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.
I’m a professional nanny and I’ve also held household management positions. I just want to respond to one specific thing here that I have knowledge about.
It is upsetting to see a “lesson learned” as only hiring people with experience as an assistant, because a professional assistant would absolutely not work with that compensation structure.
It is absolutely the standard in professional assistant type jobs that when traveling with the family, that your travel expenses are NOT part of your compensation.
When traveling for work (including for families that travel for extensive periods of time) the standard for professionals is:
Airfare, non-shared lodgings (your own room) and food are all covered by your family and NOT deducted from your pay. Ditto any expenses that are required for work such as taxis, tickets to places you are working at. etc.
-Your work hours start when you arrive at the airport.(Yes, you charge for travel time)
You charge your full, standard hourly rate for all hours worked.
You ALSO charge a per diem because you are leaving the comfort of being in your own home / being away from friends and pets and your life.
You are ONLY expected to work for the hours that are pre-arranged that you are on the clock. (You may be OFFERED but not demanded to work more hours.)
If you are expected to be available outside of pre scheduled hours then you charge an “on call” rate for any hours they want you generally available for them.
If these hours add up to more than 45 hours/week, you charge your overtime rate.
For a professional to take three job as described they would have to pay six figures (NOT INCLUDING travel, room, board, related travel expenses). “Getting to travel to exotic locales” might be a perk, but it is NOT compensation.
The people who will NOT require this are: young people too inexperienced to know better, exploited immigrants, and poor non-professionals taking the job out of desperation.
(ETA There is some wiggle room here. Like maybe you charge your per diem rate for travel time instead of your hourly (are the kids with you when you are traveling?), or if your job is ALWAYS traveling you probably don’t have a per diem, etc.
Also, I want to note that it is VERY COMMON for non-evil well-meaning people to not realize this. )