If you are thinking about employing a nanny there are a number of things to consider:
- How will you select your nanny?
- Will you get them Ofsted registered so you can use Childcare Vouchers?
- How much should you pay?
- What hours do you need?
- What are the legalities of employing a nanny?
- Do you need to provide a pension scheme?
- How can you calculate and pay their tax?
These are just a few of the things I thought about when starting the process. I will not attempt to answer all these questions in this blog post, but will add further articles as I go along that hopefully help. For now I will just focus on what you do once you have found a suitable candidate and want to make an offer. The first step is usually making a verbal offer and I then like to follow this up with a written offer letter. This is not a legal requirement in the UK, but having worked in HR for many years this is the format I am most used to and if you include the terms of employment this letter could even meet the legal requirement when employing a nanny or anyone for that matter of having a written statement of employment. You must have provided your employee with this statement within the first 2 months of their employment. More details can be found on https://www.gov.uk/employment-contracts-and-conditions/written-statement-of-employment-particulars
This statement must include the following:
- The Employers/ Business Name
- Employees Name, job title or description of work
- Start Date
- Any periods of continuous employment
- Payment details – how much and when
- Hours of work
- Holiday entitlement and whether this includes public holidays
- Location and whether they may have to relocate i.e. if you move
- Employment address and details of any additional places of work if they will be based in more than one location i.e. in a nanny share
- Notice periods
- Pension information
- What to do with a grievance and how to complain about grievance or disciplinary decisions
You don’t have to include details of sick pay, disciplinary and grievance procedures, but you must include where this information can be found
I follow up the signed offer letter with a contract of employment to ensure that all of this information is clearly covered. I would require the employee to sign the contract as well and make sure that they are given a copy.
I have posted copies of the Offer Letter and Contract that I use. I post these for information and as a reference, but do not guarantee that these meet all legislative requirements and take no liability whatsoever for their use. You may wish to take employment advice from an independent legal professional.
