Thinking about a nanny !!?

[Fmm]

I am thinking about a nanny or nanny share having just been informed how much nursery fees for two kids (age 1 and 3) will cost. But I have always thought more about using a childminder rather than a nanny, mainly becaue I'm concerned how it works administratively employing a nanny: setting it up, paying taxes, NI, sick pay, potentially her maternity pay, and generally being the employer etc. It seems like it would be very onerous. Whereas presumably you pay a childminder just as you would a nursery, with a monthly payment, no further hassle. Is it a big hassle to employ a nanny? Are there guides (online or on paper) to show you how to do it?

Also, are the main differences between a nanny and a childminder: the number of children in the minder's care, and the place of work (ie childminder's home rather than your home)? There seems to be such a big difference in price!

Sorry if these are stupid questions!

[LondonMix]

There is no legal limit on how many children a nanny can watch but typically even with a nanny share you would expect there to be fewer children than a childminder. Yes, the other main differences are a child minder works out of their home and is self-employed (so yes, paid like nursery). My friends have a child minder they love (not in ED) and I think its a great solution if you find someone you click with. If you use a nanny payroll company that helps reduce the admin of employing a nanny but but costs a couple hundred quid. The main things you gain (in my opinion) when working with a nanny are more flexibility (particularly when care is out of your home vs. a nanny share in the other family's home), you can tailor things a bit more, and more individual attention, particularly when its not a nanny-share. Remember though that child minders (like nurseries) charge by the child so a nanny-share is only a bit more expensive than two with a good child minder unless you find one that will charge for only a portion of the day while your toddler is using the free nursery hours.

Good luck!

[Fmm]

Thank you LondonMix that's helpful. I am still debating this, as other than the admin point of view, I'm concerned about my children socialising with other kids - my 3YO has made such great friends at nursery and loves the social side of things. However as you say the relative flexibility of a nanny (and, in some cases, a childminder) particularly with regard to hours/pick up is attractive.

[amydown]

I wouldn't worry too much about the "social" element of childcare too much in the early years. Our nanny is great at organising regular play dates so our 3-year old has a group of friends that he has seen a lot over the years. Also, if you can do a nanny share, it's a great way of kids learning to share from an early age. Besides, I don't think kids start playing with each other until they are 2-3.

Our main reasons for choosing our nanny option over a childminder were:

- more flexibility

- can be more involved in how the kids' days are structured, what food they eat, etc.

- I didn't want the kids to be driven around unnecessarily for school runs (not always the case and delends on childminder's charges)

Finally, I wanted as much individual attention as possible in the early days and felt that the right nanny would be best placed to provide this in my absence.

The admin side of things isn't too bad. We use Nanny PAYE for payroll (I think c?140 per year) and the company is great at offering advice.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.