Nanny FAQ ~ Schedule

Executive jobs, ones that offer a high-end salary and benefit package ($800 or more per week plus benefits, $1,200 or more per week plus benefits in NYC), often require more scheduling flexibility than the typical nanny job because the employer is not only paying for quality childcare but for personal convenience as well.

Daily Schedule

A full-time nanny generally works 5 days a week, 9 to 12 hours a day. A typical day begins between 7 and 8 am and ends between 6:30 and 7:30 pm.

A part-time nanny’s schedule varies greatly depending upon the needs of the family and the availability of the nanny. Some part-time nannies work a 12-hour day, 1 or 2 days a week while others work a few hours each day.

When you setting your daily schedule, remember to allow for any overlap time the parent needs (i.e. the mother leaves the house at 7:45 in the morning but would like you to start at 7:00 so she can shower and dress, the father gets home from work at 6:10 but would like you to stay until 6:30 so he can change out of his work clothes, go through the mail and hear about his child’s day).

Daily Schedule with School-Aged Children

A nanny’s schedule (and by extension her salary) reflects the time she needs to be available to work, not the actual time worked. If you care for school-aged children and are required to be available when they are home sick, dismissed early for snow, etc., your schedule should include the hours they are in school. If your employer chooses to exclude those hours, you should be free to make another commitment during that time (i.e. a second job, a class).

Days Off

Generally, nannies receive 2 consecutive days off a week. Most families offer Saturday and Sunday off although there are a significant number that require the nanny to work Saturdays and offer Sunday and Monday off. Having Sunday and Monday off is a less desirable schedule so it is usually offset by a higher salary or increased benefits.

A 4-day work week is also gaining popularity although it is far from being the norm. In these cases the nanny usually works Monday through Thursday or Tuesday through Friday allowing for a 3-day weekend. This schedule usually reflects a flex schedule worked by one of the parents.

Late Nights and Overnights

Because of work or social commitments, many parents need their nanny to stay late or work an overnight from time to time. This is a common requirement of a nanny position. Unless a caregiver clearly states she cannot work any evenings or overnights before she is hired (or negotiates it into her work agreement after hire) she should be available to extend her typical schedule.

If your employer needs this type of coverage frequently, that flexibility should be built into your schedule.

Regular Overtime

Many employers include regular overtime (i.e. one weekday evening every other week, one Saturday evening a month) in their basic job description. Regular overtime should be reflected in the nanny’s base salary or paid at the nanny’s overtime rate.

If the time scheduled as regular overtime is not used, it cannot be carried forward (i.e. if a family requires a commitment of one Saturday evening a month but doesn’t use that Saturday evening during October or November, they cannot expect their nanny to work 3 Saturday evenings in December). NOTE: For an in-depth look at overtime laws, visit our Employment and Tax Info page.

On Call Time

Due to the nature of the business, many nanny job descriptions include on call time. Nannies can be compensated for on call time by a) including on call time in the base salary, b) being paid a set rate for all on call hours, c) being paid a set rate for on call hours actually worked, or d) being paid a set rate for all on call hours and an additional rate for hours actually worked. Do not make any assumptions when discussing on call time with prospective employers. Make sure you clearly outline all aspects of the issue including how often you will be on call, if you need to be in the home or within a specific range, and the compensation offered.

24 / 7 Care

More and more families are looking for 24/7 coverage. To meet this need, many families are hiring 3 nannies: a weekday nanny, a weeknight nanny, and a weekend nanny. Usually, the weekday and weeknight nanny divide up Monday through Friday with each one working a 12-hour shift or, if the child is sleeping through the night, the weekday nanny working a 10-hour shift and the weeknight nanny working a 14-hour shift. The weekend nanny provides 24-hour coverage throughout the weekend, usually beginning on Saturday morning and ending on Monday morning. Many families have their weekend nanny (if she works exclusively for that family) come in on Friday evening and stay until Monday evening to give both the weekday nanny and the weeknight nanny an extra shift off. The weekend nanny also fills in when one of the other nannies is out sick, needs a personal day or is on vacation.

Paid Holidays

For full-time nannies, it is standard within the industry to receive all major federal holidays as paid days off. For part-time nannies, it is standard to receive all major federal holidays as paid days off if the holiday falls on a day the nanny would normally work. Major federal holidays include New Years Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. It is also standard to receive Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday, Washington’s Birthday, Columbus Day, Veteran’s Day, the Friday after Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve as paid days off if the employer is off work.

Unpaid Holidays

Unpaid holidays are not a common practice within the nanny industry. If they are part of a family’s job description, that should be discussed and agreed to before hire and clearly outlined in the nanny / family work agreement.

Working Holidays

If you are required to work any major federal holiday, that should be discussed and agreed to before hire and clearly outlined in the nanny / family work agreement. Holidays are usually paid at double the normal daily rate.

Standard Vacation

2 weeks paid vacation is standard within the industry. Most families offer this vacation at the nanny’s discretion although some require it to be taken at a certain time. All parameters for vacation time should be discussed and agreed to before hire and clearly outlined in the nanny / family work agreement.

Extra Paid Vacation

In addition to the standard 2 weeks paid vacation, many nannies receive additional time off throughout the year when their employers take a family vacation or the children are away at camp or visiting relatives. Because the family chooses not to utilize the nanny’s services rather than the nanny requesting the time off, this additional vacation is paid time off.

A nanny’s job description does not change because the children are not home. An employer may require her to do “catch-up” things like organizing the toys or changing seasonal clothes but cannot ask her to do things not related to her normal duties (i.e. cleaning out the garage, dog walking, watching the neighbor’s child).

Unpaid Time Off

Unpaid time off is not a common practice in the industry. Most nannies rely on a regular paycheck. For many, a day without pay can affect their ability to meet their financial obligations. If unpaid time off is part of a family’s job description, this should be discussed and agreed to before hire and clearly outlined in the nanny / family work agreement.

Sick Days

3 to 7 paid sick days per year are standard within the industry. These days are in addition to vacation days. Many employers don’t address this issue in advance which makes it very hard to take a sick day when needed so you should have an official illness policy outlined in your work agreement. It is the employer’s responsibility to have backup childcare in place. However, for their own benefit, many nannies will arrange the back-up care. Many companies sponsor an emergency drop-in daycare service for employees that have their child’s information on file. Most areas also offer babysitting service that can be called upon in a pinch.

Weather Days

Although it is not (yet) standard in the industry, more and more employers that live in areas where winter weather can make travel dangerous are offering their live-out nannies 1 to 3 paid or unpaid weather days per year.

Professional Days

As the industry grows, there are more and more continuing education opportunities available to nannies. Many employers encourage their caregivers to stay current on child-related issues by offering paid or unpaid days off to attend these workshops, conference, classes, etc. These days are in addition to vacation time.

Personal Days

Paid personal days aren’t a standard benefit in the industry although long-term nannies often negotiate them into their work agreement at renewal time in lieu of additional salary.

Schedule at Summer House

When a family and nanny head off to the shore or the mountains for part or all of summer, the regular schedule often changes. Many parents need fewer actual hours but much greater flexibility. It is important to discuss the details of the summer schedule during the interview so you can effectively evaluate the job as a whole.