Hiring a live-in Nanny

Why hire a live-in Nanny?

Modern living can mean long hours for many families. Many families opt for a live-in nanny who not only becomes part of the family, but also provides essential wrap-around care for the children within their own home environment. A live-in Nanny usually works 10-12 hours a day, many will work one day on the weekend with a day off in lieu, during the week. A live-in nanny will usually also provide two nights per week babysitting, usually taken Monday to Thursday with weekend babysitting paid for as extra. Families requiring a flexible, reliable childcare option may wish to consider a live-in nanny. Salaries currently range between £300 and £500 per week depending on a number of factors such as, but not limited to experience, qualifications, location, number of children to be cared for, duties and time off.

What will life be like with a live-in Nanny?

Live-in nannies provide care on a sole or shared charge basis. The duties should be clearly noted in the contract and should be agreed by both parties prior to the start of the job. Typically, a live-in nanny will care for the children, she will perform nursery duties to include washing and ironing for the children, she will also keep their bedrooms and play areas tidy, she will prepare home-cooked meals for the children and will also make sure that the home is generally kept neat and tidy once the children have finished playing, eating or socialising. If you required more than light household duties, you may wish to consider a Nanny Housekeeper. 

Live-in Nannies offer more flexibility than a daily Nanny, Nursery or Childminder as they are available to start work early and finish late. Increasingly, both parents are going out to work and with demanding careers, families are looking for good quality, reliable childcare that is more personal than the alternatives. Live-in nannies become part of the family offering the security and continuity of care that is rarely available otherwise.

Your live-in nanny will require her own accommodation although if an en-suite or separate bathroom is not available, sharing a bathroom with the children is common practice. It is important to remember that while your live-in nanny does become part of your family, she should also be allowed to have privacy on her time off should be respected. Any changes to the original agreement, would need to be agreed by both parties, usually through amending the contract accordingly.

What should I consider before hiring a live-in nanny?

Hiring a live-in nanny has many advantages. However, inviting someone to live in your home is a serious decision and should be well thought out. You may wish to consider some of the following points before hiring your live-in nanny: 

• You will be required to pay your nanny’s tax and national insurance contributions, salaries are usually quoted net when making your job offer

• Do you have adequate accommodation available including a bathroom (although this may be shared with the children)

• What additional perks will you provide such as a TV, storage, desk, use of the internet and telephone?

• Discuss all of the duties to be carried out and be specific about these in the contract as it can be difficult to ask for more to be done after the agreement is made

• Consider what ‘house rules’ you will expect your live-in nanny to respect

• Your live-in nanny will require all meals as part of the arrangement so you may wish to consider whether or not your live-in nanny has any dietary requirements

• If your live-in nanny is expected to drive, it is your responsibility to ensure that she has a valid licence and that you have taken out appropriate insurance cover

• If your live-in nanny is to drive, you will also be responsible for the upkeep and petrol costs relating to work duties, the nanny will pay for her own petrol off duty if she has use of the car

• Consider any daily expenses that your live-in nanny may have to pay out, you should make sure funds are available so that she does not have to pay out of her own pocket and risk not reclaiming the expenses. She should retain receipts for all outgoings

• A policy regarding working on bank holidays should also be in place, your nanny is an employee and is not expected to work on bank holidays, if she does, time off in lieu or over-time should be paid

• Rules for drinking and smoking should be made very clear. As should your views on her own guests or visitors during her time off

• You should be very clear about firm rules such as no drug taking

• You may also wish to request that your live-in nanny signs a confidentiality agreement at the time she signs her contract as family matters are private and should be treated as such

Finding a good live-in nanny

By creating an online profile on Childcare.co.uk, you will already be well placed to start the process of recruiting your ideal live-in nanny. Place a detailed description of the job on offer and also provide some basic family information so that potential candidates can get a feel for what your family has to offer and whether or not she would be a good match. You may wish to include a family photograph too.

Find out more about Checks and References

Using an online search platform such as Childcare.co.uk means that you will be able to connect instantly with live-in nannies looking for their ideal family, giving you the freedom to select candidates based on your criteria without the restrictions you may have by using an agency with limited candidates on their register. Search at a time and place that’s convenient for you and enjoy the benefits of being able to search hundreds of live-in nanny CV’s.