Nanny Share vs Sole Charge Nanny

There are a lot of advantages and disadvantages between choosing a sole charge nanny and nanny share, both to the parents and the nanny. I have had the experience of doing both kinds of roles and have found that you can make both work, if you just make little adjustments. So here is my little list of advantages and disadvantages.

Sole Charge Nanny

A sole charge nanny cares for kids in the one family, be it one or four kids. There are many advantages to this arrangement for the nanny. These include;

• all kids are cared for in their own home making the kids more comfortable
• the kids are already set in the same routine by the parents 
• kids are more likely to be on the same diet making cooking easier
• salary paid by the same family making transactions easier
• less children means that transportation is easier and possible by car
• the kids all have the same rules and the same discipline plan
• easier to set work times and deal with late running parents

There are not many disadvantages to being a sole charge nanny, the only one that came to mind is the social aspect, with a nanny share position, the kids have friends that come for play dates daily, making entertaining them easy.

This is only a small list of advantages, but I have tried to list what I think are the most important ones for the nanny. There are also advantages for the family working with a sole charge nanny, these include;

• your kids are looked after at home
• you get to set their routines and have control on what they do during the day
• the nanny only has your kids to concentrate on with juggling others
• the nanny might have time to help with house work and some cooking for parents as well
• varying your nannies work hours is also possible if you are her only employer

there is only one big disadvantage for the parents with a sole charge nanny;

• You pay all of the nanny wage

Nanny Share

A nanny share nanny looks after the kids of two or more families in one of the family homes. She might need to work from both homes on different days. There are more disadvantages to this arrangement for the nanny, but there are also advantages. These include:

• variety, if you get bored dealing with the same one child daily, this is the choice for you
• kids from two families mean that they have someone to play with daily
• with more children in the house at different ages, your days will never be boring

the disadvantages include;

• juggling different routines
• cooking for different diets and tastes
• depending on the number of kids, you are more housebound  - not able to drive or take everyone on public transport
• you need to deal with and please two sets of parents instead of the one
• sometimes you might feel like you are more of a referee than a nanny

I think that for the parents there are also more disadvantages then advantages, the most important advantage though being; 

• the salary paid: most nanny share nannies do get paid more but it still works our much cheaper for the parents
• your kids spend half the time at their own home
• the kids have playmates that you know and approve of

there are disadvantages for the parents choosing a nanny share nanny, including;

• having to compromise with another family
• deciding and establishing which house will the kids be looked after in, what to do with the kids food; will the nanny cook for all the kids or will the family provide food. If the nanny is cooking, who will buy the groceries? all need to be established
• buying extra beds/cots, prams, car seats and any other equipment that the nanny might need, and then having to move it all depending upon which house is being used
• the most important disadvantage is making sure that both the parents get along and are able to understand each other and are able to compromise. Being able to get along with the family that you will share a nanny with is very important, and will make things much easier
• establishing the nanny's pay and who will pay her, the super and even maybe tax (if shes not self employed)

Anyway, this is my list. It started out as a few ideas that I thought would make this blog very short, but it turns out that there are many advantages and disadvantages! I have worked in both situations and I do think its a very personal choice for both parents and nanny.