Nanny question

amanda1408 · August 2014

I am a nanny for three children. Next week, the two oldest kids will be spending the week at their grandparent's house, so I will just have the toddler. I make the same amount of money each week, but I am unsure if the mom will try to pay me less since two of the kids won't be home. The way I see it is, I shouldn't be penalized because she is choosing to send her kids away for the week. Should I ask her beforehand if I will be paid the same as I normally am, or wait and see what she pays me and then if it's less that what I typically make, say something? The reason I'm questioning what she will do is because the two oldest kids will both be in school full-time starting next month and she told me that she is cutting my pay by $150 because I will only have the toddler. Because she is cutting my pay by so much and she is still expecting me to work the same amount of hours (45-50 hrs/week), I've started looking for other jobs. Anytime I bring up money issues with her, she gets defensive and it gets very uncomfortable. What would you do if you were me?

TIA.

msdani12 · August 2014

Do you have an agreement on like a base pay? I mean, do you charge per kid? Is it hourly?

If you have an agreement like a set pay and she decides to cut that, then I would definitely bring up that that is not what was agreed upon - but if it is based on each child, then that would be differet

Hope things work out for you!

amanda1408 · August 2014

Our agreement was a certain amount per week. During the summer months she pays me a little more since I have all three kids, but we've never had a situation come up before where I will just have one of the kids to watch, so I'm not sure what she'll do.

Thank you for responding

KonaCoffeeBean · August 2014

Well, I think the fact that she increases your pay in the summer when you have more kids implies a likely decrease during the school year when you have less children to watch after.

short+sassy · August 2014

Although I do think it is fair to pay less during the school year, when there are less children to watch...she should pay you the normal rate for the summer week they are gone. Though it sounds like she is not going to .

If it were me, I would wait until after she has paid you for that week and then, if it is not the normal rate, say something at that time. Like, "Hey, I understand during the school year I'll be paid XX, but during the summer I am supposed to be paid XXX, regardless of what they are doing. After all, I depend on my normal salary to pay my bills."

As a comparison, most daycare facilities require payment whether a child is at their facility for a particular week or not.

duckie1905 · August 2014

Unless you have a contract with her outlining exactly how you get paid there probably isn't much you can do other than to start looking for another job and make sure you have a contract next time.

If you have a contract and she's violating it then obviously, you should point this out to her.

I can see it both ways. On one hand, you are managing fewer children most of the day so, presumably (but not necessarily in reality) your workload should be lighter. But what about days when the kids are home from school? Or days when they come home early? Is she going to compensate you for the "extra" work you'll be taking on when they aren't in school.

I would sit down and discuss exactly what is going to happen regarding your pay when situations come up with the kids. Tell her you rely on your paycheck to pay your bills and survive and you'd like some clear answers, in writing, as to how much exactly you'll be paid.

If she refused well, then, you're already looking for another job so wave, smile, and get out.

iteachkids81 · August 2014

yes, try to get it in writing, especially in regards to school vacation days, holidays, teacher conference days, teacher training days... any day where one or both of the school age kids are sick... all of that you should be paid extra for

amanda1408 · August 2014

Thank you everyone for the responses. We have several situations covered in the contract (holidays, sick days, etc.), but I think it's difficult to foresee every situation that could arise throughout the term of a contract like this. I've decided to wait and see what she pays me at the end of this week, and if it's less than what I'm normally paid, I'm going to say something. Again, thank you for the responses! It's nice to hear other people's perspectives on the situation I'm in.

beetee123 · August 2014

How did things end up working out for you, OP? I'm a nanny too, and I can't stand when parents just cut pay for whatever reason. The fact of the matter is that I have to be available at all times to watch all of the children in a family. If I have a doctor's appt on a day that I'm "on call," but a kid is sick I have to cancel it, yet I'm not paid for making sure my schedule is clear. I think it's definitely time to start looking for a new family based on the $150 pay cut.

amanda1408 · August 2014

@beetee123 She ended up paying me what I made during this past school year when I had 2 out of the 3 kids at home. I'm glad I didn't say anything beforehand, in this situation, because I think it would have made the situation even more awkward. It's hard when the people you work for aren't good at communicating what they are going to do (because then I start thinking about the worst case scenarios).

Thanks again, everyone for your input!

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