What is a Nanny | Nannies LMM 2024

Parents pay more to employ a Nanny because:

They do not want their Child in a Day Nursery or Registered Childminder group care setting.
A Nanny gives one-to-one sole charge attention to their Employer`s Baby or under-school age Child who generally work.
They want a person who has done a minimum of a 1-year Childcare Qualification or worked for years in a Childcare sector.
They want their Child cared for in their own homes unless going to Parent chosen or agreed local outings.

What does a Nanny do:

Nanny plans varied creative, fun, and age-appropriate activities to include practicing ABC - 123, spelling, reading, and writing, most Nannies give notice when a Child (ren) starts all day at school.
Will take Children to a park, playgroup, library, music group, or swimming, most Parents by the end of a 4 - 6 week probationary agree a Nanny can meet up with another Nanny every other day for 2 hours at a suitable Child-friendly place and includes a craft activity.
Will prepare and cook Children`s meals.
By Parent request bathe a baby or Child.
When Parents arrive home ensure the Children are calm and enjoying a sit-down quiet time perhaps coloring or story reading.

Benefits of Employing a Nanny:

Is a cost-effective and convenient choice if a Nanny cares for more than one Child as older sibling (s) get taken and collected from school and cared for during school holidays or if off sick.
Nannies expect to do other Child related housekeeping duties such as:

Iron Children's clothes, school uniforms and polish their shoes.
Clean as the need arises baby equipment, toys, highchair, bottle sterilizer, mud on the pushchair.
Vacuum as the need arises in play and kitchen areas.
Weekly change their bed sheets, tidy, dust, and vacuum the Children's bedroom.
Wash and put away items used in their work hours and end-of-day toy and playroom (s) tidy up.

Top Tip - A Nanny is NOT a cleaner or mother's help who traditionally is a school leaver.

Childcare-qualified and experienced Nannies feel humiliated and usually give notice if asked to clean their Employer's whole house, cook Parent meals, and iron Parent clothes. If you need non-Childcare-related housekeeping duties shorten Nannie's day by half an hour and use that money to pay for a person who chose cleaning not Childcare as a job.

Increasingly Parents are working part or all week from home which is lovely for the Children but naturally, a Parent will want to see and chat with their Child (ren) but need to consider that particularly years experienced Nannies may feel their routine with the Children is unsettled by and we know most worry will be treated as a mothers help or are being checked up on (not trusted). This arrangement works best if you:

Employ a Day Nursery worker seeking their first Nanny job (paid a lower rate) as used to other adults being around.
Agree an approximate `window hour` in the morning and afternoon you will aim to see the Children and most days text the Nanny 30 minutes before so the Nanny can finish their lunch routine or current activity.
Since Parents are paying by the hour most Nannies which also gives them a break prefer to go to another room and do 20 minutes of Child-related housekeeping or ironing duties as Nannies feel awkward just chatting.

Professional, honest, and genuine Nannies will want to reassure a new Employer:

Parents be aware the DBS only aims to identify people who have past harmed or proved to be unsuitable to work with vulnerable children and Ofsted organizations do not interview or reference check Childcarers past jobs therefore registration is NOT a reference to a person's, honesty, good character, or care of Children.

On interview arrival they should offer their passport as identification and a folder displaying the following as evidence they take the responsibility of caring for Child (ren) seriously and we advise they pay for their own DBS check, First Aid Course every 3 years, and Childcare Work Insurance.

Childcare Qualification Certificate (s).
Childcare written references - from each past job with the most recently dated displayed first.
Paediatric First Aid Certificate - to include dealing with choking, burns, fractures, anaphylactic and electric shock, emergencies, and resuscitation of Babies and Children.

British Red Cross - www.redcrossfirstaidtraining.co.uk or ph 03448718000

First Aid Team - www.thefirstaidteam.co.uk or ph 0333 123 1160

St John Ambulance - www.sja.org.uk or ph 0344 770 4800

Daily Nanny and Evening Babysitter Work Insurance (approx. £70 year):

Morton Michel Nanny Insurance - www.mortonmichel.com.

Nanny Insure - www.nannyinsure.co.uk

Enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring) - www.customerservices@dbs.gov.uk">www.customerservices@dbs.gov.uk.

For a £13 annual DBS Update Service fee on job offer the Nanny gives a new Employer access permission to view online recorded information about them held on the Police National Computer, Department of Health, local Police Force and Department Education and Employment. Records can include convictions including those spent, cautions, reprimands, and warnings.

Ofsted Voluntary Register - www.gov.uk/.../nannies-registration or phone for advice 0300 123 1231.

This scheme was not created so Nannies can ask Employers for a higher Gross rate but to help the majority of working Parents who do struggle to pay for a higher cost Nanny out of their own salaries to allow them to work as weekly TV news reports. The Employer gains a Tax Allowance towards the cost of Employing a Nanny so they pay the £103 annual fee and help the Nanny form register. Nanny choosing not to go on get less job interviews.

A Parent may be eligible for Universal Credit, 30 hours of tax-free Childcare, and their workuy have a Childcare Salary Sacrifice Scheme.

Face to Face Nanny interview:

1st Interview - plan for 40 - 60 minutes in the family home and without curious Child (ren) so both can concentrate properly on checking contract points that need to be discussed clearly with a degree of flexibility to ascertain you have similar views.
2nd Interview - plan for 2- 3 hours with the Children during the day so adults in a more relaxed way get to know each other and Parents get to see how a Childcarer communicates and plays with their Child (ren) perhaps by doing a craft activity. Child (ren) should show their bedroom, toys, garden, pet, and play areas.
After Each Interview – mention let’s think about our discussion overnight as neither should feel pressured to immediately offer or accept and any questions discuss by voice and not text or email as words get misunderstood.

Childcarers Remember:

A huge proportion of a Parent`s decision to interview progress a Childcarer or offer a job will rest in the first minutes of speaking to on the telephone and then due to their varied views when meet as Parents naturally will want someone who can set their Child a reasonable example in their spoken English, hygiene and in how they dress as a Childcarers personal choices affect and influence their Child. Not turning up on time or at all for an interview or agreed work day will upset Parents. Unless you telephone them of an arrival problem you risk them mentioning your unreliability on social media or WhatsApp groups warning other Parents.

When you have chosen your Nanny it is essential:

To offer a job by voice as will be reassuring IF you hear a delighted voice job acceptance reaction to know making the right decision.
To not just accept a Childcarer's verbal assurance are a good Childcarer and reliable.
It is a condition of registration Parents do their own reference checks to their own satisfaction with past Employers who will know them personally (unlike LMM) to have confirmed their Children were happy with, were honest, punctual, reliable, and gave good general care of their Child (ren) with initiative to ensure their safety and happiness in and out of their home.

During the 4 - 6 week probationary:

Pay the Nanny weekly until the probationary ends.
Have an end-of-week discussion without taking offense to different opinions to resolve minor points.