From a reader who wishes to remain anonymous:
I am a nanny for four children ages 4, 6, 6, and 8. All of the children have Autism. In addition, one of the 6 year-olds has Asperger's and the 8 year-old has Down's Syndrome. During the next school year, I will be working 5 hours a day with this family. I will have all 4 children for 3 of those hours. I am also responsible for meal preparation and cleaning the children's bedrooms, toy room (which is the entire basement), dishes, and laundry (which includes the bedding). I also tend to the family dog, feeding her and sometimes letting her out.
I'm just wondering if I should find courage to let my boss know that I feel entitled to a raise.
I have worked with the family for 2 years and I am making 15 dollars an hour. I have my own child who is 17 months and I'm struggling with the cost of daycare enrollment at this rate.
Do you have any words of advice?
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Comments (16)
I think that you are just going to have to ask for the raise. I am sure they realize how difficult your job will be and will be understanding.
They have 4 children with autism? What are the odds of that
That's tough. Can you bring your 17 month old so you don't have to pay for daycare?
@ShamrockLover@xanga - I wondered the same thing. Although I'm sure it would be tough watching all 5 kids, but really, how much worse would 5 be than 4?
OP - Have you asked the family about bringing your child with you?
I think a job like that warrants more than $15 an hour. That breaks down to 3.75 an hour per child, nevermind the fact that they are all special needs children and you are taking care of their home and pet as well. One thing you may also look at...I know in my state they have subsidized child care. If you are under 200% of the poverty level, the department of social services will pay for all or some of your child care. Good luck!
That is about what you would make as a tech working in behavioral health, where you could have up to 6 kids at a time. So, it sounds reasonable. BUT, if it is not enough for you, then it is not enough. Tell them that you love the job, but that you either need to bring your own kid to work with you or need more money.
Also, are you getting state child care assistance? Look into it if you aren't, my daycare bill went from $900 a month to $330.
when you ask her, focus on why you're worth more than 15 an hour to her more than why you need the money.
I agree that asking if you could have your daughter with you would be a good idea. Sit down with them and discuss your dilemma and see if there is any way that the load could be lightened for you, such as not having to clean except for maybe the food mess that is made during the day. If a behavioral tech makes $15 a hour, than you should make the $15/hr + what a cleaning service costs. It seems like they are getting 3 in one: a maid, a nanny and a cook. And that's a lot to deal with, especially considering that all the kids are special needs. You've been there for two years which is a pretty good amount of time to establish a rapport with them to bring up the subject.
I may be the only person to say this, but i'm not sure i'd want to have my child with me at that particular job. It sounds like you have 2 hours to do all the "chores" before the whole crew is with you, At that point, i'm sure your hands are full with managing them.
You could offer, as other have suggested, that you are worth more than 15 an hour. and you may get your raise. I can't help but think that unless this family is very well off, they have these children in preschool and school and are both working, 15 might be stretching their budgets. Which, of course, isn't your problem. If the pay of the job isn't covering daycare for your child so you can attend the job, i think it's hardly worth the effort of going.Your other option is to ask about having your child with you, but ask for leniency on the "chores" that you are expected to be able to handle. You'll more than likely need your eyes watching children more closely than you'll need to be doing laundry. You are a Nanny not a maid.That's my humble opinion.
That's 1500 a month if I'm correct. Un-taxed. If they can't give you the raise another person would gladly take that. You have to find the job that fits the needs of your family. I've been through that before.
@xoxo_Live_Love_Laugh@xanga - I wasn't certain if you actually meant "un-taxed" or "pre-tax" because child care workers do need to pay taxes and the IRS considers them to be "household employees" unless they work for an agency. My husband has a master's degree in accounting and until I went back to work after having our daughter I did not know the ins and outs of childcare tax laws. We do social security and medicare withholding and our nannies have been required to fill out I-9 forms.
http://www.irs.gov/publications/p926/ar02.html
Just talk to your employer about it. I think a lot of us think you should get paid more considering you're cleaning the basement and children's rooms, taking care of their pets, and cooking for their children. Average pay for a maid is around $14 and on top of that you're taking care of four special needs children and a dog.
First of all, all of those children qualify for government assistance. Leaving them with one person is abuse on your part, and theirs as well. Not suggesting you are doing anything wrong, but these parents are ill informed. Call your local Health and Welfare department and get some statistics in writing. Were you to get your CNA, Certified Nursing Assistant, which doesn't take more than a few weeks during hours you could afford, the state would then pay you to care for the children, and you'd get government benefits as well. Methinks the parents might be cashing in on something you know little about, and you really need to get on to this, yesterday. It's a legal issue. My friend with an autistic child got reimbursed by the state until he was 12 and they put him in residential care because of severe behavior issues. That was the best move they made, and now he's 20, and half way through college. He's not ever going to be exactly like most in his thinking process, but by having programs available to him and his family, he's come a long way.
When you ask for a raise have paperwork ready that states the condition of the children in question.
Good luck in your endeavors !
Go for it, the worst she/he can say is no.
Where do you live? 4 kids for only $15/hour (even untaxed) is really really cheap...especially if it is for kids who have special needs plus a dog.
My friend is a nanny for only 1 kid in New York and she gets $20/hour. The kid is a bit difficult but not special needs.
You should definitely ask for a raise for at least $20/hour. Do you have other friends working as nannies? $15/hour for 4 kids anywhere in the US just does not seem competitive.
Long Answer: I live in southern California, so everything I say will be based on my experience as a highly recommended babysitter, here. I, personally, would charge $40/hr for four children under 10. One or two kids on the spectrum, I would charge the same; but all four kids, I would likely charge more like $50 or $60/hr. It sounds prejudiced, but considering the additional challenges involved with caring for one child on the spectrum (and not knowing exactly where each falls along that line), it is exponentially more difficult rather than simply multiplicatively.
Andthere are two children with additional learning disabilities to be addressed. (I include one meal prep and pet in those estimates.)
Furthermore, considering you are also performing house keeping tasks, I would charge another $30-40/hr. Picking up bedrooms and toyroom (in this case, and entire floor) are things the children playing with those toys should be learning, regardless of their place on or off the spectrum, with/out additional learning disabilities, and depending on their place on the spectrum, this requires intense, personal guidance and therapy, for which you are likely not trained. (Totally fine, mind you. It's at least a couple years of very specific training.) That is the family's responsibility. Picking up after the children is not your job, never mind doing the house laundry. If the family has a dishwasher, my suggestion is merely loading it immediately after the meal, while the kids are cleaning themselves of food residue.
Your first responsibility as a nanny is the supervision and care of the children charged to you. All other tasks are extra, and should be treated as such.
When I sit, I wait until the kids are put down for the night to start in on washing dishes, folding blankets, straightening play areas, etc. If I were a long-term nanny, I would still play it this way. I am there to act as an immediate supervisor of activities, and to be an adult body in the room until the parents come home to take over. The rest is just to fill my time. Same should go for you, I think.
Hope you get the help you need, here, hon!