Career Descriptions

Perfect Match Nannies places the following types of household employees:

• Nanny
• Parent Helper
• Birth Doula
• Postpartum Doula
• Nanny/Home Manager or Nanny/Estate Manager
• Governess

Nanny: The International Nanny Association defines *nanny* as: "employed by the family on either a live-in or live-out basis to undertake all tasks related to the care of children. Duties are generally restricted to childcare and domestic tasks related to childcare. May or may not have had any formal training, though often has a good deal of actual experience. Usually work unsupervised."

Nannies are NOT babysitters. A nanny is all encompassing to a child, and generally the complete set of extra hands to parents. A nanny is responsible for social, emotional and intellectual development of their charges and will work with children on potty training, manners, homework, all areas of development, plus may be available for family shopping, some errands and general tidying/cleaning limited to children's areas of the house.

Full-time nannies usually work 5 days a week, 40-55 hours per week and expect two days off weekly.

Nannies need to be self-motivated, patient, able to handle 8+ hours with small chidren and many times little to no adult interaction, be willing to work in partnership with the parent's philosophies on child rearing, and be a multi-tasker, accomplishing all duties during the day requested without supervision and without neglecting the children.

Typical duties may include: transporting children to and from school and activities/sports, scheduling all activities/outings and social gatherings, toy upkeep and cleaning, family errands, family grocery shopping, cooking for children, children's laundry, planning children's parties and special occasions, keeping children's areas tidy, preparing all bottles as well as cleaning them, keeping kitchen area tidy, helping with homework, packing lunches, helping with baths and clothing choices, focusing on daily manners and cultural issues.

Salary for a live-out nanny position generally ranges from $10 - $16/hour in this regional area, based upon the candidate's nannying experience, other childcare experience, position responsibility level, reference and portfolio quality, educational level and benefits/perks offered with position.

Salary range for a live-in nanny (one who has their own living quarters on the family's property) is $7.25 - $12.00+/hour in this regional area based upon the same criteria as above. [top]

Parent Helper: The parent helper position provides an extra set of hands to the stay at home parent. A parent helper position is usually for a nanny candidate who is building up their qualifications and experience to eventually take on a full nanny position and work unassisted. Many parent helper positions are with families of multiples, newborns and families who home school.

Parent Helpers live-in or out and may also be in charge for small periods of time without parent assistance. This position may/may not assist with light house tidying, meal prep and other items to assist the parent.

Salary range for a parent's helper position generally ranges from $7-$12/hour (live-in or out), in this regional area, based upon the candidate's childcare experience, position responsibility level, reference and portfolio quality, educational level and benefits and perks offered with a position. In the event that a nanny qualified candidate is requested by a family or is placed in a parent helper position, nanny candidate wage will take effect. [top]

Birth Doula: A birth doula is a person trained and experienced in childbirth who provides physical, emotional and informative support to the mother before, during and just after birth.

Clinical studies have shown that women who have the aid of a doula at birth, tend to have shorter labors, fewer complications, fewer negative feelings about the childbirth experience, less need for labor inducing drugs, pain medication and epidurals, forceps or vacuum extraction and cesareans. Research also shows that parents who receive a doula's support may have lower incidence of abuse, less postpartum depression, greater self-confidence, greater success in breast-feeding, and adapt to new family dynamics more quickly than those without a doula's help. Studies have also shown that by retaining a doula's assistance, babies have shorter hospital stays, breastfeed more easily and have more affectionate mothers in the postpartum period.

The doula does NOT replace the nursing or medical staff during birth, nor does she make any decisions for clients regarding medical care or treatment, and will not perform any of the medical procedures. Doulas provide informational and emotional support and increase communication between all parties during the birth process. A doula also plays a major part in involving the partner in the birth so that he/she feels comfortable and informed as well.

The birth doula will stay from a few hours or days prior to birth to a few hours or days after birth. Some birth doulas/mothers prefer longer or shorter stay schedules.

The doula, in most cases, will temporarily live with the family or at the birth site, working shifts anywhere from 5 hours on up to 24 hours, depending on what the family/doula agree to. Because of this there should be living quarters supplied for the doula- at the very least, a separate bedroom, closet and drawer space should be provided. Most doulas are on an on-call schedule from 37 weeks on of the pregnancy.

Generally you will need to retain a birth doula's services 3-6 months prior to baby's arrival, as a great doula will be high in demand. The pay is generally $15/hour on up to $650 per birth in this geographical region, depending on the level of position responsibility, candidate experience/education, and shift hours. Each doula sets their own fee scale. Most doulas will also require a retainer fee from the family to reserve their services. Doulas that are just starting out in the career may charge significantly less.

Is a doula an employee or an independent contractor? An employee. If the doula earns less than $1500 from the family, the doula is still an employee, but the family does not have employment tax obligations because the wages paid did not meet the wage test.

Independent Contractor (as defined by the IRS): The general rule is that an individual is an independent contractor if (the person for whom the services are performed) has the right to control or direct only the result of the work, and not what will be done and how it will be done or method of accomplishing the result.

