There is no more common question about nanny and au pair jobs than “How much will I get paid as a nanny?” With any job it is vital that you know what to expect and whether or not your will be able to earn a decent living at a new job. With nannies and au pairs, the rate of pay is not the only thing to consider. You should also be concerned about paid vacation and health benefits as a nanny. If you have to pay for these things “out-of-pocket” it will drastically reduce your take-home pay.

Nanny pay rates fluctuate based on a number of factors, including location, age of the children, experience and whether you are a live-in or live-out nanny.

In addition to experience, age can make a lot of difference when establishing pay for nannies. For those under 21, live in nannies are paid a weekly wage of anywhere from $300-$500 for a 40-hour work week. Live-out nannies make an hourly wage of $10-$12 an hour. If you are over 21, you can expect to make $450-$600 as a live in nanny, and $10-$20 as a live out nanny. A college education will increase your average wage. Nannies with many years of experience can make much more than these base wages, and can also earn holiday bonuses.

There are also a number of specialties that can result in a higher wage for nannies. If you have specific experience working with special needs children, including those with ADHD, dyslexia and other learning disabilities, you can often find a higher-paying nanny job. While nannies don’t take the place of therapists or teachers with special needs children, they can provide some additional support that an inexperienced nanny may not be able to, and can bring techniques into the family that might benefit the parents as well as the children.

The rate of pay is far from the whole story for nanny and au pair benefits. Full time nannies can in some cases expect health benefits to be paid for by the family. If a family is bringing in a nanny that they would like to become a long-term employee and part of the family, you will be more likely to be able to negotiate health insurance as part of your benefits.

If you are not offered health insurance as a nanny, there are a number of ways to obtain your own health insurance. Private companies like Eisenberg Associates offer health plans specifically for nannies, and can be purchased by both families and nannies themselves. You can choose between long-term and short-term plans, with short-term being the most cost effective way to get health insurance. Even if a family does not offer to provide health insurance when you are initially hired, it is still possible to negotiate this as an additional benefit after your first year contract is up. As you become more comfortable with the children and the family, and prove that you are an invaluable addition you can request that they add insurance as a benefit. After all, the health of the nanny is incredibly important to the health of the child and family!

Health insurance isn’t the only added benefit that a full-time nanny can expect. Many nannies will receive paid time-off and vacation days. While this may only be a few days (5 at minimum) at the start of your nanny job, it can steadily increase to as much as four weeks or more. Of course, this doesn’t include vacationing with the family (which is still work for you) but time completely away from the family and children for relaxation.



By: Lisa Jenkins

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