Guide to nanny shares Sharing a nanny can be a very cost effective way to get flexible, consistent, professional and highquality individualised care, as well as providing your child with a ready-made playmate. It can also be a great option for parents who work from home, allowing the flexibility and personalised attention a nanny can give but in the other family's house. What is a share? A nanny share is where one nanny works for two families at the same time under one umbrella agreement. They may care for the children together or they may care for the children on separate days. A nanny who works for two families but on separate days is not necessarily in a share arrangement but may have two entirely separate employments, although payroll providers may consider the nanny to be shared for administrative purposes, particularly when the tax code is split. It is worth bearing in mind that where a nanny splits their week between families, even when the families did not advertise their jobs as a share, some communication and coordination may be desirable but is not necessary. This guide mostly deals with shares where children are cared for together but some of the other advice may apply. Equally a nanny who brings their own child to work is not in a nanny share, however much of the guidance regarding logistics contained in the leaflet is relevant. How many families can share a nanny? A nanny can only care for children from 2 families at any one time. Caring for children from 3 or more families is considered childminding even when it takes places at the home of one of the families and requires registration with OFSTED on the compulsory register. There are two common ways that nanny shares start out. In one scenario two families get together and decide to find a nanny to share, in the other an existing nanny/family partnership decide to look for another family to join them. Finding a share family Often the decision to share a nanny evolves because families who know each other have a common need for childcare perhaps because they are in the same ante-natal or NCT group, they know each other from playgroup, nursery or school, or they happen to live on the same road. Sometimes, however, you need to pass word around your friends and acquaintances, put a notice in shop windows or local press or advertise for a family on the Internet, using a website such as www.thenannysharers.co.uk, the nanny share section on Mumsnet or your local childcare board on Netmums to name a few.
What kind of family? Just because someone has expressed an interest in sharing a nanny with you doesn't mean that they will be a good fit. First you need to consider the logistical side of the arrangement such as days, hours and location. If the other family live a long way away from you it may not be very practical, unless someone's workplace is close by and they can take and collect the children. Then it's important to see whether you have similar values and approaches to raising children; if you are keen on discipline and they're happy for their children to run wild, a nanny will find it very difficult to please both sets ofyea rents which can quickly lead to tensions. Other topics to consider are approaches to food and nutrition, activities, socialising with other local children and the importance of routines. If you already have a nanny their input will be important. Remember that your views don't need to be identical but you should agree on the major principles! Finding a nanny to share Finding a nanny to share is much the same as recruiting a nanny for just your family but instead of you (and your partner) thinking about what you want in a nanny you need to involve the other family too. Going through an agency will ensure you only receive applications from candidates who are genuinely interested in a share arrangement and understand what it entails, although you can of course advertise yourself. An agency should be prepared to send profiles to both families whereas advertising privately means one of you will need to be in charge of dealing with applications and passing them round. There is no set way to decide on what kind of nanny you want but when there are lots of different opinions to consider it can be invaluable to make a list of attributes which are non-negotiable and areas where you could be more flexible. Having this written down and evaluating CVs against these criteria means you should avoid becoming attached to a candidate who doesn't meet your share partner's requirements. When you've agreed on a short list of candidates to interview you need to consider how you want to go about the interview process. Again there is no right or wrong way, it's about what works for your particular combination of families. Do you want to do a first interview with both sets of parents, with one representative from each set of parents or would you prefer to meet nannies individually? At the second interview do your children know each other well enough to concentrate on the nanny and not each other or would it be better for the nanny to meet the children separately? Is it important for you to see the nanny with all the children before offering the job? Do you want to meet at your house, your share partner's or a neutral location? Don't have too many interviews with the same candidate - they may get interview fatigue! A maximum of 3 should be sufficient and if you want to give each family time to see the nanny separately consider meeting at a neutral location for a double length interview where you take it in turns to see the nanny separately and then spend a bit of time together at the end. Alternatively you might want to consider doing initial interviews with the parents by phone or Skype.
When it comes to checking references this is best done by one person, but everyone should have input into the list of questions to ask referees. If you think the other family should hear what a referee has to say, check with the referee that it's okay for the other family to get in touch and make it clear they're part of the share. Negotiating a salary A nanny share where children are cared for together does involve a bit more work all round. Nannies need to balance the needs of two families, who may have slightly different priorities and children with different needs, and maintain good working relationships with two families. These complexities mean that most nannies expect a slight increase in pay - usually 25-30% of their usual gross wage. Nannies who are working a split week usually receive their usual gross wage. The proportion of the cost borne by each of the employers depends on the hours needed and the number of children. Here are some examples of ways the cost can be shared: Family A and Family B both had one child and both require full time care, paying their nanny 500 gross per week.they decide to split the cost 1/2 : 1/2, so each family pays 250. Family A has one child and Family B has two children with both families requiring full time care. They decide that, because Family B's children will take up more of the nanny's time and attention to split the cost 1/3 : 2/3 but agree that if in the future Family A were to have another baby the cost would be split 1/2 : 1/2. So far so good. But what happens when one family needs full time care and another family doesn't? Family A and Family B both have one child. Family A require care 3 days a week and Family B require full time care. They decide to split the cost 1/2 : 1/2 for the 3 shared days' paying the nanny 12.50 per hour gross, and Family B will meet the whole cost of the nanny for the remaining 2 days and pay 10 per hour gross. What happens if it's really complicated? Family A and B have 2 children each. Family A have a child at nursery in the mornings and a younger child at home full time, Family B have a child at nursery in the mornings and an older child at school full time. They work out that Family A are using 10.5 hours a day for their younger child and 7 hours a day for the older child, a total of 17.5 hours per day, and Family B are using 7 hours a day for their younger child and 2 hours per day, a total of 9 hours per day, for their older child for 36 weeks a year, with both families needing full time care in school holidays. The ratio is approximately 2/3 : 1/3 for 36 weeks and 1/2 : 1/2 for 16 weeks. A gross weekly salary of 600 in term time means Family A pay 400 and Family B 200 each week, with each family paying 300 per week in the holidays. There is no one right way. The best way is one that seems fair to both families.
