Nannies anyone?

[Buck Murdock]

We're thinking of hiring a nanny, but have no idea where to start. Anyone have any experience in this area? We were thinking of part time 3 full days a week....not sure about price, qualifications required, etc. Any help would be appreciated.

A main qualification I would look for is a Standard First Aid from an approved Alberta provider:
https://work.alberta.ca/documents/ap...ng-courses.pdf

[OutOfTheCube]

My wife did nannying for a few years -- she wouldn't even apply for any position less than $16/hour. You can get away with minimum wage but you'll likely get what you pay for.

It's also very helpful to treat them like a real employee -- set schedule, tax set-up, pay stubs, etc. The ones that were the most frustrating and she quit on fairly quickly were the people who didn't respect her time or treat it like a real job -- being very late getting home from work without notice, adding or cancelling days last minute, that kind of thing.

[EVERLAST]

Been using nannies on call for 6 years and all but 1 nanny out of 30 plus different nannies were really good .

[driveway]

I can't help you with the hiring, but I was a kid who grew up with nannies and I really enjoyed it.

My family went the live-in foreign nanny approach, usually Swiss or English and we had several wonderful women who we're still in contact with 20+ years later. Really exposed me to different people and cultures at a young age, I think it's a great idea.

Also, since part of their duties were things like grocery shopping and general cleaning, it gave my parents a lot of opportunity to spend time and energy with myself and my siblings instead of on chores and errands.

Nannies are a great choice if you can afford it. can't recommend it highly enough from the kid's perspective.

[Northendzone]

i would think that any nanny you find would likely be poached after a while because how many nannies are looking to work 3 days per week?

[oilyfan]

Trying to find a part time nanny will be futile, in my opinion. We have had a nanny for our kids for 7 years now. 3 different Filipino nannies, two that we sponsored from Hong Kong. We have loved having a nny, and our kids love them too. But they are expensive, even compared to daycare. The minimum wage for nannies will increase to $15/hour later this year. And for a live in you cannot deduct room and board anymore. So the total cost ends up being $3000 per month or so when OT is factored in. Live out is a bit cheaper but less convenient, as hours are a bit restricted by outside commitment.

[VladtheImpaler]

We just got one. The good news is that the city (and the world) is currently awash with nannies, so you should be able to be very, very picky and get a good one for a reasonable price. A positive side-effect of the oil collapse. Here is a hint - the less time they have spent in Canada, the better attitude they will have.

PS Also, what oilyfan said.

[Ducay]

You can't deduct room and board anymore? That was the main draw & savings towards having a live-in nanny, no?

Or I assume you pay them the standard wage, but then they just pay you for room & board and you end up at the same spot.

[Canehdianman]

Originally Posted by Ducay

You can't deduct room and board anymore? That was the main draw & savings towards having a live-in nanny, no?

Or I assume you pay them the standard wage, but then they just pay you for room & board and you end up at the same spot.

I think the previous poster is incorrect. From https://work.alberta.ca/documents/do...employment.pdf


There are limits to the deductions from the minimum wage for room and board that
employers may take per month. The maximum allowable deduction per meal is
$3.35. The maximum allowable deduction for lodging is $4.41 per night. Deductions
may not be made for meals not consumed.

[Ducay]

Originally Posted by Canehdianman

I think the previous poster is incorrect. From https://work.alberta.ca/documents/do...employment.pdf


There are limits to the deductions from the minimum wage for room and board that
employers may take per month. The maximum allowable deduction per meal is
$3.35. The maximum allowable deduction for lodging is $4.41 per night. Deductions
may not be made for meals not consumed.

$4 a night? and $13 in food maximum?

Sounds like a pretty sweet gig, might have to become a live in nanny myself.

[oilyfan]

Originally Posted by Canehdianman

I think the previous poster is incorrect. From https://work.alberta.ca/documents/do...employment.pdf


There are limits to the deductions from the minimum wage for room and board that
employers may take per month. The maximum allowable deduction per meal is
$3.35. The maximum allowable deduction for lodging is $4.41 per night. Deductions
may not be made for meals not consumed.

You are right you can still deduct room and board for a love in any. But if you sponsor someone you will have a hard time getting the approval room approved if you say you are deducting room and board.

