of nannies to find someone who will take care of your children no matter if it is for only some hours or for a week, it is important that you do a detailed process of screening. Though the employers will do a background checks for nannies initially, but they may skip some information and hurry through another important step before making the decision to hire her and that is asking references.
You will always find a person who can take care of checking references if you are hiring a nanny with the help of nanny agency. This person will be qualified and experienced in finding out false references that nannies may add in their profiles in order to get the job. These nanny agencies may be very expensive, you can instead find a nanny with the help of online service. But when you go for online service, you will have to do lot of legwork on your own. In this situation, it is necessary that you have the right tools and mindset with the help of which you can check the references of nannies that you may be thinking of considering.
What to expect while checking references
You can learn lot of things from checking references by not only seeing what the references say but also by observing the things that are not said. References that come for nannies may be more approaching with information unlike other jobs where the references are restricted legally to what they might say about another person. It can be anything, good or bad.
You should always trust your gut feeling while making the first call and listen carefully to everything that the nanny reference says. While checking references you are more likely will be speaking with some other parent who is also interested to tell you about the nanny. You can ask anything you want to them, not only the behavior and credentials of the nanny but also other details of the family for which the nanny worked. It is very important that you pay attention to the behavior of the references while talking to them. It is very important that the person doesn’t sound distracted or rushed while talking about the nanny.
Finding a good nanny is not an easy task but it is not difficult as well if your references are good.
Samuel is doing some researches about babysitter as well as Nanny, as a result, he is writing articles on how to find a nanny and etc.
While searching through a group of nannies to find someone who will take care of your children no matter if it is for only some hours or for a week, it is important that you do a detailed process of screening. Though the employers will do a background checks for nannies initially, but they may skip some information and hurry through another important step before making the decision to hire her and that is asking references.
You will always find a person who can take care of checking references if you are hiring a nanny with the help of nanny agency. This person will be qualified and experienced in finding out false references that nannies may add in their profiles in order to get the job. These nanny agencies may be very expensive, you can instead find a nanny with the help of online service. But when you go for online service, you will have to do lot of legwork on your own. In this situation, it is necessary that you have the right tools and mindset with the help of which you can check the references of nannies that you may be thinking of considering.
What to expect while checking references
You can learn lot of things from checking references by not only seeing what the references say but also by observing the things that are not said. References that come for nannies may be more approaching with information unlike other jobs where the references are restricted legally to what they might say about another person. It can be anything, good or bad.
You should always trust your gut feeling while making the first call and listen carefully to everything that the nanny reference says. While checking references you are more likely will be speaking with some other parent who is also interested to tell you about the nanny. You can ask anything you want to them, not only the behavior and credentials of the nanny but also other details of the family for which the nanny worked. It is very important that you pay attention to the behavior of the references while talking to them. It is very important that the person doesn’t sound distracted or rushed while talking about the nanny.
Finding a good nanny is not an easy task but it is not difficult as well if your references are good.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
How to Keep your Nanny Happy
There must be some reason why some families stick with a nanny for years and years and some families keep changing nannies without finding someone that suits well for their family. The one reason that comes to mind frequently is that they did not do enough for the nanny to satisfy her needs and did not treat her properly. There are various things that can be cone to keep a nanny happy by a family to make sure that she stays in their family for long time.
Develop sensible expectations from nannies
If the nannies feel that they are being asked for more than what they were actually told at the time of hiring are more likely to quit the job soon. You should set some sensible expectations from them from the beginning of the work to avoid this difficulty. The best way to do this is to make a contract with nanny that both nanny and family will sign. This way, if there is any issue about something, the contract can be observed to clarify the situation. If a nanny agrees to do the housekeeping work along with taking care of the children, you should specify what her responsibilities are and later don’t add any additional work to that until you discuss that with your nanny and add that to the contract and sign.
Additionally, if you need some extra help with something, may be an extra night of babysitting, you should ask the nanny about it in advance. This way she can see whether she can do it or not. You shouldn’t just think that just because she lives in your family she will do any job that you need. She will definitely expect you to stay with schedule that you have made and that you will let her know in advance if you need anything extra from her. If both parents are working and an occasional late night work may not harm your relationship with your nanny. But if this becomes regular then your nanny may not be happy with you. So make sure that you tell her in advance if you are expecting her to do something more than what is told.
If you want to keep you nanny happy, you should plan for giving her yearly raises and a surprise vacation for her in a year. Try to reward her occasionally with money or some gifts.
Author Bio:
Samuel is doing some researches about babysitter as well as Nanny, as a result, she is writing articles on how to find a nanny and etc.
Develop sensible expectations from nannies
If the nannies feel that they are being asked for more than what they were actually told at the time of hiring are more likely to quit the job soon. You should set some sensible expectations from them from the beginning of the work to avoid this difficulty. The best way to do this is to make a contract with nanny that both nanny and family will sign. This way, if there is any issue about something, the contract can be observed to clarify the situation. If a nanny agrees to do the housekeeping work along with taking care of the children, you should specify what her responsibilities are and later don’t add any additional work to that until you discuss that with your nanny and add that to the contract and sign.
Additionally, if you need some extra help with something, may be an extra night of babysitting, you should ask the nanny about it in advance. This way she can see whether she can do it or not. You shouldn’t just think that just because she lives in your family she will do any job that you need. She will definitely expect you to stay with schedule that you have made and that you will let her know in advance if you need anything extra from her. If both parents are working and an occasional late night work may not harm your relationship with your nanny. But if this becomes regular then your nanny may not be happy with you. So make sure that you tell her in advance if you are expecting her to do something more than what is told.
If you want to keep you nanny happy, you should plan for giving her yearly raises and a surprise vacation for her in a year. Try to reward her occasionally with money or some gifts.
Author Bio:
Samuel is doing some researches about babysitter as well as Nanny, as a result, she is writing articles on how to find a nanny and etc.
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