Additional costs Our Guide to employing a nanny outlines some of the additional costs, such as a kitty, the cost of providing meals during working hours and insuring a nanny on your car however with 2 families involved some costs can increase, and other costs need to be split. BAPN advises that both families work out a projection of the costs incurred (food, extra utilities, nappies, car insurance and running costs, additional baby equipment) and find a fair way of compensating each other so neither family is out of pocket. It's also a good idea to keep receipts and bills to back up your projections so you can identify any hidden costs, especially if one family is providing the nanny with accommodation, however getting obsessed with the minutiae of daily costs won't help - a little rounding might be needed and sometimes one family will absorb a little extra cost of hosting the share for the convenience of having the children in their own home. Realistic expectations One of the great benefits of having a nanny is that they will also take care of nursery duties. Whilst this is still true in a nanny share, especially if you are hosting it, a nanny will have less time to devote to chores as the children will be top priority. If the share isn't at your house it isn't reasonable to expect to drop off your child's laundry with them in the morning and pick it up freshly ironed that evening! While it may be possible for the nanny to do laundry for both families nothing is a given in a share, especially when it comes to nursery duties, and you may need to let the dust settle before working out what else you can realistically expect your nanny to do. Writing a good contract A good contract with your nanny and a clear agreement between both families will go a long way to preventing any problems with your share. Writing down your arrangements encourages you to clarify and agree on the important things as well as giving you an idea of what your share partners' priorities are. This will also identify any potential problems and if at this stage you can't reconcile any minor differences it may be worth reconsidering whether you want to proceed. BAPN provide a sample contract which can be used for a share. One contract or two? It is possible to have a nanny share where both families employ the nanny under one contract. This provides all three parties with security as dismissing your nanny must be a joint decision and if one party wants to leave the share they must provide adequate notice to the other parties. It is also possible for each family to have a separate contract with the nanny. In this case BAPN recommends that you have a written agreement between both sets of parents and between both sets of parents and the nanny if the nanny is caring for both sets of children at the same time. If your nanny is working a split week with another family they will need a contract with each family and it is not necessary to have a formal agreement between the two sets of employers. The approach you choose may have PAYE implications so choose carefully and if necessary seek professional advice.
Share logistics Car If you need your nanny to drive you need to make sure they have or your can provide a car which will safely seat all the children. Discuss what will need to happen about car seats - can they be left in one car permanently/during the week or will they need to be installed on a daily basis? Is the boot big enough to fit a double buggy if you need one? Equipment Decide early on whether the share will be hosted by one family or alternate and what equipment needs to be doubled up on in each house, what can be moved and what can be shared. Do you need a double buggy, an extra high chair or a travel cot? Can you share nappies, wipes and toiletries? Will you have toys and resources which are bought jointly for the share? Who will the extra equipment belong to if the share ends? Food Food is something which should be discussed right at the very beginning. What should the children eat and when? Do any of the children have specific dietary requirements? What is your attitude towards fussy eaters? Remember that food can seem like a big cost but that depends on the ages of the children involved. The amount 6 month old baby eats is very small compared to a 2 year old, which is another reason why the arrangements might need to be reviewed regularly. Routines It makes life easier if both families have roughly similar routines for meals and naps. If one toddler had a long morning nap and the other a long nap after lunch that would make it difficult for nanny to get out and about and the children will miss out on activities and learning opportunities outside the home. Children adapt quickly to minor changes in routines so don't worry if your nanny can't replicate your established routine exactly, a little bit of give and take on both sides means you'll soon find a happy medium. Sickness Another big advantage to having a nanny is that they will look after your children when they are sick and there's no real reason for this to change. If children from one family come down with something, the other family's children probably won't be too far behind. A mildly poorly child, even with something contagious such as chickenpox, can still be cared for by your nanny if they and the other family agree although you may need to renegotiate the location of the share. Sick adults can also be dealt with more easily in a nanny share. Even the best nannies get sick and if it happens to be a day when you have an important meeting you can always ask your share partner to do you a favour that you'll return at some point, or you can take half a day each and minimise the impact on your employers. If you yourself are sick and you usually host the share it may even be possible for your children and the nanny to spend the day at the other family's house.
