Dedicated Domestics Weblog

First remember that most but not all household employees are looking for full time work.  Some will be willing to work for two days with one family and three days with another, while others prefer to work full time for one family.  The more challenging the schedule the more difficult it will be to find someone to fill your position.  Just like any other field, it is customary for nannies to request a premium or higher salary to work odd hours.  Sometimes, we have found that a family can hire a full time nanny for only slightly more than an odd schedule might cost.  It really does pay to think through your needs carefully since hiring around a standard schedule can give you greater flexibility at home, increase your selection of nannies and sometimes even save you some money.   For example at Dedicated Domestics we had a request from a family for an almost full time nanny to work 8 hours per day on Mondays and Thursdays and 6 hours per day on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and 4 hours on Friday.  Due to the two six and one 4 hour days, the nanny knew she could not fill in her week with another job so she requested a premium of just $3.00 an hour more to compensate for the odd schedule.  Based on her experience and what the family was expecting her to do, the nanny would have charged $600.00 for a standard 40 hour work week which is $15.00 per hour.  The schedule that the family wanted worked out to 32 hours at $18.00 (with the $3.00 premium) or $574.00 per week.  After we spoke with both the nanny and the family, they agreed on $600.00 a week for a simple 40 hour schedule.  For just $26.00 per week more the family now has extra help and flexibility when they need it and the nanny is more comfortable with the full time salary.  It is good to remember that while the cost of gas has gone up dramatically over the past year a small increase in a full time schedule will cover the higher prices.  But, when a part-time employee is working only 4 hours with one family and then commutes to another family for 4 more hours the gas cost doubles and will represent a larger part of their salary.  The agency you work with should be able to steer you in the right direction so you get the best value for your money.

The rich and famous have always enjoyed the ultimate luxury of having a staff of Maids, Butlers and of course a Personal Chef.  While that is still as true now is it was hundreds of years ago, at Dedicated Domestics we are finding a whole new class of people looking to enjoy part of that luxury.  More and more hard working professionals and executives are turning to hiring a staff so they can concentrate on what they do best.  As one doctor told me, (she) “would rather perform one more surgery than go home and have to cook”.   Luckily the chef we found was a perfect match since he enjoyed cooking more than surgery.

A businessman I worked with had a very sound financial reason for needing a chauffeur.  He knew it was not just a luxury; he could make more money working during his commutes from one meeting to the next if he could find a driver.  By hiring a chauffeur he could continue to work between appointments.  A win for everyone, the businessman made more money and the chauffeur got a job.

So what kind of help do you need?

It has been interesting to listen to some of the many ideas of what some of our friends and families plan on doing with their anticipated rebate checks.  As expected, there is an almost daily barrage of advertising from companies offering to help you spend it before the check even arrives.  While some families will need the money now to help make ends meet others plan on spending it in an assortment of different ways.  Very few people have suggested they plan on saving the money since they feel that it is too small an amount to matter.  I beg to differ with that idea.  Even a few dollars can make a difference when saved and properly invested. 

Being in the childcare field might make us think of uses more geared toward children than most, but I think that is a good thing.  Our suggestion is starting a college fund.  If you receive a $1,200.00 check it may not seem like much right now, but invested at 8% in a college fund for 18 years and it will grow to almost $5,000.00.  If you can afford to add just another $100.00 per month to that rebate check your college fund will grow to over $50,000.00 by the time your little one is ready to go. 

With expenses at universities continually increasing that small check may be a big help someday.  Even if it doesn’t cover all the costs it can make a very big dent.   

So how much is that little check worth?

Many parents struggle with what kind of help they want for their children.   The first priority is to determine what you are looking for help with and for how much time.  If you are looking to hire a nanny, list what you want them for.  Does the nanny have to drive to pick up the kids from school or take them to after school activities?  Do they have to help with homework or do you prefer some help maintaining the kid’s rooms or possibly some light housekeeping?  Do you want them every day or just a few days a week?  There are many questions that you should ask yourself so you can find the best person for your situation.  While most professional agencies can help you find the right person, they cannot tell you what is right for your family.  Once you determine what your real situation calls for you may find that you don’t want a nanny after all.  Possibly, you just need to readjust your schedule and you can handle it yourself.  Or, you might find that a housekeeper or a chef might be more helpful to the family.  The more you can decide what you want help with, the easier it will be to determine whether a nanny is right for your situation.

To better serve our families, nannies and applicants, we have moved our office to a more convenient location in Newport Beach.  Our new office is centrally located across the street from “Fashion Island” on Newport Center Drive.  For any of you that have had experience moving, you can understand the turmoil of the past two weeks.  It is amazing how much “stuff” we can save and pack away over the years.  Luckily everything went well and we are up and running. 

Our new address is:

Dedicated Domestics

110 Newport Center Drive, Suite 200

Newport Beach, CA 92660

Our phone numbers are:

Office:   949.612.1900

Office:   714.557.2160

Fax:   949.612.1998

By now most of you have read the front page story that appeared in “The Orange County Register” last Friday, February 22, 2008.  For those who haven’t read the article, it talked about the recent death of a 6-month old infant and the previous death of another child in the same Laguna Hills house where the owner was operating a Day-care facility.  When stories like this develop, questions begin to rise about all types of child-care including nannies and babysitters.  Personally, we feel the more questions the better.  Parents should not entrust their children to the care of anyone unless they have been thoroughly screened and you feel comfortable that every precaution is being taken to protect your children.    Remember that accidents will happen whether someone else is watching your child or you are watching them yourself.  But, many accidents can be prevented or at least the severity reduced if parents and caregivers followed basic safety guidelines.  This is why at Dedicated Domestics we make time to meet every applicant personally and take so many precautions to find the most qualified caregivers available. We also insist that every nanny, babysitter, mother’s helper and caregiver take an approved CPR class before starting work.  Not every agency insists on certification and for some the courses are not nationally recognized. 

