Can I get a live in nanny for around 12-1300 a month? (Dallas: apartment, insurance)

[mom2gurls]

I think its just different strokes folks. As parents I think we all can agree we would want the best that our budget allows. The part time nanny/mothers helper I had came from 12-4 5 days a week, i was at home with my newborn at the time and she was wonderful with my then 3 and 7 year old. It was just an extra set of hands with me. She went to a junior college and was looking for pt work since she was headed to university to finish off her degree, she worked as a teachers assistant in the daycare as well. We did our own checks, and I gave her "pay stubs". It was only for the summer since once school started they were in preschool and elementry..but it was just enough of a break. I think its another valid point on this thread. If you can afford the beaucoup bucks for a high paying nanny, great, but if you have a budget, do your due diligence, get the best within your budget that works for you family.

[mom2gurls]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

75007,

1. Not to get on a tangent, but the kind of nanny you are describing isn't what we would want in our home. If I am not going to be at home raising my own children, someone of my own caliber of education / intellect/ activity is. I don't a cheap child care provider, I want a college educated woman who would probably be teaching at a pre-school if not employed by my husband and myself. I don't want some one who can teach my kid a bit of Spanish and tidy the home while being worried about being deported!! I want someone who will take my toddler (when the time comes) to the Perot Musuem or Arboretum Children's Garden once it's complete, someone to read to them and spend time on age-appropriate education & activities in our home. For that, it's most common to go through an agency and pay $40-50k+ employer taxes each year.

2. The child care tax credit doesn't phase out for high incomes, but the percentage is capped at 20% of expenses (about $1200 for 2 kids) if you make over $43k. The dependent care account has no income cap so if your employer offers it, you can pay $5k tax free each year.
Child Care Tax Credit - Calculator for Dependent Care Deduction - SmartMoney.com

..yeah I have to agree.. I mean hindsight looking back with three kids...we couldnt find a nanny with our first two that suited our needs..and ended up shelling about about 2000-2400 per month in a childcare environment.(2 kids)..which I was lucky to get waitlisted on and have our number called. It was fantastic center, similar to what you were looking for, all of the head teachers were college educated, the owner provided healthcare, investment advice, 401k..I mean she REALLY took care of the employees. The turnover rate is slim to none..with all three of my kids (oldest is 12)..going thru the same place..with the same staff..and she paid WELL. Most of the senior directors were masters degree educated.

But yes...you get what you pay for. It was just built into our budget for so long that 2000 bucks was going to go for childcare. Once the last one came along we shifted to elementry school, had a part time nanny for the summer...and transitioned the last two thru the center. Now that all are in school, I look back at have no regrets spending the 2000+ per month for 10 years. Didnt realize that the DFW area commanded size "NYC" salaries.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by mom2gurls

Didnt realize that the DFW area commanded size "NYC" salaries.

It doesn't. The $40-50k Dallas nanny I described would cost $75-120k in NYC. When I lived in the city, a director level woman I worked with who had a salary in the $120k range with a $25-35k range bonus would (sadly) joke that she was just working for her bonus as her entire net pay paid the nanny (I guess about $80k then). But she had to keep working to not lose her industry status so it was worth it to basically work for bonus only for 6 or 7 years until they just needed a part-time after school nanny. Her husband is in finance and they lived on the UES and did private pre-school @ $25k++ per child for 2 kids so they weren't hurting. But it definitely made things tight until the kids were in elementary school and they moved into HPISD-type public schools in NJ.

[Dr. Jake Oil]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

It doesn't. The $40-50k Dallas nanny I described would cost $75-120k in NYC. When I lived in the city, a director level woman I worked with who had a salary in the $120k range with a $25-35k range bonus would (sadly) joke that she was just working for her bonus as her entire net pay paid the nanny (I guess about $80k then). But she had to keep working to not lose her industry status so it was worth it to basically work for bonus only for 6 or 7 years until they just needed a part-time after school nanny. Her husband is in finance and they lived on the UES and did private pre-school @ $25k++ per child for 2 kids so they weren't hurting. But it definitely made things tight until the kids were in elementary school and they moved into HPISD-type public schools in NJ.

This is pretty far afield of what the OP asked though.

Tax status or ph.d nanny/tutor aspirations aside, can the OP get a nanny in DFW for what they're looking for or not?

[Roothead]

We pay our nanny $400 cash/wk - she has been with us for 8 yrs now...

We have a Volvo suv that she drives and we own the house that she lives in and she has one of my AmExp cards.... She gets PTO whenever she wants it and she holidays with us (Hawaii, UK, etc) .....best dam nanny money can buy....my MIL Rosie

[Youngstarr]

I'd be a little more hesitant to publicly admit that I was evading federal tax law.

[Roothead]

no worries on my end

[Dr. Jake Oil]

We have been using au pairs for several years now, you can choose college educated ones that speak english as well as you or I from Germany or France or even the UK/Australia. Total cost is about $17.5k/yr and they work 45 hours/wk.

[mSooner]

This is an old thread

[Dr. Jake Oil]

Originally Posted by mSooner

This is an old thread

Oops, didn't look at the dates.