lghlady

I run simplychildcare.com and have recently updated the information on the site about average salaries. The average rate for a nanny doing a nannyshare in Dulwich is ?11 net per hour with ?12 at the upper end. And a nanny just working for one family is in the ?9 to ?10 net per hour rate with ?9 being the minimum (you would not get a proper nanny for ?8 net per hour now) and ?9.50 being pretty average. Most parents expect to have receipts for any petty cash expenditure of ?5 or over and many parents expect receipts for anything over ?2. Do not be weak willed. Insist on it. As for petrol money, normally a fixed weekly sum is agreed which should cover the cost of petrol during working hours but also is a gesture towards the wear and tear, insurance and convenience if a parent wants the nanny to use her own car during working hours. 40p a mile is common. If a parent is going to increase their nanny's salary, then it is the ideal time to tighten up on any procedures that have become a bit sloppy or are maybe being ignored completely. It is less threatening being able to say that as well as sorting out the salary rise, it is a good opportunity to review how everything is running. And that you would like to tighten up on some of the general day to day procedures which have become a bit 'loose' (e.g. petty cash or laundry or tidying up of toys etc at the end of the day, or how much TV is watched, or sort of food cooked, or whatever it is that is becoming a niggle!). And parents should make sure that they let their nanny talk if she wants to about anything that is becoming a niggle for her - perhaps she is finding that the parents are doing - or not doing - something which they never did earlier and which is now in danger of becoming an issue between them if it isn't nipped in the bud (e.g. regularly coming home late or assumptions made about availability for babysitting or undermining the strategies agreed for sleep or eating problems or being paid late etc.)

I have been running Simply Childcare for over 15 years. We got fed up with the inadequate contracts that were available and now have our own excellent nanny contract pack. It's a distillation of everything that should be put in a nanny contract. It comes with a really useful 4 page help sheet that you use to cross reference with the relevant sections in the contract, enabling you to tailor the contract to your particular situation - for instance if your nanny is going to be using her car with your children, it gives you an extra paragraph to add in or if she is going to be working part time and you do not know what her legal holiday entitlement is, it explains it. Etc. Etc. You get 2 copies of the nanny contract plus the help sheet and it costs ?5. Just ring us if you would like further information or want to order the pack. Carla at www.simplychildcare.com Tel 020 7701 6111 (I live in Camberwell so know East Dulwich well) P.S. I am pleased you have realised how important a contract is. So often parents and nannies can find that little niggles rapidly develop into major problems and if they had only drawn a contract up in the first place, things would not be causing friction and goal posts could not be moved because everything is down in black and white.

Your info is a little out of date: I run Simply Childcare and it was a listings magazine for 14 years but after much pressure from parents, we recently changed and are now an internet service. It is still very similar to the magazine in that it acts like a private noticeboard and is still a subscription only service. The contact details of the adverts cannot be viewed by the general public. Only subscribers are able to see them and we monitor everyone who wants to subscribe. We do not accept anonymous subscriptions or subscriptions from anyone who is not already here living in this country and there are various people too that we would not want back as subscribers! A subscription includes a free advert and if we feel it is not written very well or is confusing, we will help improve it. I know it is quite daunting if you are starting out trying to find childcare for the first time. There are so many things to think about apart from the cost and of course it is virtually impossible to be detached and unemotional about the whole thing because it is to do with your children. The best piece of advice I can give you is don't ignore your gut instinct. It doesn't matter if someone's background ticks all the boxes and they have brilliant references - if you have not got that empathy, that feeling that she is somehow the right one, do not pursue it as almost certainly the relationship will not thrive.