The interview is going well. The family seems kind, the children are sweet, and they’ve just offered you a rate that sounds reasonable. You’re ready to accept. But you haven’t asked a single question about benefits, time off, sick days, health insurance, or the dozen other things that determine whether this job actually works financially and practically for you. Three months in, you’ll discover that reasonable hourly rate doesn’t cover your actual costs, you have no paid time off, and the family’s approach to sick days leaves you unprotected and undercompensated.
After twenty years watching nannies negotiate positions from San Diego to major cities nationwide, we’ve seen countless professionals accept jobs based solely on hourly rates without understanding their complete compensation packages. These nannies later discover they’re earning far less than they thought once they factor in unpaid time off, lack of benefits, out-of-pocket healthcare costs, and other expenses that families with comprehensive benefits don’t bear. The nannies who build sustainable, well-compensated careers know that benefits conversations during interviews are non-negotiable, and they ask specific questions that reveal whether positions actually meet their needs.
Why Benefits Matter as Much as Hourly Rate
Many nannies focus exclusively on hourly rates during negotiations because that number is tangible and easy to compare. But two positions offering $30 per hour can have dramatically different actual value depending on benefits packages.
Consider a nanny earning $30 per hour with guaranteed hours, three weeks paid vacation, paid holidays, health insurance contribution, paid sick days, and annual raises versus a nanny earning $30 per hour with no guaranteed hours, no paid time off, no benefits, and no structured review process. The first nanny might earn $60,000+ annually in total compensation value. The second might earn $45,000 or less once you factor in unpaid time off and healthcare costs they cover themselves.
Benefits determine whether positions are financially sustainable long-term. If you’re covering your own health insurance at $400-600+ monthly, that’s $5,000-7,000+ annually coming out of your compensation. If you get no paid vacation and take two weeks off annually, that’s $2,400+ in lost income at $30/hour. If you don’t have guaranteed hours and families reduce your schedule when convenient for them, your actual annual earnings could be thousands less than projected.
Professional household employment should include professional benefits. Families who claim they can’t afford benefits but can afford $30+ hourly for childcare are choosing not to provide benefits, not genuinely unable to. Understanding this helps you evaluate whether families value you as a professional or view you as easily replaceable help they’ll compensate minimally.
Guaranteed Hours: The Foundation of Stable Income
Guaranteed hours should be your first benefits question because without them, you have no income stability regardless of your hourly rate. Guaranteed hours mean families pay you for your scheduled hours every week even if they don’t need your services those full hours due to travel, illness, schedule changes, or any other reason.
During interviews, ask directly: “Does this position include guaranteed hours?” If the answer is yes, get details in writing about how many hours are guaranteed, how the guarantee works, and what exceptions exist if any.
If families hesitate or say they’ll pay you for hours worked but not guarantee full schedules, that’s a major concern. You cannot build financial stability on variable income that changes based on family convenience. You can’t accept other work to supplement income if your schedule might randomly increase. You need guaranteed compensation you can rely on.
Some families try to avoid guaranteed hours by framing positions as “part-time” even when they need regular weekly schedules. If they need you every Tuesday and Thursday from 8am to 6pm, that’s not truly part-time in ways that excuse lack of guarantees. That’s a regular schedule requiring guaranteed compensation.
The only positions where guaranteed hours might not apply are backup care, date night sitting, or truly occasional work where you’re not maintaining regular schedules. If families expect you to hold specific schedules for their availability, those hours need to be guaranteed.
Ask what happens if families travel, if children are sick, or if they decide they don’t need you on a scheduled day. The answer should be that you’re paid regardless because they’re guaranteeing your scheduled hours. If they expect you to accept cancelled shifts or reduced hours without compensation, you’re in a position with no income security.
Paid Time Off: Vacation and Personal Days
Paid time off determines whether you can actually take vacations, handle personal obligations, or rest without losing income. Without PTO, every day you don’t work costs you money, which means you’re incentivized to never take breaks even when you need them.
Ask specifically: “How many days of paid vacation are included in this position?” Professional nanny positions should include at least two weeks of paid vacation, with three weeks being increasingly standard for experienced professionals. Some positions include even more depending on market, experience level, and family budget.
Also ask: “How are vacation days scheduled? Can I choose when I take time off?” Some families provide PTO but reserve right to dictate when you take it, limiting it to when they’re also traveling. While coordinating schedules makes sense, you should have genuine autonomy to take some vacation days when you need them, not just when families don’t need coverage.
