Tag: spotlight on

Spotlight on cars

If a nanny drives as part of her (or his) job then they may use their own car or a car provided for them by their employer. Nowadays most nannies have their own cars but may not be happy to use them for work. If they are then there are several things to take into account:

Mileage – anyone using their car for work can be paid 45p/mile for the first 10,000 miles free of tax. If a nanny does over 10,000 miles this drops to 25p/mile. Miles done should be recorded (most people find a little notebook helpful) and submitted at regular intervals.

Insurance – nannies using their own car need to have business class insurance and the insurer needs to be aware what their job is.

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Spotlight on: pay reviews and raises

September is a common start date for nannies, which means that many are coming up to their nanny-versary around now. We’ve already talked about job reviews in the newsletter but let’s tackle the thorny issue of pay. In this economic climate a raise should never be a given but many nannies do expect a  pay rise year on year. A yearly review is a chance to look at a nanny’s role and see whether she has taken on more responsibility and how that can be compensated for. Even a small raise to cover the increased cost of living is appreciated but when a raise really is impossible a nanny still needs to know their hard work is appreciated so think about suggesting an extra day of holiday, a bonus or some other kind of gesture of recognition.

Spotlight on: providing food for nannies

Unlike most jobs, where you take your lunch or go out to grab a sandwich, nannies expect to eat their meals with their charges. This means as an employer you probably need to factor in the cost of providing at least lunch, and possibly breakfast and dinner for your nanny along with tea or coffee and snacks. While the law doesn’t require this it is customary and nannies will eat what the children eat, or if you have a baby then she is likely to eat a slightly more grown up (seasoned and unpureed) version of what she makes her little charge.

Although it might seem a daunting expense there are many benefits to nannies sharing meals with the children. It encourages good table manners, children are motivated to try new foods and it’s a time to share conversation.

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Spotlight on: interview no-nos

If you’re in the nanny interviewing nannies process as well as the questions you need to ask you should also familiarize yourself with the questions that you can’t ask. Nannies are also protected from discrimination by Equal Opportunities legislation and a good general rule of thumb is that if you wouldn’t expect to be asked about it at interview then you shouldn’t be asking your nanny either. Age, race, gender, sexual orientation and disability are all areas where you need to tread very carefully.

Common pitfalls are asking whether your nanny is married, whether they have or are planning to have children, whether they have any health problems and their nationality. To find out more check out our blog post “Questions not to ask at interview”.

Spotlight on: kitty money

Most parents leave a kitty of petty cash for nannies to use to cover daily expenses. In term time this may just be £10 a week to cover unexpected activities as the majority of activities are pre-paid and the odd pint of milk, but in the holidays this can easily spiral. It’s important to have a good kitty management system for handling the money, and clear guidelines on what it can and can’t be used for.

A nanny purse which stays at work is easy to top up when running low. Nannies can also put receipts in the purse, or keep a small notebook to track expenditure. It’s often said that if you employ a nanny to look after your children and leave her the keys to your house you should trust her with your money, and this is probably true, but it can also be helpful to have an idea of what is being spent when and where to manage the budget a bit better. If a nanny constantly complains of being short of kitty money are the guidelines clear enough?

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Spotlight on qualifications

Although nannies do not have to be qualified, studying for a qualification shows commitment to a career in childcare and proves that a nanny has knowledge of good professional practice with a range of ages. There are many different qualifications that a nanny may have, and these are offered at different levels which correspond to the difficulty of the qualification, not the number of hours taken to achieve it. Here are the most common qualifications for nannies, including the new Early Years Educator courses which started this autumn. You can find more details on these and other qualifications on here.

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Spotlight on Holidays

As employees nannies are entitled to paid holiday and the amount is specified in the contract. It can be expressed as weeks, days or hours depending on the nanny’s employment pattern – see here for more.

