I’m a full-time professional nanny with 10 years of experience, been with my current family for 3 years in a VHCOL Canadian city. My base rate for one child is $31/hr.
When they had a second baby, I absorbed the increased workload in good faith — adjusting routines around a newborn’s nap schedule, additional household tasks, occasionally switching off with the baby, navigating a two-child dynamic with a parent present, without asking for a raise at the time. I didn’t receive a COL raise that year either.
When the younger child turned one and I’d be caring for both full time, I asked for $37, $5 for the second child and $1 COL (to account for the missed raise). They countered at $35, citing a Facebook group for nanny employers as their benchmark and saying that was the standard, and said they weren’t willing to go higher. I thanked them for the offer and explained my reasoning for my rate which is hey didn’t seem to absorb but I nevertheless accepted.
They also offered to pay overtime cash under the table to make up the difference, which I wasn’t fully comfortable with. I felt slighted that I would have to do something illegal to make it to my asking rate which I thought was a fair rate.
From employers who’ve been around the block: is what I asked for reasonable for someone with my tenure and experience? Or is $35 actually the right call here?