Separate from vacation, ask about personal days or sick days: “Are sick days paid, and how many are included?” You will get sick. You will have emergencies. You will need occasional days for appointments, family obligations, or personal situations. Positions offering no paid sick time force you to work when ill or lose income constantly for normal life situations.
Some families provide combined PTO banks where vacation and sick days come from the same pool. Others separate them. Both approaches can work, but understand exactly how many total paid days off you have and what happens if you need more than that for illness.
Ask what happens if you don’t use all PTO in a year: “Does unused vacation roll over or get paid out?” Some families allow rollover, others use-it-or-lose-it, others pay out unused time. Understanding the policy helps you plan.
Paid Holidays: Not Negotiable
Professional positions include paid holidays. If families expect you to work holidays, you should receive premium compensation for working them, not just standard rates.
Ask directly: “Which holidays are paid, and do I work those days?” Standard paid holidays typically include New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas at minimum. Some positions include additional holidays.
Families sometimes claim they need coverage on holidays and resist providing them as paid days off. You can work holidays if you choose to and if the compensation is appropriate, but you should receive either premium pay for working holidays or have them as paid days off. Working holidays at regular rates without holiday premium is allowing families to undercompensate you for working days most professionals have off.
Some families try to handle holidays by saying “We’ll figure it out as they come up.” That’s not acceptable. Holiday compensation should be specified in your work agreement before you start. You need to know whether you’re working holidays, whether they’re paid, and what the compensation structure looks like.
If families celebrate holidays that aren’t standard federal holidays, discuss whether those are treated as paid days or whether you’re expected to work. Understanding all parties’ expectations about holidays prevents conflicts when they arrive.
Health Insurance: The Most Valuable Benefit
Health insurance is the most financially significant benefit after salary for most people. If families contribute to health insurance, that’s worth thousands of dollars annually. If they don’t, you’re covering those costs yourself out of your take-home pay.
Ask: “Do you contribute to health insurance, and if so, how much?” Some families cover full premiums for individuals. Others contribute partial amounts like $300-500 monthly. Some offer nothing and expect you to use marketplace insurance or go uninsured.
If families offer contributions, understand exactly what that covers. Does it cover only individual plans or family coverage if needed? Is there a specific plan they contribute toward or a set amount you can apply to any plan?
If families don’t offer health insurance contributions, factor that cost into whether the position works financially. If you’re paying $400+ monthly for insurance, your effective hourly rate is lower than the stated rate because you’re covering that expense from your income.
Some families resist health insurance contributions claiming they’re not required. Legally they may not be depending on household size, but professional household employers understand health insurance is standard employee benefit and provide it. Families who can afford professional nannies but refuse to contribute to health insurance are telling you how they value you.
For families who genuinely can’t afford insurance contributions, that’s honest information that helps you evaluate total compensation. But many families who claim they can’t afford benefits have actually chosen not to prioritize them in their household budget.
Professional Development and Education Allowances
Some positions include budgets for continuing education, certifications, or professional development. This might be a few hundred dollars annually for CPR certification and childcare-related courses or more substantial amounts for nannies pursuing credentials or specialized training.
Ask: “Do you provide professional development support or education allowances?” This signals you’re a professional interested in continuing to develop your skills, and it reveals whether families value supporting your growth.
Families who provide development support typically produce better long-term employment relationships because they’re investing in your capabilities and career, not just paying for services. Families who’ve never considered supporting development might be open to it when asked, while families who reject it outright are showing limited interest in your professional growth.
Related to this, ask about CPR and First Aid certification: “Do you cover costs for CPR and First Aid certifications?” These are job requirements that families should cover rather than expecting you to pay for credentials their employment requires.
Transportation and Mileage Reimbursement
If your position involves transporting children, running household errands, or any driving for family purposes, mileage reimbursement is non-negotiable. Families should reimburse at IRS standard rates for all miles driven for work purposes.
Ask: “Will I be transporting children or running errands? How does mileage reimbursement work?” The answer should be that families track miles and reimburse you at IRS rates, currently around $0.65+ per mile. Some families provide vehicles for work use, which eliminates mileage reimbursement but raises other questions about insurance and vehicle maintenance.
Don’t accept families saying they’ll “give you gas money occasionally.” That’s not appropriate compensation for vehicle use. Your car depreciates, requires maintenance, needs insurance coverage for work use, and involves real costs beyond just gas. IRS standard mileage rates exist because those are the actual costs of operating vehicles.
If families expect you to use your car without proper mileage reimbursement, you’re subsidizing their children’s transportation from your compensation. That’s unacceptable.
