Negotiating Your Nanny’s Salary
Guest post courtesy of SOSsitter.ca
So you’ve selected a candidate that you like and who meets your family’s needs. Now, it is time to finalize the hiring process and negotiate the salary and specific details of her responsibilities.
There are three things you should do to calculate the appropriate salary: make a list of the tasks you want the nanny to do (cooking, light cleaning), inquire about the average salary in your area and check on the minimum wage for your province. Indeed, the cost of living is not the same in a big city and in a rural area so this is definitely something you want to take into consideration. In addition nannies talk to each other and your candidate would quickly realize that your offer does not match the market. Lastly, it is the care and well being of your child we are talking about and you do not want his caretaker to be dissatisfied with how you treat her.
Once you’ve set this base salary, you need to ensure that it is clear to your candidate whether the figure is before or after deductions for taxes. Then, you’ll need to adjust the salary, depending on the additional tasks that you expect from your babysitter. You should also take into consideration her experience and qualifications (education and certifications). And if you need her to use her car to drive the kids, add a little extra for gas.
Ideally, you should offer your babysitter a competitive base salary corresponding to a very detailed job description. Now is the time to write down what is important to you: number of hours of work per week, weekend availability, punctuality rules, no personal calls on her cell phone during work hours (except emergency), etc.
Define a range of what you are willing to pay and do not start the negotiations at the lowest rate: you do not want to offend your future nanny. If you can not afford to increase wages, offer instead additional side benefits such as meals, a contribution to the cost of transportation, a subscription to the gym, etc.
SOSsitter.ca is a Canadian portal designed to help you find local caregivers in your area, easily and quickly. Visit www.SOSsitter.ca for more information.
Photo courtesy of Roninzer0 on Flickr.
