Returning to work after children – How to get it right for your child, you and your career…

Sarah-Jane Butler, co-founder of Parental Choice, one of the UKs leading information resource websites for busy parents, is delighted to announce her participation in a live web Q&A hosted by The Guardian on Thursday 11 July at 1 and 3pm.

The Q&A will address the issues faced by women who want to return to work after having their children and offer advice on the ways in which the workplace and childcare can be managed to create a workable, effective and sustainable solution.

Sarah-Jane will be offering solid advice to mothers looking to return to work about their rights in the workplace, the resources they can tap into to assist with childcare and the options they have to available to help create a manageable work/life balance while ensuring that the ‘mummy’ role remains prioritised.

To join in the Q&A please use this link http://careers.guardian.co.uk/women-careers-advice, scroll to the bottom and sign in or create a Guardian account to enable you to take part.

ABOUT PARENTAL CHOICE AND SARAH-JANE BUTLER

 

After the birth of her first daughter, Sarah-Jane spent hours researching childcare options and her legal rights as regards flexible working when she would rather have been spending time with her little girl. After finally finding a nanny and writing her own employment contract for her, it dawned on her that it really should not be that difficult for parents to find the information that they need to make the right choices for them in terms of childcare and their working lives and hence how the idea for Parental Choice was born.

Parental Choice is a “one-stop shop” for all of your queries regarding legal rights whilst pregnant, guidance when looking to return to work and all of the childcare options, including nurseries and dealing with the administration involved in employing a nanny. Parental Choice helps parents to make informed practical choices that work for both them and their children. By having everything in one place, Sarah-Jane hopes to save parents the endless trawling through the internet that she experienced, leaving parents more time to spend with their children.

Nannies – the way to close the childcare gap?

We received an interesting Press Release from BAPN (the Association for Professional Nannies), what do you think?

Nannies – the way to close the childcare gap

•  There are roughly twice as many child-carers seeking nanny work as jobs available nationwide

• A nanny is the most cost effective form of childcare for 3 children under 5 and the cost remains the same no matter how many children there are in the family

• Nannies provide the most flexible form of childcare and can be paid with childcare vouchers or Tax Credits

BAPN (the association for professional nannies in the UK) has been investigating concerns about the gap in the availability and affordability of childcare. Our research shows there are many more nannies seeking work than there are jobs available. Elizabeth Henry Nannies, a Kent-based agency, says there are twice as many nannies as jobs available, a figure supported by one of the biggest childcare websites, nannyjob.co.uk, which claimed to have 4,748 CVs and 2,340 vacancies at the start of May. One agency in Greater London received 10 CVs for 1 part-time job. Yet despite this surplus of candidates nannies remain a less popular option and this may be due to the perceived cost.

We compared the average cost of a nanny, including employers’ National Insurance Contributions, with data from the Daycare Trust. For families with 3 children under 5 a nanny is clearly the most cost effective form of childcare. This is because a nanny’s rate isn’t determined on a per child basis as a child-minder or nursery is. Instead they care for all the children in the family meaning they become more cost effective as the number of children increases.

Working with an average salary of £10.27 gross per hour, the cost of a nanny for 25 hours, including employer’s NICs, is £272 per week. For a family with 3 children under 5 that’s a cost of £90.67 per child per week, compared with £102.05 for nursery care for an under 2 or £92.68 for a child-minder.

A family with twins under 2 and a preschool child could be paying out £301.61 in nursery fees or £277.23 for a child-minder, assuming they can find a provider with spaces for all 3 children. The most expensive nursery in the survey, charging £300 a week for just 25 hours of care, would make a nanny a cost-effective option even for 1 child.

BAPN used data from the Nannytax salary survey based on a 50 hour week, although nearly 50% of the nannies surveyed worked up to 60 hours a week, meaning the cost could be even lower. In addition, while costs for nurseries and child-minders are likely to be very similar in a given location, nanny salaries depend on hours, qualifications and experience.

A BAPN analyst explains: “It’s very difficult to accurately compare the cost of a nanny with other forms of childcare. The averages range from £21,291pa (with employer’s NICs of £1,907) for a live in nanny outside London or the Home Counties to £34,516pa (with employer NICs of £3,732) for a live out nanny in Central London - a huge variation. People see the highest figures and think a nanny is beyond their means when nanny jobs outside London can pay from £7 gross per hour. Nannies aren’t just for the rich; our members work for teachers, ambulance crews, normal families who need flexible, reliable childcare.”

Nannies registered with OFSTED on the voluntary childcare register can be paid using childcare vouchers or tax credits. Nannies may be shared between families, which can halve the cost for employers while retaining many of the benefits. Families with under-5s plus an older child at school may choose a nanny for flexibility and reliability, eliminating the need to worry about school holiday cover.

At BAPN, we call for the Government to provide more help to families struggling to afford the cost of childcare through subsidies, an expansion of the childcare voucher scheme and making a proportion of childcare costs a tax-deductible expense for self-employed businesspeople.

The benefits of using a nanny agency

The benefits of using a nanny agency

by Lucy Howell and Clare Plumb, Polkadot Recruitment

www.polkadotrecruitment.com

and Sarah-Jane Butler, Parental Choice

www.parentalchoice.co.uk

"A nanny's job is priceless, such precious minds to reach

A job done out of compassion and love for the ones they teach."

(Sarah from BC www.carerrnanny.com/quotes.html )

What do Katie Price, Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow all have in common? They all hire nannies. But having a nanny isn't just for the rich and famous. A nanny can provide the perfect childcare for anyone who doesn't work a standard nine to five day and wants their child to be cared for in a secure home environment, with focused one to one attention and care. In many cases, hiring a nanny can prove to be a more cost effective and flexible way of managing your childcare, especially if combined with other forms of day care as the children get older. However, finding a perfect nanny can be a daunting and time consuming process. 

Juggling family life and work means that you may not have the time to fully commit to the interview process needed to find the right nanny for your family. In addition checking each potential nanny's references and obtaining criminal record bureau (CRB) checks on each one can be a very laborious task. A nanny agency can help you focus and save time throughout the hiring process. Nanny agencies interview many candidates and have a large pool of people to choose from, they know what to look for and strive to make the perfect match between the family and the nanny. 

A first rate nanny agency will undertake a stringent registering process including a face to face interview, where all documents are checked and gaps in employment explored. A nanny agency will check for correct qualifications and relevant experience, as well as making sure the nannies are first aid trained and CRB checked. References are also taken up to gain a thorough understanding of the person's character and work ethic. Moreover, a good nanny agency will discard those potential nannies which are not exactly suited to your requirements.

As well as saving time and effort a nanny agency will be able to offer advice on what to do after a suitable nanny has been found. A standard nanny agency will be able to give you a list of companies that can provide payroll services and even a standard template employment contract. 

However the ideal nanny agency is one that takes away all of the administrative hassles for you from start to finish. That means one that not only carries out all the necessary reference checks and takes the time to match the right nanny to your family, but one that also can, or has a direct relationship with a company that can, not only provide the payroll services but also a bespoke employment contract tailored to your needs, whilst also being there on hand to offer advice on any of your employment obligations, including insurance throughout your nanny's employment with you. Once you have found your perfect nanny, there is a list of legal and financial obligations which you will need to take on board in you capacity as her employer. A nanny agency that is able to be there throughout your nanny's employment and guide you both at the beginning and the end of the contract is of enormous benefit and relief.