Contact us:

Employing a Nanny in the UK

When Employing a nanny, it's not as simple as hiring a babysitter. There are responsibilities which you may not have considered.

You are hiring an employee, and that makes you a boss and subject to certain employment laws.

Employing a Nanny

Nanny Job Advertisement

You need to act as a professional employer from the start when employing a nanny which means putting out a factually correct job advertisement that is open to everyone. You cannot discriminate against sex, age, religion or gender.
Try to include as much information as possible, and have a clear idea of how much you can afford to pay your employee. Remember to Go Gross!

Nanny Interview

Usually the nanny will come to your home for an interview, however some employers may prefer to meet in a social cafe first. The benefits of the nanny meeting in your home gives the nanny the opportunity to see a small insight into where she will be working and how the family function.
We do not recommend the nanny meeting the children until the second interview as it can be unsettling and confusing for children to meet so many prospective nannies.
Ensure you discuss the job description and address any concerns or misunderstandings.
We have a FREE Nanny Interview Sheet as a guide for you at interviews.

Nanny Guidelines

It is helpful to have a set of guidelines for your nanny, these range from house rules to your parenting styles as well as what is and isn't acceptable. Everyone has their own way of doing things, so if you want something doing a certain way now is the time to mention it.

Nanny Contract

It is a legal requirement to have a written contract of employment for employing a nanny. This needs to be agreed by both yourself and your nanny with each party signing and keeping a copy.

Legal Obligations

When employing a nanny, ensure you are fulfilling your obligations as an employer.

  • Tax and national insurance; this applies to whether you pay your nanny a gross or net wage. We always recommend a gross wage. You can use a Payroll Company to help you with this.
  • Employee's statutory sick pay,  statutory maternity pay, holiday pay and pension; as an employee your nanny has rights to all of these which should be clearly stated in their contract.
  • Employers' public liability insurance; you may find that your household insurance policy covers you for employers insurance, however if not you will need to purchase insurance

Your Nanny Relationship

Employing a nanny in your home is different to every other industry job. We are there for all the ups and downs, we see the behind closed doors side of you, and even sometimes fold your underwear.
Please treat your nanny with respect and have open communication. Communication really is key as resentment can build up so quickly and create a hostile work environment. When you've had a long day at work, you don't want to dread going home to your nanny and children.
Please don't wait until a six month review to bring things up, as your children grow up the nannies' job changes daily. If there's something you would like handled differently then discuss it as soon as possible. Also if there's something your nanny is doing well, give positive feedback!





Sensory Bag Londonnannygram
Au Pair

Sensory Bag

Sensory Bag guest post by LondonNannyGram. Sensory Bag I always think presents for little ones can be really tricky to get right, especially babies under

Read More »
Close Menu