This got a lot of upvotes so I want to clarify that this kind of arrangements isn’t UNUSUALLY EVIL. Nanny forums are filled with younger nannies or more desperate nannies who get into these jobs only to immediately regret it.
When people ask my opinion about hiring nannies I constantly have to show how things they think are perks (live in, free tickets to go places with the kids) don’t actually hold much value as perks. Because it is common for people to hold that misconception.
It is really common for parents and families to offer jobs that DON’T FOLLOW professional standards. In fact the majority of childcare jobs don’t. The educated professionals don’t take those jobs. The families are often confused why they can’t find good help that stays.
So I look at this situation and it immediately pattern matches to what EDUCATED PROFESSIONALS recognize as a bad situation.
I don’t think that means that NL folks are inherently evil. What they wanted was a common thing for people to want. The failure modes are the predictable failure modes.
I think they hold culpability. I think they “should have” known better. I don’t think (based on this) that they are evil. I think some of their responses aren’t the most ideal, but also shoot it’s a LOT of pressure to have the whole community turning on you and they are responding way better than I would be able to.
From the way they talk, I don’t think they learned the lessons I would hope they had, and that’s sad. But it’s hard to really grow when you’re in a defensive position.
> When people ask my opinion about hiring nannies I constantly have to show how things they think are perks (live in, free tickets to go places with the kids) don’t actually hold much value as perks.
Off topic: I understand thinking housing would be valued by employees, but do people honestly think that tickets to children’s activities are valuable to caretakers? Like even if someone would value the activity in their off hours, which seems like a big if, surely the parents understand that it’s not a leisure activity when you’re watching small children?
Switch “watching children” with “working as an assistant” and you’ll see why I don’t think travel /activity expenses is at all a valuable payment method, even to people who would otherwise enjoy those activities.
This got a lot of upvotes so I want to clarify that this kind of arrangements isn’t UNUSUALLY EVIL. Nanny forums are filled with younger nannies or more desperate nannies who get into these jobs only to immediately regret it.
When people ask my opinion about hiring nannies I constantly have to show how things they think are perks (live in, free tickets to go places with the kids) don’t actually hold much value as perks. Because it is common for people to hold that misconception.
It is really common for parents and families to offer jobs that DON’T FOLLOW professional standards. In fact the majority of childcare jobs don’t. The educated professionals don’t take those jobs. The families are often confused why they can’t find good help that stays.
So I look at this situation and it immediately pattern matches to what EDUCATED PROFESSIONALS recognize as a bad situation.
I don’t think that means that NL folks are inherently evil. What they wanted was a common thing for people to want. The failure modes are the predictable failure modes.
I think they hold culpability. I think they “should have” known better. I don’t think (based on this) that they are evil. I think some of their responses aren’t the most ideal, but also shoot it’s a LOT of pressure to have the whole community turning on you and they are responding way better than I would be able to.
From the way they talk, I don’t think they learned the lessons I would hope they had, and that’s sad. But it’s hard to really grow when you’re in a defensive position.
> When people ask my opinion about hiring nannies I constantly have to show how things they think are perks (live in, free tickets to go places with the kids) don’t actually hold much value as perks.
Off topic: I understand thinking housing would be valued by employees, but do people honestly think that tickets to children’s activities are valuable to caretakers? Like even if someone would value the activity in their off hours, which seems like a big if, surely the parents understand that it’s not a leisure activity when you’re watching small children?
Switch “watching children” with “working as an assistant” and you’ll see why I don’t think travel /activity expenses is at all a valuable payment method, even to people who would otherwise enjoy those activities.