Nanny - lives in or out of your house, can often work long hours including evenings, nights or weekends. Is employed by you so you are responsible for their contract, pay and tax.
Childminder - cares for your child in their own home. Generally offers working-day care. You are a client so pay them a set fee.
Nurseries - care for your child on their specially adapted premises, in a large group of children. Generally open 8-6 or similar. You are a client so pay them a set fee.
Au Pair - sole charge of children over 2 (before/after school) and/or support with a parent for under 2s, and light housework, for around 25h a week including any babysitting evenings. You pay them pocket money and give them bed, board and treat them like a family member. I regularly hear of au pairs being expected to do the job of a nanny on the cheap. Here's a link to sensible expectations https://eastmidlandsnanniesandaupairs.co.uk/find-an-au-pair/roles-and-expectations/
Here I'll share a list of things to think about when choosing a nanny, though many of the questions are applicable to any childcare provider you might be talking to. In this scenario, the family are looking for a nanny who will also do some household chores. Some nannies will only do child-related chores (baby washing, child meals), others will apply for mixed roles like the nanny/housekeeper one discussed below. It's really important to be clear about your needs from the outset, so applicants know what they are expected to do and can choose to apply for roles that fit with their own needs and preferences.
Documents to be seen:
Enhanced DBS check (either less than 3 months old or registered to the online update service which you can then check)
ID check to ensure able to work in UK (passport, visa)
Original qualification certificates (Level 3 or 4 (or higher) in childcare and / or ‘common core’ nanny training)
Nanny insurance certificate or public liability (some families will pay for this (£70ish/year) but it is the nanny who registers for it
12 h pediatric first aid certificate
CV (looking for lengthy stays with families and families with babies of a similar age to yours. If you have multiples, look for experience with those.)
Checkable references from her current/last job and 2 more. Suggest phoning refs with a question to validate them (how was x when your baby was teething or similar)
If going to drive, business insurance and licence/MOT etc
Describe post:
Hours, duties (childcare, meal prep, household tasks, expectations whilst baby sleeps), salary (gross, not net), your level of involvement/whether you’ll be at home during the day, meal arrangments during the day, holidays booked, expected length of the contract.
Possible Questions:
Why did they choose nannying?
What attracted them to your post?
What did they most enjoy about their last post? Why did they/are they leaving?
How would they plan a typical day with baby at eg x months old?
What activities do they enjoy doing with babies? Do they attend baby groups /nanny meetups with their current / last charge?
What strategies would they try if e.g. baby was unsettled and not sleepy?
How do you feel about leaving babies to cry?
How would they use the garden/park to support baby’s development?
What would they do if they were out and baby was sick and burning up? (looking for immediate care/first aid, assessment of illness/seriousness and contact with you to discuss)
What recent training/reading about child development have they been on?
Can they give an example of where an issue arose with a family and how they worked it through?
How do they feel about routines for babies of babies of X’s age (no ‘right answer’, looking to be in tune with your parenting philosophy)
(If looking for meal prep) What are some of your favourite dishes to prepare for a family?
What are they looking for in an employer/family?
How do they feel about caring for a sick child?
Can you tell me about a moment recently that made you happy to be a nanny?
Expect a good nanny to be interviewing you back with a list of questions to check that they would fit in well to your family.
If it’s going well, tell them a little more about your parenting style/beliefs.
Things to consider:
Nannies are generally considered employees rather than self employed by HMRC, so you will be liable for their workplace pension (unless they opt out – new legal requirement), employer’s liability insurance (about £100/year) NI and taxes.
https://www.nannytax.co.uk/salary-considerations/gross-vs-net is a good article on why advertising a gross not a net salary is the best.
https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/nanny-network-wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/28142753/MODEL-CONTRACT-2.pdf has a sample contract
Some salary indications https://nanny.network/2018/02/12/go-gross-how-much-should-i-pay-my-nanny/
www.childcare.co.uk a good place to advertise
https://ginghamkids.co.uk/ a nanny agency that I signpost when asked for a recommendation, ask for Dee.
Previous clients can also send me their ad text and I’ll also advertise it in my facebook nanny groups for the relevant geographical area.
