nannies, housework , pricing and communication.

[sue1386]

what level of housework do you think is fair for a nanny

when does it become cleaning rates

how much of a break , a quiet time, during play or during sleep time do you think if fair for drinks rest lunch snacks for nannies

some people may want alot of care for their children and then housework if the children sleep and i wonder how they think its possible without giving the nanny some down time to catch a bite or drink or recover if its alot of housework and a long day

some peope hire nannies knowing it is a homehelp job with alot of housework

others hardly have 15 minutes of dishes or folding a day.

also number of kids and ages can make it easier or harder

and yet does the price change if one is caring for 3 kids and doing alot of housework?

what would you do if you found the level of housework being demanded too much

eg 4 or more hours a day for a job that wasnt advertised as a homehelp job but as a nannying job but ended up having huge amounts of washing for all members of the family daily, changing beds, hours and hours of ironing, and alot of other housework and cleaning and alot of washing hanging daily.

what would you do if you felt no matter how hard you tried to please them going out of your way in various things , you always seemed to be told to do more or to do something differently.

Sue.

[Onyx]

I don't expect a nanny to do any house work that isn't child connected - washing the children's clothes yes, washing my clothes no. Make lunch for the children and clean up afterwards - yes, make my lunch and clean up after me - no. I think that a nanny should supervise children making their own beds not make them for them.
Breaks? That depends on the situation. If the parents aren't home there is no break because the children would be unsupervised if I'm home then half an hour child-free for lunch is ok.

[Mak]

Depends on the scenario - a friend nannyed for a family of 4 kids from 8am - 6pm for $220 cash. 2 of the kids were at school and there were 2 toddlers. She did the school /kinder runs, was responsible for the food prep/cleaning for the day and ran a few errands. I know she was not expected to do cleaning but she would fold the clothes/wash floors etc do what she could see when she was there. Her priority was caring for the kids though and this was the parents request too. She is a pretty special girl though!!!

[kawazuki]

you can come and be my nanny. only 2 kids at home
no housework unless you wanmted to do it.

i dont see why its someones job to clean my house when i have asked them to look after my children, fair enough clean up mess made while playing with the kids eg paint and playdough or pack toys away
the washing i can do that its simple, packing it away id rather od it so it goes in the right spot lol i hate not being able to find that nice black cami or blue singlet.
dishes maybe wash what ever you use or pack the dishwasher at least.

if your cleaning my house how are you looking after my children and interacting with them and giving them attention?

[sue1386]

thanks brontide by breaks i meant quiet time to catch a bite.

if every second is heavy childcare and hours and hours of housework then my head is spinning. when people say during sleep time do housework really they should give a choice if it is able to be done while caring for kids and during sleep time we can have at least part of it quiet time to catch a bite , drink and recover if the rest of the day is very heavy childcaring and many hours of housework.
if we are feeding young kids or inundated with housework these is no quiet time in several hours to recover or catch and drink or bite and that cant be right.

[Loula]

I was a nanny for 6 years both here in Aus and in UK.

With regards to nanning and housework as mentioned in brontide post, unless related directly to the children i did not do general house work or chorse.

With regards to breaks, nannies really do not get set times, They are like SAHM, they eat with the children, take 5 or 10 min when they can. my employer always provided food for me, one was veggie but brought meat for me while there.

unless discussed at an interview i would not expect to be doing 'house work' as a trainned professional in the field of early years education that was and is my main focus.

My first job i cared for one child who also attended kinder twice a week. Gym membership was part of my contract and this was when i would go for a workout. i had my own car and account connected to the position. i was responsible for paying the cleaner and arranging times that they would come. i would buy shopping for me and the child only

My third job i looked after three children, i had the use of their car during the day. one child was attending kinder the other one day a week at CC. the youngest was with me all the time. I did not have to do any shopping but again organised the cleaners.

I would offer to do errons like pop to the dry cleaners or hang a load of washing out but my first point of call was to the children and anything relating to them. I was not expected to or asked to do any other duties.

Time and time again i see nannies complain about extra stuff they are asked to do, in answer to this it all really need to be covered in an interview. If the employer does not bring it up then i will in my list of questions, its not just about you finding the right nanny its about the nanny finding the right job too!