Click on the following options to find out more about the different types of childcare available:
Nannies are professionally qualified and experienced and have the commitment and skills to provide a safe, loving and stimulating environment for your child/ren in your own home.
A Daily (Live out) Nanny
will care for your children in the family home, taking either a sole charge or shared care position. Sole charge daily nannies, will have at least two years experience of caring for children and will on average work a 10 – 12 hour day, generally Monday to Friday.
As well as caring for the children, nannies will perform ‘Nursery Duties’ which will include the children's laundry (washing and ironing), keeping their bedrooms tidy, clearing away the toys at the end of each working day, keeping toys / playrooms tidy / organised. They will prepare and cook healthy nutritious meals for the children, and will clear up the kitchen after each meal time.
A Residential (Live in) Nanny
is expected to work an 11 – 12 hour day, Monday to Friday and will often be happy to agree to one or two nights babysitting to be included in the agreed salary. Experience tells us the position of a live in nanny is not necessarily always the most viable option to suit either the nanny or the client, however, all individual needs can be looked into. If a live in nanny is what you require, you are expected to provide suitable accommodation for the nanny, and this would need to consist of at least a bedroom and bathroom of their own (sharing a bathroom with the children can be considered).
A Nanny is not a housekeeper, therefore, nursery duties aside, is not employed to undertake household chores. However, if you are looking for a Nanny - Housekeeper, because your children attend school full time, this is an option that can be discussed.
There are many qualifications a Nanny may have, a few of the most common ones are NNEB, NAMCW, BTEC Diploma, NVQ Levels 2 and 3 in Childcare and Education and the CACHE. All of these can be further explained by contacting us.
The salary of a nanny will vary according to the type of job, the hours that are required, and the experience the nanny brings. As the employer, you are responsible for arranging payment of their tax and national insurance contributions to the HMRC and often this is done via a payroll company. Historically, the nanny industry has discussed salaries in net terms, however, for many years now, we only discuss in gross terms. The reason for this is with many nannies being contracted to work for more than one familiy (a nanny will often split their week to work for one family two days a week and another family two or three days a week) and will therefore be splitting their tax code. Agreeing in gross terms, saves for any confusion and is also a safety net for the employer.
To help with childcare costs there is the possibility of paying a proportion of the nannys salary using either childcare vouchers or the tax free childcare system. To accept these forms of payment, the nanny must be registered with Ofsted. A nanny that holds (as a minimum) common core skills training in childcare, paediatric first aid, an enhanced disclosure (DBS) certificate registered with the update service and nanny insurance is able to become a voluntary Ofsted registered nanny. Ofsted registration is a financial benefit to the employer and therefore the nanny looks to the employer to fund the annual registration cost of £105 per annum. It's the nannys responsibility to pay the associated costs of the paediatric first aid certificate, DBS check and also nanny insurance.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to us here at Elizabeth Henry Nannies with any further questions or queries you may have on the above, or for assistance with becoming registered with Ofsted.
Parents Help
A parents help is generally a newly qualified nanny or an unqualified nanny with a minimum of 1 years childcare experience, who is happy to provide an ‘extra pair of hands’ to the family, both helping around the home and caring for the children.
Newly qualified nannies will often look to take on the position of a parents help for an interim period after qualifying, to gain experience whilst under the supervision of the parent. Qualified nannies who have their own children are sometimes available for ad-hoc work as a parents help while their own child attends nursery or it maybe they bring their own child with them. If a parent is at home and is in need of some extra help due to the arrival of a new baby, or because they are recovering from an illness or operation themselves, then a parents help is the perfect solution that offers flexiblity and often being able to cover the days / hours required. Typically a parents help will work less hours than a nanny, and is often on a part time basis.
A parents help is not a cleaner and should not be expected to carry out household cleaning duties, however, they are willing to help with light duties such as picking up groceries, unpacking and putting away the grocery delivery, loading and unloading the dishwasher and other similar chores. It is important that all duties required are discussed and agreed in advance with the childcarer.
The salary of a parents help will vary depending on experience, hours and duties required. Should you wish to contact us directly, we will be happy to discuss salaries further. We always recommend agreeing a gross hourly rate / salary, and as the employer, you are responsible for arranging payment of the tax and national insurance contributions on behalf of the childcarer.
Maternity Nurses & Night Nannies
Maternity Nurses and Maternity Night Nannies typically give expert advice and provide a service in all areas of infant care, specialising in feeding, sleep routines and weight gain patterns. They provide care and support to the post natal parent, offering gentle guidance at a very special, but often daunting time.
A Maternity Nurse / Maternity Night Nanny will have a lot of experience with newborn babies and the service they provide is ideal for both first time parents and those whom have had their role restricted for any reason, ie, delivery by Caesarean Section, post birth trauma stress. A maternity nurse / night nanny is also the ideal solution for those that know they are going to struggle with sleep deprivation or those that are suffering with post natal depression.
A Maternity Nurse will offer 24 hour residential care and is often available to work 24/5 or 24/6 and will remain with the family for anything between 4 and 12 weeks post birth. A maternity nurse is often a good solution for families with older siblings, as they are there to care for the newborn while the parents continue the routine with the older children.
A Maternity Night Nanny offers night time support and if often availalbe to work between the hours of 9pm and 7am (sometimes earlier if you are struggling with the early evenings) for between two and four nights a week. Typically families with book a maternity night nanny for anything between 4 and 12 weeks post birth. A maternity night nanny specialises in caring for newborn babies, often following their arrival home from hospital. They are able to offer advice on feeding and sleep routines and are happy to take over the night-time feeds, providing the parents with an uninterrupted full nights sleep. If baby is being solely breast fed, the maternity night nanny will prepare baby for the feed, support mum during the feeding process and then take baby and settle them until the next feed.
Maternity Nurses and Maternity Night Nannies work on a self employed basis, meaning they are responsible for arranging their own tax and national insurance payments. They also provide their own contracts.
Babysitters
A babysitter is someone that will come into your home of an evening, and care for your children in your absence whilst they are sleeping. The majority of our babysitters are either qualified Nannies, Nursery Practitioners, Childminders or Teachers, many of whom are also experienced parents themselves. They will all have all been through our thorough screening process, and have their own transport. Generally, the children, if not already in bed, will be ready for bed when the babysitter arrives. The babysitters duties are relatively minimal and may consist of organising a bed time drink, supervising teeth cleaning and reading a bed time story. Some babysitters are happy to undertake duties from teatime onwards but this must be by prior arrangement.
The babysitter will get themselves to and from your house and will charge between £11.50 and £15 per hour, increasing to time and a half after 1am.
