As the summer draws closer, many nannies will prepare to travel with their employers on holiday, sometimes for long periods of time. If you haven’t worked as a holiday nanny before, it can be an exciting experience. Promise of exotic and distant lands is tempting, for sure, but it can be a strain on your employer-nanny relationship.

Here are few tips to help ensure your holiday runs smoothly:

Firstly, set up a meeting with your employers to discuss the holiday.

Questions to ask:

What are parent’s expectations?

Are you going to be sharing care of the children or are you going to work sole-charge, while parents are away from the resort?

Discuss all your duties.

What will your working hours be? Even if you don’t babysit during your normal working week, you may be expected to stay in some of the nights to look after the children.

Clarify with your employer, that your time away isn’t part of your holiday allowance. This is a no brainer, but some employers may see it this way.

It is likely that you will be working longer hours than in a normal week, it is important you come to an agreement with your employer of your rate of pay.

A friend of mine had an unfortunate experience whilst away with her family, because their rate of pay was not clarified before they travelled. On the return, my friend questioned unpaid, missing hours on her payslip. Employer’s explanation was, that while children slept for three hours each afternoon, nanny got to spend this time relaxing at the pool and not working. Needless to say, my friend never travelled on family holiday without a prior formal agreement since.

Agree the time off. You are in a beautiful country, with the luxury of paradise at your fingertips; are you welcome to some time off?

Whilst you understand that you are here working, you may want to enjoy the scenery in your own time as well! Don’t be afraid to ask if you will be entitled to any time off, if so, how many days/nights? Remember you are here to look after the children for the most part, but it is essential that you and your employer understand that you may be deserving of a night off here and there! Travelling to a new destination is exhilarating, so why not enjoy the weather, atmosphere and culture of the country you travel to?!

Will they expense your travel to and from the airport if you travel separately from your family? On the odd chance you aren’t able to travel with your nanny family, travelling expenses to and from the airport can be expensive. Make sure you ask whether your travel arrangements will be paid for.

Are you going to be paid your usual rate, for the time you spend travelling to the destination? Whilst you see the day of travel as a usual working day, a few employers may use this as an excuse not to pay you for the time you spend travelling to the destination. It is best to clarify this before you leave, so your employer is aware that this will be a normal working day, at the same rate of pay!

Ask about the sleeping arrangements. Are you going to have a separate room? Or are you expected to share a room with the children, or another member of staff, coming along on the holiday?

Will the employer pay for your travel insurance or do you need to make your own arrangements?

It is up to you, how flexible you want to be with any of the points above, we all have different expectations of our jobs. Draw up a Holiday contract and make sure that it includes all that you have discussed.

And lastly, prepare for the wild ride! Anything can happen on holiday, from fishing the poo from the swimming pool to spider bites.

Happy Holiday.

Martina Vanickova

Martina Vanickova is the founder and CEO of The Training Umbrella, private assessment centre, delivering accredited childcare courses to nannies, nursery staff, child minders and teaching assistants in London, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and looking to expand to China. “As small children, adult learners are each unique and special individual and it is my and the company’s ethos to treat each person as such. I believe that this is one of the contributing factors to our 100% success completion rate since we opened in 2012. There are many training providers, who see profit before the well-being of their learners. How can we raise standard in the industry, if we view learners as “money bags” and qualify individuals who should, frankly, never be employed to look after our children? If you are looking for a reason to see why I do what I do, this is it.” Martina Martina is ardent defender of nanny rights and she is currently looking to explore this area professionally. Martina is a passionate promoter of gender equality, who believes in supporting other women to achieve their full potential in business and personal life, while harmoniously sharing their lives, with their partners, whatever the gender.

martina@thetrainingumbrella.com

www.thetrainingumbrella.com

By permission, with thanks.