Your advice from full time nanny experience?

Thanx Anina,

Im expecting twins so I will need all the help we can afford. Currently we have a lady who comes in once a week to do washing and ironing and also help with cleaning the house.

I think I will keep her until the girls are older but still have a full time nanny.

Shoo,the expenses keep adding up.

Thanks for taking the time to tell me about Paulina Its a great help. Wow 2 children very close together I see.. There is real benefit in doing it all together while the kiddies are both in nappies and toddlers together! I am hoping to have another this year, but time will tell! My son is 2yrs 4months already so a much bigger gap!

Have a good day!

I have a lady who looks afer my kids, i like to call her my domestic nanny.

She looks after 2 kids, cleans the house and does the washing. She does not get time for ironing and I have a dishwasher, so she doesn't stand and wash dishes at all.

I pay her R2500 pm, she gets 15 leave days per year, like Sarah said. Our contract states that long periods of leave will coincide with my holidays. She lives in, but does not get any food from me, she prefers to bring her own food to work and that works out better for me as well. When I do groceries, I ask her if she needs anything and then usually buy her a bread or bath soap, she never asks for more than that.

She started on R2000 pm, I increased it to R2200 after a year and then to R2500 because she is now looking after 2 kids and the workload is much heavier.

Her hours are from 7:30 to 15:30 in school terms and from 8:00 to 16:00 in school holidays (i'm a teacher and likes spending some time with the kiddies in bed when on holiday).

She takes her luch and tea breaks in front of my TV with the kids still playing around her. She usually makes the older one a snack at the same time so that he sits in his high chair and is occupied while she gets a few minutes to relax. The rest of the day the TV is off.

We have a great contract and I pay UIF so that she will be looked after if something happens (like we move or she falls pregnant etc)

At this point in my life, I can't imagine my life without Paulina, she is an angel and my kids love her. Stefan actually cries for her if we come back from holiday and she's not here.

She is not a trained nanny, we just tought her first aid and I've made her study the Baby sense book and make her read the relevant chapter as my babygirl gets older. She doesn't have her own kids but is really great with mine.

Hope this helps, I can get you in touch with someone who does the whole contract, payslips, disiplinary warnings etc and UIF for you if you need it.

thanx for the insight Sarah.

Following on Mandy B's question, what is the going rate ? (im just simply asking for planning purposes not to necessarily compare nanny rates )

Thanks Sarah

Legally you have to pay UIF and give sick leave as well as annual leave. I think its 15 days annual leave, 3 days family responsibility leave and I can't remember the sick leave - check the dept of labour site regarding domestic employees. I know that if I am off sick or take leave my employers have to take leave from their jobs or arrange other childcare for their children.

Edited to add, all leave within the dept of labour guidelines is paid leave. You can request that she try and take leave at a certain time of year (ie in Dec or NOT during school holidays etc) but sometimes things happen and your employee will have to take leave when it isn't convenient to you. My contracts have always stated that I and employer needs to give at least 2 weeks notice of standard leave and should it be totally unsuitable my employer has the right to not approve my leave (obviously this does not apply to sick or family responsibility leave)

Looking to hire a full time maid mostly to look after kid/ next kid one day.. and secondly to clean home.

Any advice on how you handle sick leave? How much allowed and is it always paid? what do you do when they cant work? Hubby and i both have full time jobs and no family to help.

how much do you pay in JHB? ours will live out..

Do you pay for night work or babysitting as extras?

Any any any advice?

how much leave per year? Do you specify when?
Do you pay uif?