Do you have a contract with your nanny?

[To-Fu]

I suddenly got a job and found a nanny in less than a week. She's new to the nannying world and so am I. Do we need a contract to outline her pay and other such items? It's a part-time thing for 15ish hours a week, if that matters.

I'd love to hear about (or even see) sample contracts, or reasons why one should/n't use a contract. What sorts of things should I include? Is there a standard template out there somewhere?

I'm about to put my Google-fu to use, but thought I'd check in here first. I respect MDC mamas' opinions/experience.

Thanks.

[t2009]

Congrats on the job!

Let me preface my advice by saying that I'm a law student, so my feelings about how necessary a contract is are probably tainted.

We've had a successful nanny share (about to end because our nanny has a great opportunity to move and further her artistic aspirations) for just over a year and yes, we have a contract.

We try to be good employers, so we don't whip it out often or use it as a threat or live by it by any means. Actually, we probably break it a lot now that we're so comfortable with our nanny and can negotiate days off, etc. as we go without worrying. (We also didn't redo it when we passed the year mark... but sadly it won't be necessary...)

So what is it good for? It's good for thinking about what you want out of the relationship you and your children will have with your nanny and to understand and learn what your nanny expects from you. If also forces you to sit down together to talk about things like discipline, nutrition, play-time, naps, etc.

Of course, it's also good for laying out the logistics early one (vacation days, holidays, sick time, taxes, rate of pay, hours, how the relationship might end, etc.).

In other words, I think it's a really valuable exercise. I'm happy to email a copy of mine if it'd help you. Just PM me with your email (if that's the easiest way).

HTH!

[lunarlady]

We are hiring our first nanny too, and I'm working on the contract now. Of course, I'm married to a lawyer, so going without a contract would not be an option.

It isn't filled with legalize, but is more a letter of agreement. Here's what is in mine so far:
Hours she is expected to work.
Rate of straight pay and overtime pay.
Normal week expected gross pay.
Holidays we will pay and rate of pay for those days.
Paid time off, number of days and rate of pay.
Unpaid time off.
Care for sick kids.
Transportation expectations ( carseats! Insurance) and milage reimbursement.
Basic care and feeding expectations for kiddos.
Household care expectations (dishes from lunch, sweeping)

Overall, it is all pretty simple and straightforward. I hope to get it done tomorrow so my nanny can review it and discuss before she actually starts work with us.

Good luck! PM me with your personal email if you would like a copy of our contract.

[LittleGriff]

Ditto lunarlady. I didn't think of it as a contract but I did lay out all the expectations of the job, pay, time off, etc. just to make sure we were all going into the relationship with the same idea of what was going to happen. To me, it's a living document, not an unbreakable pledge, and we update it accordingly. We also keep it really simple. I imagine the "contract" or whatever you call it would reflect the personalities of those involved. My husband, nanny and I didn't want too many rules and specifications, just the broad outlines. Some people may want something more concrete.