Child Care Options

Nannies are employed by parents to look after children in the family home either on a live-in or live-out basis. They should either be qualified childcare professionals or should have at least two years experience of caring for children. The most common childcare qualifications are NNEB, BTEC Diploma, NVQ 2 & 3 in childcare & education, the Norland Diploma or CACHE certificate.

Nannies are employed by the parents which means you are liable to pay their tax & national insurance contributions on top of their net wage. (please see our nanny tax calculator)

Nannies are responsible for anything to do with the children including cooking their meals, washing & ironing, planning activities, educating and stimulating the children. A nanny is not a housekeeper and shouldn’t be asked to undertake any duties that are beyond her role. Most nannies are happy to work a 10 to 12 hour day, 1 to 5 days per week. A live out nanny will be paid anything from £270 - £350 net per week dependant on age & qualifications. A live in nanny will be paid around £260 net per week including a couple of nights babysitting included in her weekly wage.

You can claim up to 80% of your childcare costs back through the government tax credit scheme if your nanny is surestart approved, depending on your and your partners earnings. Visit www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits to see if you are eligible for help with childcare costs.

For nannies to become approved they will be required to show that they hold a recognised childcare qualification or to attend a childcare induction course. They will also have to undertake a criminal record check and will need a valid paediatric first-aid certificate.

Nannies will have to register with a new government register in order for the parents to be able to claim the childcare tax credits. Take a look at the sure start website to get more information www.surestart.gov.uk.

If you need any advice on the employment of a nanny or nannies wages then please contact us.

A mothers help is generally an unqualified nanny who is happy to help around the home as well as help with childcare. Usually, the parents would be either working from home or not working at all and using the mothers help as an extra pair of hands.

A lot of nannies who have now become mothers themselves also work as mothers help on an ad-hoc or permanent basis.

As well as light household duties a mothers help can do the weekly food shopping, run errands as well as looking after the children. A mothers help usually earns around £5 - £8 an hour depending on age and experience.

Hiring an au pair is an excellent way of maintaining your work balance lifestyle. The au pair will help with domestic & childcare tasks which will able you to fulfil your work commitments, leisure interests & engage in quality family time.

An au pair is a single woman or man with no dependants aged between 18 -27 years. They must be prepared to stay for at least 6 months but must not stay in the UK for any more than 2 years (summer au pairs are available throughout the summer holidays and usually stay for around 6-8 weeks). An au pair is a national from any of the 27 EEC countries and some also come from the Philippines, Croatia, Macedonia & Turkey.

An au pair lives in with the family so will need to have her own bedroom with a comfortable bed, television, desk & chair. She will need access to a bathroom.

Au pairs are paid an allowance each week of approx £70 to £100 per week. This is for a working week of no more than 25 hours with the au pair working no more than 5 hours per day. They can also be asked to baby-sit for up to 2 evenings per week. They must have 2 consecutive days off per week.

An au pair plus is the same as an au pair but can work for up to 40 hours per week and can take on slightly more childcare duties. As they are working for longer hours, their weekly allowance will be around £100-£130 per week.

A maternity nurse has the same qualifications and/or experience as a nanny but has a lot of experience with newborn babies. She will give 24-hour care 6 days a week and will live in. She will usually be placed with the family for 4-8 weeks after the birth of the baby. Her duties include all aspects of baby care including establishment of feeding and sleep patterns and will give general guidance to the mother, especially if is the mother's first baby. Her salary will reflect her maternity nursing experience but will be in the region of £500 to £650 per week. A doula has generally been a mother herself and completely understands all the emotions of a new mother. A doula functions in the same way as a member of an extended family. She takes on the role that a mother or sister would fulfil in the same situation. She is employed a month or so before the birth and will then work after the birth for as long as the mother wants her around. In some cases, the doula will be the mother's birthing partner .A doula usually lives out and comes into the home daily, mainly to care for the needs of the mother. After the baby is born the doula can take over caring for the baby (similar to Maternity Nurse duties) if requested. A guideline to a doula's fees could be anything up to £15 an hour depending on experience.

A babysitter comes into your home during the evening and sits with the children while they are asleep (some children may still be awake when the baby sitter arrives).

Most babysitter's are qualified and work as nannies during the week. Some babysitter's are either teachers, students or mother's themselves. You can choose who you prefer. A babysitter's duties are relatively minimal and only involve bedtime routine e.g. cleaning teeth, bedtime story etc. A babysitter will undertake duties from teatime onwards but only by prior arrangement. Most babysitter's drive and have their own transport to get to and from their place of work. A babysitter will charge between £6 and £8 per hour. Babysitter's will charge more after 12pm.