MoMs with nannies: how do you do vacation time?

babydontforget · October 2010

Obviously, when we're on vacation, we won't need the nanny. I assume it's standard to pay a nanny for such vacation days?

Do you offer your nanny vacation time beyond your own vacation days? If so, how much?

ahava2005 · October 2010

My nanny gets two weeks vacation. We said we'd prefer it if she takes hers when we do. However, we have yet to actually go on a vacation, so we haven't had to deal with this yet.

Temp6313048411121614 · October 2010

I don't have a nanny, but I'll give my $0.02 anyway. When I worked, if my boss said that we were closed for a period of time, I would expect payment. Your nanny may be on a very strict budget and needs every paycheck to stay on track. Do you have a formal contract with her? If you don't have an actual contract, I would make one and go over it with her, maybe there are things that you're not willing to budge on, things you are, and things you never even thought of that might concern her. GL on your vacation!

babydontforget · October 2010

I actually don't have a nanny yet. I'm interviewing candidates, and, in anticipation of setting up a contract, I'm trying to figure out what's standard. I do expect to pay a nanny for the time when I don't need her because I'm home or we're all away (in other words, my vacation days and holiday days). What I'm wondering is whether it's standard to also give a nanny vacation days beyond that, for her use, that I would need to work around? Or is it standard to simply expect a nanny to take her vacations when we do?

My vacation and holiday time total about a month and a half per year, if that matters.

Aussie*s_Mom:
I don't have a nanny, but I'll give my $0.02 anyway. When I worked, if my boss said that we were closed for a period of time, I would expect payment. Your nanny may be on a very strict budget and needs every paycheck to stay on track. Do you have a formal contract with her? If you don't have an actual contract, I would make one and go over it with her, maybe there are things that you're not willing to budge on, things you are, and things you never even thought of that might concern her. GL on your vacation!

LALASEPT05 · October 2010

Our nanny gets two weeks vacation time...with one week taken when we take vacation and one week at her leisure. I get more time than that at my vacation so I do anticipate she'll end up with more than 2 weeks paid when it's all said and done. We worked with an agency so they said some families do 3 weeks vacation with 2 weeks while the family is on vacation and 1 week at the nanny's leisure or what we do. I thought that sounded like a reasonable compromise.

31cupcakes · October 2010

I do not have a nanny but I have been a full time nanny for the last 11 years. I receive 2 weeks paid vacation per year. One week I try to coordinate with my employers and one week is of my own choosing. If my employers are away more times than this during the year I get paid. I never have time off of their choosing that I do not get paid.

This being said, it depends on the agreement the two of you have. These issues should be addressed in a written agreement signed by both parties at the start of employment.

janjag · October 2010

For a FT nanny, 2wks vacation is standard I think. We only have a nanny 15hrs/wk. She doesn't get vacation time. I did give her a nice bonus last winter, and a 1yr bonus, etc.

Babydontforget, if you already have a nanny I think you should get an agreement in writing asap. 2wks is one thing, but 6wks is something else entirely. Personally I wouldn't want to pay someone for all that time.

omalley · October 2010

31cupcakes:
I do not have a nanny but I have been a full time nanny for the last 11 years. I receive 2 weeks paid vacation per year. One week I try to coordinate with my employers and one week is of my own choosing. If my employers are away more times than this during the year I get paid. I never have time off of their choosing that I do not get paid.

We had a nanny for the first year and this is the set-up we had in place.