Annual Raises and Performance Reviews
Sustainable positions include structured approaches to compensation increases over time. Your cost of living increases annually, and your value increases as you gain experience and build relationships with families. Your compensation should reflect that.
Ask: “How are raises handled? Is there an annual review process?” Professional employers provide regular reviews and cost-of-living increases at minimum, with merit increases for excellent performance.
Families who’ve never considered raises or who react negatively to the question are showing you they view nannies as easily replaceable rather than valued professionals whose compensation should increase over time. These positions often lead to stagnation where you’re earning the same rate years later despite increased experience and cost of living.
Some families set specific raise schedules in initial agreements, like 3% annually or cost-of-living adjustments based on local indices. Others evaluate annually and determine raises based on performance and budget. Both can work, but knowing the approach helps you evaluate long-term earning potential.
Severance and Termination Terms
While uncomfortable to discuss during interviews, understanding termination terms protects you if employment ends. Professional positions include notice periods for both parties and sometimes severance pay depending on circumstances.
Ask: “What are the termination terms? What notice period is required from both sides?” Standard is typically two weeks to one month notice, though some positions specify longer periods. Understanding this prevents situations where families expect you to work weeks after giving notice while they search for replacements, or where they terminate you immediately without compensation for notice period.
Some positions include severance pay if families terminate without cause, especially for live-in positions where termination means immediate housing loss. This might be two weeks to one month of continued compensation after termination depending on length of employment and position type.
Understanding termination terms also helps you evaluate job security. Families who want freedom to terminate immediately without notice but expect extended notice from you are creating unequal terms that favor them at your expense.
How to Ask These Questions Without Seeming Difficult
Many nannies worry that asking detailed benefits questions makes them seem demanding or money-focused. This concern prevents them from gathering information they need to make informed decisions about whether positions actually work for them.
The reality is that professional families expect professional employees to ask about compensation and benefits comprehensively. Families who react negatively to benefits questions are signaling they don’t view you as a professional or don’t want to provide appropriate compensation. That’s valuable information that helps you avoid problematic positions.
Frame benefits questions matter-of-factly as part of understanding complete compensation: “I want to make sure I understand the full compensation package. Can we discuss benefits including guaranteed hours, paid time off, and health insurance?”
You can ask these questions after families express interest in hiring you but before you accept offers. Once you have offers, you have leverage to understand complete terms and negotiate if needed. Don’t wait until you’ve accepted and started to discover benefits situations.
If families pressure you to accept quickly without time to discuss benefits thoroughly, that’s a red flag. Professional positions include time to review complete terms and make informed decisions.
What Benefits Packages Reveal About Employers
How families approach benefits tells you enormous amounts about how they’ll treat you throughout employment. Families who proactively offer comprehensive benefits view you as valued professionals. Families who minimize benefits or claim they can’t afford them despite paying competitive rates are showing their priorities.
Comprehensive benefits packages signal that families have thought seriously about household employment, understand professional standards, and are prepared to treat you appropriately. These families typically have work agreements, clear expectations, and professional approaches throughout employment.
Minimal or absent benefits often correlate with unclear expectations, lack of guaranteed hours, boundary issues, and treatment that doesn’t reflect professional employment standards. Families who won’t provide basic benefits often have other problematic practices that emerge once you’re working for them.
Benefits also reveal financial stability. Families who offer guaranteed hours, generous PTO, health insurance, and other benefits have budgets to support professional household employment. Families who can’t guarantee hours or provide basic benefits may have financial instability that affects their ability to compensate you reliably.
The Seaside Nannies Perspective
At Seaside Nannies, we’ve placed nannies throughout San Diego and nationwide markets for twenty years, and we’ve watched how benefits packages affect position sustainability and nanny satisfaction. The positions that work long-term invariably include comprehensive benefits that reflect professional employment standards.
We tailor-fit every placement, which includes helping both families understand what benefits they should offer and nannies understand what benefits to expect and negotiate for. Never automated, never one-size-fits-all. The matches that thrive pair families who view household employment professionally with nannies who understand their value and advocate for appropriate compensation.
Asking detailed benefits questions during interviews isn’t demanding or difficult. It’s professional practice that protects your interests and ensures positions actually work financially and practically for you. The families worth working for will respect your professionalism in asking these questions and will have clear, fair answers that reflect their commitment to treating you appropriately. The families who react negatively to benefits discussions are showing you exactly how they’ll treat you throughout employment, giving you valuable information about whether to accept their offers.
