One of the biggest decisions a nanny faces upon accepting a new post is whether to live-in or maintain a home offsite. There are several factors that should be taken into account when making this choice; here are some of the biggest.
- Lifestyle – You should always consider your lifestyle and the affect that it might have on your working conditions, especially if you like to let your hair down and have a few drinks on the weekend. Behavior that’s perfectly acceptable for singles or young people might not be appropriate if you share living space with your employers and charges.
- Family Dynamics – Sometimes the dynamic within a family is difficult, especially if there are marriage problems. Living with a family that simply cannot get along might lead to burnout and the eventual need for a change.
- Cost – Calculating the cost of living offsite as opposed to the cons of working as a live-in can be a great way to help you come to a decision.
- Need For Privacy – Some nannies love to live in; others have a stronger need for privacy that trumps the savings and convenience. Figuring out where you fall on this scale is important when it comes to making this choice.
- Compartmentalization – Many people have a very real need to have clear boundaries between their work and personal lives. This line can easily become blurred by living with your charges; if you think that you’ll need a space of your own to “escape” to at the end of a long day, living in might not be the best option for you.
- Transportation – Live-in nannies typically have use of a family car for work-related errands, eliminating the immediate need for car ownership. If you don’t currently own a vehicle, living in can be the best way to cut out transportation-related headaches.
- Commute Time – A nanny’s day generally begins very early and ends very late. Tacking a long commute on to your work day can make a huge difference in the amount of rest and recuperation time available to you.
- Needs of Your Own Family – Living in may not be ideal for those with children or families of their own, or for those with an illness in the family that requires attention. However, for single nannies, living in can often be ideal.
- Needs of Your Employers – It’s important to establish a clear line of communication with your employers; one of the best ways to do this from the outset is to open a dialogue about their needs and expectations. Determining what works best for you and the family you’re serving is another factor that should influence your decision.
- Convenience – There’s something to be said for climbing the stairs and simply closing the door at the end of a long day, or rolling out of bed and getting down to business. With that in mind, the convenience of having the nanny in the next room can lead to inadvertently unreasonable time demands from your employers. Taking both sides of this coin into consideration is key.
Whether you decide to live in your own space or in the home of your employers, drawing up a written nanny agreement is the best way to protect your needs and those of the family you’ll be working for. A clear agreement can eliminate many of the factors that makes a nanny shy away from living in, creating a good environment for living and working in the home.
