Yes, I looked into that and I'm sure they would be fab but they want a £2k finders fee for starters which is extraordinary since they only have to find them from their own school!

Have you thought about a Norland Probationer? They have studied at Norland college and wages are 23-28k a year gross? Or 17k gross live in?

Thank you all so much for your help. I wish there were more help from the government. At this rate one of us might as well give our job up! (and then we would have to sell and move etc). Argh!

My employer takes part in the scheme - I assumed it was compulsory. My wife is self-employed so couldn't take advantage but our co-sharers were both employees (at different companies) which both participated too so they got double the benefit.

We were successful using www.nannyshare.co.uk, there are plenty of other options though - this site, gumtree etc

try nannyshare.co.uk and http://www.thenannysharers.co.uk/

Would also highly recommend nanny sharing.

I would not, however, use an au pair for such a young child.

Do you have space for a live in nanny? If so, you could have a live-in nannyshare to really manage the costs?

Yes, I put out an earlier ad asking about vouchers - do these come via your employers? What if your employers aren't into this?

Also, where did you find your nanny share please - was this on the Wandsworth website too?

Best wishes

It doesn't have to be that expensive - if you're employed there are childcare vouchers which can save you up to about £1,300 a year (double if you and your partner are both employed and can both use the scheme) Also, you could do a nanny-share - We shared a nanny with another family a 4-5 minute walk away with a child a similar age and it worked really well for a couple of years - gets trickier once more babies arrive or school starts etc though.

Thanks for your response. Can you please tell me how much an au pair is and your fees etc? Where are you based? Perhaps I can come and see you. I would love an Italian speaker.

Best wishes

Hi there,

I've just had my first child and other than having anxiety about leaving her, I am having equal anxiety about the cost of a nanny etc. She's registered for nursery and I think I will have a place for her from when she is 2 but I need to cover the first year! (I go back to work when she is 11 months). I don't think I can afford £34k per year, so is that my only option? Either that or a childminder? I've spoken and visited a few childminders from the Wandsworth website and somehow for various reasons none of them felt right. Is it too young to have an au pair live in with you and look after an 11 month old - that seems like such a responsibility for a young person.

I never knew it was going to be this expensive! A nanny would be lovely (I would never be late for work) but I don't think I can afford one - arrgghhh!

Hi there

I am an experienced nanny and have a seven month old baby girl of my own. I'm currently looking to find a nanny position whereby my little one can accompany me.

I have over thirteen years childcare experience, am NVQ Level 3 qualified in early year care and education, OFSTED registered and first aid trained. My baby girl is very happy and smiley, in a good routine and loves other children.

If you might be interested in what I have to offer please get in touch. I also offer a reduced rate of pay due to having my little one with me.

I hope to hear from you

Kind regards

Mrs Kelly Scott

£10/hr before tax/ni. If nannyshare with another family £12/hr but you only pay half so £6. Highly recommend a share.

It is very, very expensive! 34k for a full time 5 day role sounds about right-hence why it is out of our reach when I go back to work!!

We are planning on getting a 2 day nanny (other childcare for 3 days) and will be paying £200 for 2 days (AFTER tax and NI).

Hi there- Have you thought about a nanny with their own child ?

not only does your little one(s) gain a friend to play with but you also have that extra reassurance knowing the nanny knows what she is doing and can show more sympathy (from a mother's perspective) as well as this you would expect the going rate to drop around 20% than the average live out nanny.

In my opinion the going rate of a live out nanny would be around £10p/h (net), so of course you would cover the extra tax fees.

kind regards

Roxie

We pay our British experienced nanny a £34k salary per annum for a full time role. Mon-Fri, 8am to 6.30pm. This breaks back to her getting £500 a week in her bank account once we've paid her tax and NI. We also have to pay employer's NI contributions on top of that. We went through an agency which I would definitely recommend, despite the fee!

It really depends on a number of things including their experience, qualifications, your needs. When we looked for a nanny we actually talked through our requirements with a couple of agencies and they helped us greatly in determining the kind of nanny we were after. We ended up using an agency to find our nanny as this was our first time hiring a nanny so felt it was the best option at the time. Even if your preference is not to use an agency, it may be useful to have a chat with some professionals as it will likely help you make a decision about your nanny choice and as such determine the market rate for your kind of nanny. Hope this helps and wish you the best in finding a nanny.