Previously the norm was to give 4 weeks plus Bank Holidays, but recently the trend has been to state 5.6 weeks (28 days) including Bank Holidays, which usually works out to the same amount but fairer to part-time workers who may not be actively working on Bank Holidays but are still entitled to the same proportion of holiday as full-time employees. Holiday in a nanny share can be complicated to arrange but it’s important that the nanny gets their full holiday entitlement so both families must communicate clearly.

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Spotlight on References

Taking up references on a nanny is a vital part of the recruitment process. Parents should always telephone the contacts provided themselves, rather than relying on a third party to do it for them, especially after the tragedy that led to a lawsuit being filed against an American website supposedly offering a reference checking service. References allow previous employers to share their experience of employing a particular nanny and can help you discover both their strengths and the potential pitfalls.

Try to find a time when and the person you are talking to will be free from interruptions. Prepare your questions in advance and pay attention to both what they say and their tone of voice. If you sense that they are hesitating or might be hiding something that could be a bad sign. Keep your questions open ended and allow the other person space to reply in their own time.

Remember to ask questions that are specific to your situation. If you need a nanny to do overnight care then ask whether this what part of their previous job and how they coped. Written references will seldom give you all the details that you need, another reason why a personal conversation with ex-employers is so important.
At the end of your nanny’s time with you don’t forget to write them a reference of your own!

Please note that we at Nannyjob.co.uk do not at any point check the identity or references of jobseekers and advise you to double check references which have been taken up by a nanny agency on your behalf.

Spotlight on Christmas – gift or bonus?

Most people like to give their nanny a token of appreciation over the festive season. This can range from a bottle of wine or basket of toiletries to a week’s wage as a bonus. When deciding what to give your nanny there are two important things to consider –the budget for this gift and future gifts, and tax.

Any kind of cash bonus is taxable. It needs to be declared to HMRC and appear on the payslip, along with the tax and NI deductions. This is worth bearing in mind if the intention is to give a nanny an amount other than their weekly wage, as adding £100 will not translate to giving them an extra £100 spending money. Even if the bonus is in the form of cash or a cheque inside their Christmas card tax and NI still need to be paid on the value of it. Vouchers are also treated as cash.

Some employers find cash impersonal, although it is a safe option, and prefer to give a gift. Some gifts are taxable, particularly if they can be resold, but others are exempt as they are considered a trivial benefit. Seek advice from a payroll agency or by calling the HMRC employer helpline, then request confirmation in writing from your local employment office.

Above all remember that gift-giving should be a pleasure, not a chore (remember this when buying for Aunt Mabel too), and it is far worse to not give anything than get it wrong, particularly if you keep the receipt!

Spotlight on NWOCs (nannies with own children)

Gone are the days when nannies stayed with families until they were old and grey, forfeiting families of their own, and for many families gone are the days when they could comfortably afford to have a stay at home parent. Nannies are understandably reluctant to pay someone else to do what they are qualified to do, so look for nanny jobs where families are happy for them to bring their own child along.

There are many advantages to this kind of arrangement for employers. A nanny who can bring their own child may be happy to accept odd hours such as before and after school and full time in the holidays, enabling them to balance time along with their child and earning a wage. A nanny whose child is the same age as her charges provides a playmate, which can be particularly valuable for only children and appreciated by parents who would like their child to be around other children but for whatever reason don’t want out of home care. Finally nannies who are allowed to bring their own child are often doubly motivated to provide stimulating activities and promote good social skills, as it benefits their child too. If you get the logistics right it can be a very stable arrangement, which reduces the time you spend worrying about childcare.

There are downsides: you may need extra equipment such as a double buggy or extra high chair, it’s an extra cost to feed another child, if nanny’s child is younger you may need to keep baby-proofing for longer and there’s added potential for bugs and breakages. Your children also won’t be the full focus of your nanny, even if she puts her own child second most of the time. To compensate for this many nannies who want to bring their on children are happy to accept a reduced rate of pay, meaning you can have an experienced nanny for less.

Having a nanny bring their own child can be a really positive and beneficial arrangement all round. The important thing is to make sure that everyone is a good fit – parenting styles and boundaries need to be aligned from the get go – but a good match can last for years.