You want the best care for your children. You don’t want to be played for a fool. You want the best care for your children. You don’t want to be played. . .

This is a typical conundrum; on one hand, you want to hire the best nanny possible, but money is a finite asset, so you end up doing the best you can with what you have. If you don’t pay your nanny enough, either she leaves or “scales back” her efforts, neither of which is desirable. Pay too much, and you know the obvious problem, which is simply that you paid too much, but you may also be upsetting a neighborhood apple-cart by skewing the local pay scale. Here we have some tips to help ensure that you are in the right ballpark when it comes to salary.

1. The Going Rate – You can ask other parents what rate they are paying, if you are trying to hire a nanny by yourself. If you use an agency, they will certainly be able to advise you on pay. Usually it’s best to be somewhere in the middle of the field; you want the person closest to your child to be a happy person, and you probably don’t want all the neighbors growling at you. Also, don’t forget that benefits are considered a part of any compensation package
2. Geography – Wages paid in Bucksnort, Texas are probably a bit lower than those along Philadelphia’s Main Line, so it pays to find out the local norms if you have to relocate and hire a new nanny.
3. How Many Children – Pay varies according to the number of children being cared for, and this is an item that is settled at the time of hiring.
4. Work period – Part-time or full-time? Live-in or live-out? Different rates will apply depending on these different situations.
5. Extra Work – Nannies are hired to take care of children, not to clean pools or buy the groceries or to teach foreign languages or to deep-clean the house; any work over-and-above normal child care responsibilities deserves additional compensation.
6. Perks – Perks are a way of showing your nanny that you care about her and value her efforts, and can range from the use of a vehicle to health club memberships to tickets for a show.
7. Bonuses – Bonuses are not a requirement, but may be the local custom; find out how your friends deal with it and take care of your employee accordingly.
8. Periodic Review – To be sure you are paying your nanny properly, it can help to have periodic reviews; this lets your nanny know you don’t take her for granted.
9. Vacation – Two weeks/year of paid vacation is average for most areas, but check around to see if things are handled differently where you live.
10. Holiday – Holiday pay, like overtime pay, is something to take care of at hiring time.

It takes a little research, but it will serve well to find out what goes on in your area before hiring your nanny.