How much would/do you pay your nanny?

[intrepidmother]

I need to hire a nanny for my DD who is 1 year old. A nanny we interviewed is in the process of adopting a LO (also 1). We really like this woman and my DH and I both got good vibes from her.

Here is the question: How much would you pay a nanny, who will be parenting her own child at the same time? She would be working 4 days a week for 8 hours and will be paid a monthly salary.

Thanks!

[greenemami]

When I brought my dd with me and was nannying a 7-year-old (and later a 5-year-old, separate job) I made $12 per hour. Without brining a child, I think the going rate was more like $15. I only worked part-time though, maybe 15 hours per week. Also depends on the cost of living in your area-hope that helps!

[JessieBird]

We didn't end up hiring a nanny but came close and went through the pay negotiations. My research showed that $12 an hour was average in our area. This would be above-board, with tax deductions and everything done properly. $12-13 was the maximum that we could afford and our candidate was right out of school with no official experience (though her education was ECE) so we offered $11 with a raise to $12 after 3 months assuming all was going well. We really wanted to be able to offer a raise fairly soon and leave wiggle room for additional raises in the future to show our appreciation, so we couldn't start too high. On top of the $11, we would include all her food while she was there (8 - 8.5 hours / 5 days a week / live out) and lots of professional development such as workshop registration and membership in two local caregiver resource associations. During the interview, she had expressed interested in continuing her education in this way and we liked the idea that this might help her to not feel isolated and bored with her job (a fear of mine because I myself can't imagine being a nanny).

Anyhow, she turned down the offer. She countered at $15 an hour, which we just couldn't do. We were SO upset because we absolutely loved her. She ended up getting $15 to start at a big daycare centre down the road from us. This was about six months ago. She babysat for us last week and when I asked her how it was going, she admitted that she had made a mistake and was looking for a nanny job again because that's really the sort of setting she wants. It's too late for us to go back unfortunately so I didn't ask if she'd be willing to go back down to 12 or 13$ (I wouldn't make the mistake of offering 11 again!).

Long story short - somewhere in the $12-15 per hour range is probably about right for most parts of Canada (though you'd have to pay more in Toronto or Vancouver I'd guess) but there are so many factors involved, including in your case the candidate bringing her own child. I did interview one woman who had tons of experience and who wanted to bring her newborn - she asked for $100 per day, which is on the low end of this range.

If I go through the process again, I will probably get to the dreaded pay expectation conversation a lot earlier in the process, before I fall hopelessly in love with a nanny only to not be able to afford her...

[Michelle Renee]

It depends on so many things:

On the books or off the books?
Is she supporting herself solely or "supplementing" a decent income
WHat does she need?

***
We pay (a lot) less than what the going rate is, but where we live Nanny is making _more_ than her mom - a pharmacy tech of multiple years.
Our accountant asked what we were paying and said "for babysitting?"
so it is not cut and dry.

Not all Nanny's are making 12-15 an hour. I think with the economy, some folks will work for considerably less because they would rather be with children and have a casual work environment rather than working at Taco Bell.

Our Nanny bust's her butt (mostly ) but she can also show up in flannel pj pants, do her laundry here, and take our kids out to run her errands - get her oil changed, take them back to her house to start dinner, check on her cats, run up to her college, etc. But at the same time - she is busting her butt taking my spectrum daughter to physical therapy and speech weekly as well as preschool and managing my little one at the same time. And dealing with me - no easy task!

You have to find the right person. You do get what you pay for. Yes, we pay less than typical, and our Nanny needs a lot of direction and we have quite a bit of frustration about getting day to day stuff done (her time management sucks) but she has been with us for well over a year and my kids adore her beyond belief.

Michelle

[MamaChicken]

I have an 11 yo and three more under 3 yo and I pay $12 per hour.

[Anna Phor]

We share a nanny with another family, and she makes $18/hour caring for two infants (so each family pays $9/hour). We live in a pricey city, though (Washington DC).

[VisionaryMom]

We live in a rural part of Kentucky, and we pay $10 an hour. Our nanny started babysitting weekends for us when she was 15, and she's now 20 and in college. She's with us part-time.

She does sometimes bring a much younger sibling with her. The biggest factor with that is food. Obviously he eats when he's here, too. Sometimes if I'd like her to take my kids to something, I will pay for his admission, too. It's a bit of a sore subject with DH, but I'd rather the kids get to do whatever it is than not be able to because she'd have to pay for her brother.

She still lives at home, which I think makes a difference in what pay works for her, though $10/hour is a decent wage where we live. (A 1-br apt goes for about $400, for example.)

[jennybear]

Here, the going rate seems to be around 15-20/hour for a nanny. So probably on the lower end if she's bringing her baby with her?

[biophdmom]

can i ask how you found a family to share a nanny with? we're considering a nanny if we have a second since two in a daycare center would be SO expensive but nannies in my area (chicago suburbs) are quite pricey as well.

[GuildJenn]

3 years ago in Toronto I paid $14/hr