[Canehdianman]

Originally Posted by oilyfan

You are right you can still deduct room and board for a love in any. But if you sponsor someone you will have a hard time getting the approval room approved if you say you are deducting room and board.

Do you have a source (or even an explanation) for that?

[pseudoreality]

I have some friends that got a Philipino nanny. They pay her minimum wage and give her free room and board. Live-in is not required, but it is free and makes up for the low wage.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Originally Posted by Canehdianman

Do you have a source (or even an explanation) for that?

I was really confused by oilyfan's post - but I found this article that goes into it a bit more. As someone above said, it becomes an issue if you're trying to sponsor someone into the country and you state you want to deduct room and board.

Approved applications “will only include a live-in arrangement if the employer and caregiver have agreed to that arrangement,” announced Citizenship and Immigration Canada in an October news release. But since applications to hire foreign caregivers under the new rules started pouring in, the government has been denying almost all of them.

Statistics obtained by the Association of Caregiver and Nanny Agencies Canada under an access to information request show the federal government has been approving as few as three and as many as 63 foreign caregiver applications each month since December, compared to 700 to 1,000 per month under the old rules. And documents seen by the Financial Post demonstrate the rules are being inconsistently applied. The government has approved some applications that say room and board is available on a cost-free and optional basis and denied others that say the same thing, on the grounds that the family did not appear to be sincere about the room and board being truly optional.

http://business.financialpost.com/ne...egiver-program

I'd be curious to know if this still is is place under the Trudeau government. As someone paying almost $2500 a month in daycare costs for two - the thought and convenience of a nanny has crossed my mind....

[Canehdianman]

Yeah, I'm keenly interested as well. We are paying close to 3k a month. When our oldest's daycare was closed all of last week (forcing me to take vacation), it pushed me closer to wanting a nanny.

It's a shame, since we really love the daycare, but how can a daycare not understand that it's job is to be open whenever people have to work. 3 bonus days off last week and a bunch of other half-days in December is enough to make me start looking at other options.

[oilyfan]

Originally Posted by Canehdianman

Do you have a source (or even an explanation) for that?

We sponsored a nanny in early 2016 right after the Conservatives put much higher restrictions on temporary foreign workers (which the live-in caregiver program is loosely attached to). We were advised by the agency we worked with that applications were now being rejected when room and board deductions are being indicated on the application. This was (I believe) a reaction to some news coming out that nannies and caregivers were being "taken advantage" of by the employer by deducting room and board. which is b.s. (my opinion), room and board cost real money, 3 meals a day, utilities etc. But politics won. Anyway not sure if the liberals are changing the way they are managing that.

[Canehdianman]

Originally Posted by oilyfan

We sponsored a nanny in early 2016 right after the Conservatives put much higher restrictions on temporary foreign workers (which the live-in caregiver program is loosely attached to). We were advised by the agency we worked with that applications were now being rejected when room and board deductions are being indicated on the application. This was (I believe) a reaction to some news coming out that nannies and caregivers were being "taken advantage" of by the employer by deducting room and board. which is b.s. (my opinion), room and board cost real money, 3 meals a day, utilities etc. But politics won. Anyway not sure if the liberals are changing the way they are managing that.

thanks, that's interesting. Pretty crazy rationale by the government though.

Homeowner only gets to deduct ~$170 a month for room and board and they think it is the nanny that's getting taken advantage of?

I'd love a place to live and eat for $170 a month.

[jeffporfirio]

Also interested in this.
Can you recommend the agency you used and give a ballpark range of their fees?

[oilyfan]

Originally Posted by Canehdianman

thanks, that's interesting. Pretty crazy rationale by the government though.

Homeowner only gets to deduct ~$170 a month for room and board and they think it is the nanny that's getting taken advantage of?

I'd love a place to live and eat for $170 a month.

It used to be about $350/month before the changes. But still it was ridiculous to change that.

The answer to the other question, we used Preferred Nannies in Edmonton (We used to live in Edmonton, hence explaining my long suffering loyalty to a certain team). Fees were about $1000 to the agency, plus you have to pay for the flight (about $900, another change brought in by the Cons)