The biggest issue with the day-care facility mentioned in the article, was that it had several complaints over the years and families did not take the time to check them out.  We all assume the government agencies are doing their jobs, but there isn’t enough time or manpower for them to follow up on every facility.  Whether you choose to hire a nanny or use a day-care center, remember the safety of your child is at stake and if you are not comfortable don’t leave your child.  In the case of the day-care facility they had 20 prior complaints and still nothing was done.  If you have the luxury of being able to afford a nanny, then you can take action immediately if you believe the situation calls for it. 

Dedicated Domestics is a modern company with old fashioned ethics.  Just as we will not work with an applicant that we would not feel comfortable hiring ourselves to help our family, we also would not expect the families that we work with to leave their children with anyone they do not feel comfortable with.

There are many misconceptions about the differences between live-in and live-out Nannies and other household staff.  First, it is important to remember that anyone working in a home is covered by the same laws as any other employee in any other business.  While in-home workers are usually more flexible and the guidelines are not as strictly adhered to, the reality is that any Nanny, Babysitter or Chauffeur that is working in a home is an employee.  There are strict guidelines for employers to follow, especially in California, that require a set amount of breaks and rest time for every employee.  Keeping that in mind, a family can now determine what their real needs are and which type of employee will serve them best.

There are many benefits to hiring a live-in but there are also drawbacks that many people do not always consider.  A live-in is typically going to be more flexible than live-out since they are always in the home.  But, they need to have time off and an eight hour sleep period during every 24 hour schedule.  So while a live-in Nanny can help take care of the night feeding for a newborn, they must be then given time off during the next day to rest.  So while the flexibility sounds great, if you do not need someone to be available for odd or changing shifts, you may find a live-out Nanny serves your purpose just as well.

An important drawback for hiring a live-in for some families is the fact that they are now going to have another person living in their home even on days off.  While most get used to the arrangement, some find the loss of privacy too high.

Another misconception with live-in help is the salary.  Many years ago a live-in would be happy to accept a lesser salary in return for room and board.  An arrangement that helped both the family find affordable help and the Nanny or Housekeeper would have a roof over their head while they saved their salary.   Today there are much fewer Nannies, Housekeepers and other staff that are willing to be live-ins so they tend to charge the same or more than there live-out counterparts.  The live-ins also learned quickly that they could command a premium just for being so flexible.  The higher wages for live-ins is not all bad news for families since they are getting that extra flexibility that an 8 to 5 Nanny may not be able to give.  The unique schedules that can only be achieved by a live-in are very important to many professionals with varied schedules like Doctors or anyone that has to travel often. 

The most important thing to remember when selecting a schedule for your domestic staff is to really understand what your needs are first, so you can find the right fit for your unique situation.

With so many titles how does a Mom know who to pick for what?  Over the years many people doing similar jobs have been labeled with so many different job titles that even the industry has difficulty making a distinction between some positions.   All of the positions involving the care of children can and often is referred to as simply “child caregivers”.  But most families will request the services of a Babysitter or Nanny.  The two titles are so intertwined that most families, caregivers and even agencies have been using the terms interchangeably. 

In general a Babysitter is a person that is hired for a temporary situation, like having someone watch your child on Saturday night so you can go out.  Whereas, a Nanny is the title used most frequently when wanting to hire a person for full or part time child care so you might go back to work.  The title Mothers’ helper is much easier to understand since as the name implies, it usually will refer to a person who is helping mom take care of her kids while she is around.  Many times “stay at home moms” with multiple children have found that a little extra help can be very useful.  While occasionally a Mothers’ helper might watch the children for short periods of time, their job is mainly to provide additional support for a mom.  Mothers’ helpers tend to be entry level positions or positions for a person that prefers not to have all of the responsibility themselves. 

Another title that is often overlooked in the United States but is still very important around the world is a Governess.  Generally, a Governess will be equivalent to a private teacher.  They will usually have the added responsibility of etiquette training as well. 

While Nannies remain the most flexible of titles the important part is determining what your family needs and not being as concerned with the title.  While some Nannies are college educated with teaching credentials others may barely speak English but have many years of experience handling young children.  It is important to remember that a Nanny is not a replacement for a Mom.  A Nanny with teaching credentials might be perfect for helping with homework or for home schooling but they generally will not help with housekeeping too.  Then there are some Nannies that have little formal education but have a wonderful way with kids.  Some Nannies may also specialize in newborn or infant care.  While other Nannies will prepare dinners for the whole family but may not be able to drive. 

There are way too many possible areas that a Nanny can help a family with to list here.  The most important item of course is peace of mind.  Whatever your needs are, never hire anyone that you do not feel comfortable with.  Since you and your family will be working closely with the caregiver and you will entrust them with the care of your son or daughter, you need to know that you can trust and rely on the person you choose above all else.

Welcome to Dedicated Domestics Weblog.

As our agency has grown we want to share our knowledge of the in-home staffing industry with all of you.  Families hiring for the first time and professional Estate Managers seeking additional staff all want to find the best candidates that will fit their individual needs.  Of course, candidates are also looking to match up their skills with a family that will respect them and treat them fairly.  By working with an agency that takes the time to understand the individual needs of both parties, the quality of care and the length of service are dramatically improved.  The right care can give you and your family the peace of mind that you need to tackle life’s other little obstacles.