Activities Be considerate of your share partners when planning your children's schedule. A class a day may be stimulating for your child and affordable for you, but tiring for the other child and economically crippling for the other family. Open, honest discussion should lead to a balance that pleases everyone. Similarly you have strong ideas about the kind of activities you want your nanny to provide at home. Again it's important to communicate and prioritise so all parties are happy. School/nursery As children grow up their needs, and your childcare needs, change. Nanny shares can be a very attractive option economically for older children but many shares break down when children reach school or nursery age because the nanny can't be in two places at the same time to do dropoffs or pick-ups. The best case scenario is your children will go to the same preschool and school as the share family and you may have some idea from the start whether that's likely to happen. If it isn't you should still consider going ahead with an otherwise good fit but be conscious that schooling plans can limit the shelf life of an arrangement. If your children are likely to go to school first consider the impact of school runs on the share family and whether your children will be happy during the holiday around younger children. Additional children A new arrival is a happy time but it can make an established share feel precarious. What will your arrangements be for maternity leave? Is the nanny happy to have an additional, younger charge? There is no real reason to end a successful share as long as the logistics continue to work but again it's worth discussing at least the theory of it at the beginning. Holidays Your nanny is still entitled to 5.6 weeks holiday (pro rata for part time). When employed by one family this is often split equally with Bank Holidays off, 2 weeks chosen by the family and 2 weeks by the nanny. In a share arrangement you may want to take holiday but the other family may still need your nanny to work. This means that your nanny is not able to take holiday at that point. Unfortunately there is no ideal solution to this problem - the best thing to do is negotiate an arrangement all parties are happy with and ensure that everyone communicates clearly about, and gives plenty of notice of, holiday plans. Share etiquette The key to a share, as with any nannying relationship, is open, honest communication. Small niggles can easily become major problems if one family and the nanny are happy with the status quo leaving the other family quietly resentful. Problems with your nanny should be dealt with by both sets of parents together but avoid prolonged discussion of your nanny behind their back. Any problems with your share partner should be taken directly to them - treating your nanny as a gobetween will make them and your share partner feel uncomfortable. Make sure your nanny knows they can and should raise any issues with both sets of parents and discourage them from making comments about your share partner to you, even if the behaviour in question is annoying you too.
A nanny diary can be a really useful tool to keep track of messages and arrangements. Take time to write notes, read it every day and sign to say you've seen a message. It's a useful record if disagreements arise. Be flexible and don't take advantage of the other family or nanny's good nature. It could lead to resentment further down the line if you're frequently 10 minutes late picking up your children and the nanny has gone, leaving your share partner to supervise all the children when they'd much rather be spending quality time with their own children and starting evening routines. Equally while a good nanny will go above and beyond the call of duty of one family takes advantage of that more than others without compensating in some way, the other family in the share may become aggrieved. Joining an established share If you're the newcomer to an established nanny arrangement, whether a previous share or a single employment, it can take time to find your feet. Remember that while the other family may have an easygoing relationship with the nanny and the nanny seems to know their children well, that rapport has been built up over time and there's no reason you shouldn't quickly find yourself on the same level. It can be difficult it suggest changes but remember that you're an equal partner in the arrangement and sometimes the status quo isn't always best. Administering PAYE When you share a nanny with another family you become an employer. How you share the responsibilities of employing the nanny with your share partner. Some shares register one family as an employer and the other family contributes to the cost. This can only be done if you have one joint contract with your nanny. It is also possible for each family to register as a separate employer with HMRC. This prevents one family from bearing the all consequences if something goes wrong with the tax and can save a significant amount in employer's National Insurance over the year. As long as you agree a gross wage neither family will lose out. The potential disadvantage of this is that each family will need to pay at least minimum wage per hour. You must do this if each family has a separate contract with a nanny. There is the possibility for your nanny to ask HMRC to split their tax code. This is entirely up to your nanny - you can ask them to make the request but it is ultimately their decision. As nanny shares can be very complicated from a tax perspective, BAPN strongly recommends you engage professional help from a specialist payroll service
Ending a share All good things must come to an end and in most cases nanny shares end amicably with several months notice, giving both families time to find alternative childcare and your nanny a new job but sometimes the ending can be sudden, or acrimonious. Your contract with your nanny should have a fair notice period, usually at least 4 weeks, save cases of gross misconduct. In the unfortunate situation where you do need to invoke your disciplinary procedure and wish to dismiss your nanny we advise you to take legal advice. If you feel that it's not working out between the two families in the share it's best to end the arrangement completely. It's unfair to ask your nanny to choose which family they would rather continue working for, although they may have a preference and make that known discreetly to one of the families. It is important not to put any pressure on your nanny to choose and don't feel slighted if they do continue to work for the other family. We wish you all the best within finding a lovely family and nanny to share your childcare with! Should you have any questions about this guide or another aspect of employing a nanny, please don t hesitate to contact us. www.bapn.org.uk info@bapn.org.uk @BAPN1 01622 815 271