Choose The Right Nanny has been placing nannies for 6 years. One of the most frequent questions prospective clients ask is: How much should I pay my nanny? The answer varies due to a number of factors we ask clients to consider.

The first thing we recommend is for you to find out what average nanny salary is in your area. You can ask your friends or neighbors how much they are paying their nannies. You want to offer a competitive salary. If your neighbor is paying her nanny $15 an hour and you offer your nanny $8 an hour, chances are the nannies will talk and your nanny will seek a higher paying position. You want to be confident you have the best care for your children and to accomplish this you need to know your rates are competitive. Another great place to find out what a nanny makes in your area is to visit the International Nanny Association’s link to their Nanny Salary and Benefits Survey Recap: http://www.nanny.org/pdf/2010_INA_Salary_Surveybookletfinal.pdf

The second thing you should consider is how much prior nanny experience would you like your nanny to have? Do you want a nanny with less experience or do you want a veteran nanny with 10 years experience? The nanny with less experience would still have stellar childcare references, but they may be younger. They may not have the years of experience a more seasoned nanny would have. The less experienced nanny would be a more economical answer for your family; however, you may choose to pay more for a veteran nanny with years of experience. This is a very personal choice made by each family on a case by case basis.

Other factors to consider are: What are your job requirements and how many hours per week are you looking for the nanny to work? The more a job requires of a nanny generally correlates with a higher salary. For example, your children may be in school for a couple hours during the day. Some nannies would have this time as their own personal time. Other nannies are asked to complete additional duties for the family, such as, family laundry, grocery shopping, and other household cleaning or errands. Because these duties vary for each household, we ask you to carefully consider your job requirements and the number of hours a nanny will work before deciding on you salary offer.

Each family is unique and each nanny placement is also unique. There is not a set answer to the question, “How much should I pay my nanny?” After carefully considering the average nanny salary for your area; how much experience you would like your nanny to have; and your job requirements and number of hours a nanny will work, it will become more clear as to how much you should pay your nanny.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact an agency in your area. Nanny agencies can provide you with a wealth of information and advice. We take the stress out of finding quality care for your children when you can’t be there.