If you are looking to hire childcare for your family and you are considering whether a live in nanny or an au pair would be most suitable for the requirements of your family, there are a few key differences between the two to consider that make them quite different.
An au pair can be considered a helpful pair of extra hands around the house, they do not have a lot of childcare experience - if any, but can assist with basic childcare duties as well as assisting with child related housekeeping. Due to their lack of experience, the UK government strongly recommends that au pairs only care for children that are aged 3 years old and above. A live in nanny, on the other hand, can work with children of any age, from newborn through to high school if you so wish. A live in nanny will also have at least three years of professional experience. Professional is the keyword here as this will mean that they have worked within a professional setting, working with families and children that are not related to them and in a formal setting. Live in nannies may also have childcare qualifications specialising in childhood development or newborn care. Live in nannies are able to work longer hours than an au pair is. A typical live in nanny position will require a nanny to work Monday to Friday for 12 hours a day with two nights of babysitting.
Due to the increased experience, a live in nanny will have, qualifications and longer working hours, the market rate for a live in nanny is considerably more than an au pair. The market rate of a live in nanny is between £400 and £600 net per week, but nannies are able to expect a higher salary depending on the requirements of the position. Another important note to make is that nannies and au pairs are paid a net salary. This means that as the hiring family you will be required to also make any tax and national insurance contributions on top of the weekly wage of the nanny or au pair.
As au pairs have less experience, work fewer hours and are able to assist with fewer duties than a nanny is able to, they are paid a smaller weekly wage in comparison to live in nannies. An au pair will earn between £120 and £200 net per week depending on the requirements of the position as well as the experience of the au pair.
A typical au pair placement normally lasts for at least one year and can last for a few years. Au pair placements do not tend to last as long as a nanny placement as the au pair is a cultural experience for both the au pair and host family and a nanny will consider families as career opportunities. Live in nanny placements, on the other hand, can last for many years. As your children grow and develop, your nanny and the care they provide to your children will also grow and develop alongside.
As you can see, while it might seem that au pair jobs and live in nanny jobs are similar, there is quite a difference between the two which also results in a difference in cost.
When considering your childcare options, it is important to think about what type of childcare you are looking for. If you are looking for someone to be a helping hand around the house, that has less experience but also is less expensive, then an au pair is a good option to consider. If you are looking for something that is more hands on, someone who is able to help your children thrive and encourage them to reach childhood milestones but has a considerably higher salary expectation, it could be good to look at a live in nanny as a childcare option for your family. So while a live in nanny is considerably more expensive than an au pair, it is important to remember that you will be paying for the quality of care your children receive due to the experience and qualifications that come with a live in nanny. If you are unsure whether a live in nanny or an au pair is best for your family, our consultants are only a phone call away to help and advise you on your options.
Because live in nannies are able to work with a wide range of children, their duties will vary depending on the ages of children they are working with. Live in nannies are also able to babysit two nights per week. If you have a language requirement that you would like your live in nanny to speak, Little Ones will be able to include this in the search. This will mean your children are encouraged to learn a new language, or alternatively, ensure that their fluency in a language remains.
The duties of a live in nanny can include:
Whether you are looking for an au pair or a live in nanny, Little Ones has been helping families find their perfect childcare for over 15 years. Our consultants are here to help and guide you to find a solution to your childcare needs, no matter what your salary requirements are. Whether you are looking for a live in nanny, part time nanny or an au pair Little Ones is here to help.
Our years of experience within the childcare industry has meant that our vetting procedure has been honed down to a fine art. When you use an agency like Little Ones that specialises in childcare recruitment you can rest assured that the childcare option you are being presented with has had a thorough background check, verbal references have been verified by our consultants and their experience compliments your requirements perfectly.
Our consultants believe that you should feel supported the very moment you contact us, and will not stop once you have found your childcare option that perfectly complements your needs. Our consultants are always on hand to assist at any point during your search and even after you have found the childcare option for you.
Childcare agencies such as Little Ones take the hassle of resourcing potential childcare candidates from you and will only present you with the best of the best that we meet. We bring them into the office for a face to face interview where their experience and qualifications are discussed at length and we are able to obtain verbal references which we then personally check ourselves.
All of our childcare candidates will have the following:
From the very first call, your expert consultant will guide you through what your options are, what would suit your requirements most closely and put your mind to rest with any concerns you might have regarding your childcare search. Our consultants are also on hand to help and answer any questions you might have along the way, using an agency that specialises in private childcare like Little Ones means you have a direct line to the experts. No matter what stage you are at with your private childcare search, our consultants are on hand to assist.
Our years of experience within the childcare industry means we know what it takes to be an exceptional childcare candidate, which is why all the childcare candidates we work with are the best of the best that are available. We pride ourselves on providing a premium level of service and care for our clients because we expect the same from our candidates. We maintain the highest standards and expect the best from our candidates because we know you expect the best for yourself.
Here at Little Ones, we pride ourselves on being able to delicately align a premium, luxury service for an aspect of your life that is so personal.
Using an agency that specialises in private childcare for your home like Little Ones means you can be sure you will receive support from every side, we will take the stress of finding private childcare from you and present you with private childcare options that perfectly aligns with your childcare needs and your schedule.
We work with your family to find solutions, whatever your needs. To make perfect and seamless placements is Little Ones ethos.
