Hello parents,

As a nanny who uses these boards to advertise her services to families, I get lots of emails from people saying they are looking for an au pair/nanny or mother's help/nanny. I felt it would help some parents who have limited experience of hiring childcarers, to know the difference between the options.

Au Pair - An Au Pair from an EU country can work 25-35 hours per work. A non-EU Au Pair can work no more than 25 hours. They should not be given sole charge care of children, and definitely not young children. They usually help with general household tasks - making breakfast, cleaning, shopping. They should not be treated as an employee but more of an older sibling; and in return for their work they receive a room, food and all bills paid. They will usually go to college to learn English and should be given plenty of time to experience the culture of the country, as this is why they come here. They are unqualified and usually have very little experience, unless they have been an Au Pair before. They are limited to how long they can stay in the country. They should also receive pocket money between £60 and £80 per week. The au pair is entitled to holidays so that she can travel home. The family may choose to pay for a phone, travel home, transport in the UK, English lessons, but all of these are at your discretion and should not be expected.

Mother's Help - Unqualified and experience usually consists of helping family members or occasional babysits. Not normally given sole charge care. They are expected to muck in more than nannies and as well as helping with the children (under the parent's supervision), they also do household tasks like cleaning, shopping, as well as nursery duties. This option is good for mums who are at home but have other duties to perform or have more than one child, needing an extra pair of hands. Mother's Helps can live in or out. If they live in then they usually do 2 evening babysits a week at no extra cost to you. If they live out then any extra babysits should be paid as overtime. Their wage is less than a nanny's wage and depends on area and level of experience or duties performed: between £150-300 NET per week for a live out. Live in will get less than this.

Nanny - They are dedicated professionals, committed to their chosen profession and their development within it. They will have completed short courses, first aid courses, got a CRB check, be willing to gain OfSTED registration/Sure Start Approval, have some related qualifications and/or lots of relevant experience with children and families, have nanny insurance, references etc. Nannies have sole charge care of children for most of the time and work for around 50 hours over a 5 day week. They undertake nursery duties and, under agreement with the parents, may also do some household tasks, though this should not be expected. They cook for the children, take children to clubs and classes, do school runs (either in a nanny car or in their own car and then paid expenses by the parents). Can live in or out - live in nannies get paid less than live out as their room, food etc are all free. If live in, babysits can be included in the contract; if live out, they are paid overtime for babysits and overnights. Nannies should have an understanding of children's development and undertake steps to support this development; they are not simply people who watch your children while you work, but are instrumental in children's development in many ways. This is why having the right nanny and paying them adequately for the work they do is so important - your children are prescious and the nanny will spend all day with them, so it's obviously necessary to make sure she is happy as well as you. Expected pay is higher than a mother's help as the nanny is better experienced and qualified, as well as also taking on greater responsibility. Again, pay depends on the area of the country, but in the SW, for a 50 hour week, live out nannies should be getting between £300 and £500 NET (500 for most experience), net being after tax and NIC deductions. Live in get less, starting at around £220 NET.

Nannies should be given a contract and should be on a proper payroll, unless you can accurately work out tax, NIC, student loan deductions and employer's NICs, yourself. All employees, including nannies, are entitled to at least 4 weeks paid holiday as well as paid bank holidays. Usually, if a nanny is expected to work bank holiday, they will be paid for the hours they do as well as for the holiday - essentially, this is double time. Nannies have the same employment rights as any other employee working in offices, shops, factories, schools etc.

I hope this helps parents who are looking for childcare, to make the right choice for their family and gives you an idea of your responsibilities as an employer.

Contact details

• Email: Click here to reply to this ad
• Phone: carrie sealy

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