People all over the world have different reasons for hiring a nanny. For some, it could be their work has them traveling all the time and they need a little extra help taking care of the children. A nanny could help out a parent who works at home, helping look after their child for a few hours while mom or dad hops on a conference call. Or, a nanny could be someone who picks up the child from school and takes them home, providing homework help and some babysitting at the end of school and end of parent’s a gap.
Whatever the reason is, a nanny can be a beneficial addition to your home and for many, can become part of the family. Every year, more and more families are needing nannies, so it’s not uncommon to have explored the idea before. Before making that step though, you want to make sure you have all your bases covered, making sure the nanny is a fit for the family and taking care of all the formalities. Take a look below for some things you need to consider before hiring a nanny.
Decide the What You Want From Your Nanny
Typically, there are two types of nannies: live-in and live-out. Live-in is what it sounds like, you’ll be bringing this person into your home to stay with you. They’ll take that old guest bedroom and seemingly be a part of your family.
Live-out is where they’ll, well, be living outside of your household. These nannies are the ones who will probably be there in the afternoon or during the day if it’s summer. Setting up your schedule is very important in deciding the nanny’s role with the family.
Will the nanny be a combination of both? Some families take their nanny on vacation or use the nanny more full-time when they go for a weekend getaway. You’ll want to have a good plan ahead of time, so your nanny knows what you’re asking for and can be prepared.
What do you want Your Nanny to do
Initially, many might think of nannies as performing the following actions: taking care of the children, doing a little cleaning, helping cook, playing with the children and so on. For many families, that’s all they need! But what if there is something extra you’re looking for?
Nannies can also provide other advantages for your children. Some families choose to go international and bring in a nanny from overseas. This is great if you’re trying to expose your children to another language or culture. In an ever-globalized world, it’s great to have children exposed to new ideas and cultures early on.
Maybe you’re not the most sports-centric parent but your kids breathe basketball and are constantly in the driveway trying to emulate their favorite stars. Try to find a nanny who is active and enjoys sports and planning games.
Or it’s the opposite, and your child has early Claude Monet aspirations. It would do you no good to have a nanny who knows nothing about arts. This person could be spending a lot of time with your children, you want to make sure they’re a good match.
Work out the Finances
It’s no secret that raising children costs money, everything from diapers to ballet lessons when they’re older. The same comes with a nanny. You’ll need to examine how much you’ll be able to pay a nanny and be able to set their schedule. If they’re live-in, it may be a monthly stipend payment and if they’re live-out, it could be more of an hourly thing. That’s up for you to decide.
In addition to making sure you’ve got all of your own personal finances in check, you’ll also want to make sure you’ve got the nanny tax covered. What, there is a nanny tax? Indeed, there is. It’s just one more thing to double check on while you’re coming down to the April 15th deadline.
Like so many other parts of taxes, it’s not always a sure thing you’ll have to pay them, but it’s wise to go ahead and determine if that’s one tax you’ll have to be paying in the future. The last thing you want is to be blindsided.