Perfect Match Nannies has fantastic multi-faceted access to stellar leading birth doulas, some local, some nationally located. The family is responsible for all travel costs for the doula if travel is necessary to reach the family's destination from wherever the chosen candidate is found. [top]

Postpartum Doula: The postpartum doula does whatever a mother needs to enjoy the care for her new baby. The postpartum doula is a newborn expert.

A postpartum doula has extensive experience with newborns, also has the most current knowledge of accepted practices in newborn care, including lactation support, Infant CPR/First Aid and the proper use of car seats and other safety equipment. The candidate may or may not have some level of actual medical training. The candidate must be extremely knowledgeable and a good communicator to gently guide the new parents into parenthood and to teach as issues arise.

A postpartum doula's duty is to provide the new parents with as much post-recovery assistance as possible. The doula is responsible, and not limited to assist with all feedings (including help for the nursing mom), changing, infant laundry, giving baths and assisting in teaching the new parents best practice techniques for infants. The doula may also help set up a sleep schedule for the baby to allow the parents the needed rest after the newborn arrives. The doula will NOT teach a particular parenting approach, but instead will help new parents develop their own philosophies with the information that they will need to be successful.

As much as doulas are not equipped to treat postpartum depression as a therapist or psychiatrist would be, they will help alleviate the postpartum stress on the mother by mothering the mother, easing her into motherhood, making sure she is helping herself as much as she is helping the newborn, and finally taking the necessary steps to get the mother further assistance if the doula does feel that there may be major effects of postpartum trauma occurring.

The doula provides support for the entire family. The doula is as responsible for the baby as she is for the other parent, mother and older children, helping everyone function and transition into the new life together with the new addition to the family. She will especially assist the other parent by teaching, guiding, and praising their efforts in helping the homecoming process and with learning the same techniques the mother is learning.

The doula may temporarily live with the family working shifts anywhere from 5 hours on up to 24 hours, depending on what the family/doula agree to. Postpartum doula's usually stay with the family from birth or shortly prior, up to many months after birth, depending upon agreement. Some families may only require a doula's services for a very short time, such as two weeks. There should be living quarters supplied for the doula if they live-in- at the very least, a separate bedroom, closet and drawer space should be provided.

Generally you will need to retain a postpartum doula 3-6 months prior to baby's arrival, as a great doula will be high in demand. The pay is generally $15-$30/hour in this geographical region, depending on the level of position responsibility, candidate experience/education, and shift hours. Each doula sets their own fee scale. Most doulas will also require a retainer fee from the family to reserve their services. Doulas that are just starting out in the career may charge significantly less.

Is a doula an employee or an independent contractor? An employee. If the doula earns less than $1500 from the family, the doula is still an employee, but the family does not have employment tax obligations because the wages paid did not meet the wage test.

Independent Contractor (as defined by the IRS): The general rule is that an individual is an independent contractor if (the person for whom the services are performed) has the right to control or direct only the result of the work, and not what will be done and how it will be done or method of accomplishing the result.

Perfect Match Nannies has fantastic multi-faceted access to leading postpartum doula's, some local, some nationally located. The family is responsible for all travel costs for the doula if travel is necessary to reach the family's destination from wherever the chosen candidate is found. [top]

Nanny/Home Manager or Nanny/Estate Manager: This position requires a unique individual who is extremely organized and a great multi-tasker and who is able to take full charge of a situation/project from beginning to end around the nanny family's home. This person must combine both nanny and home/estate manager roles each day.

The candidate is responsible for all duties related to the children, as a nanny would be, as well as for the household. Household tasks may include hiring contractors, landscapers, plumbers, electricians, caterers, etc, supervising workers or other employees, and in general keeping the house running smoothly. Candidate may also be responsible for the management of other household staff.

This candidate may be responsible for family appointments, keeping a family calendar and schedule, family errands, party planning, sending invites or thank-you's, making travel arrangements and packing the family, grocery shopping, and decorating for the holidays. Some cleaning/laundry/fine furniture care may go along with this type of position as well, with the addition of managing household finances and utilizing a budget as well as some personal banking, working for a home business on the premise, may interview other employees for the residence, traveling ahead of the family to a vacation house to prepare it for family arrival, servicing vehicle used for child transportation, scheduling cleanings of home and repairs needed as well as the fiscal aspect of this, and may deal with realtors/open houses/walk-throughs in cases of house sales.

This type of position may be reserved for a family whose children are frequently out of the home in school or other settings away from the home- as the first responsibility of a nanny/home manager will always be the children, hence limiting the amount of duties that the individual will accomplish when children are present.

The nanny/home manager may live-in or out, and may or may not have formal hospitality or management training. The candidate should have several years of previous childcare experience and proven references as a responsible, organized, multi-tasker. The candidate most likely will have extensive background managing a household, and most often will be a more mature candidate in age to have the prior life experiences of running an entire home.

This position may also be what the nanny position transforms into after the children reach school age and are no longer in the home each day for long hours.

Salary range for a nanny/home manager or nanny/estate manager position generally ranges from $15-$21+ per hour (live-in and live-out) in this regional area, based upon the candidate's childcare experience, home/estate management experience, position responsibility level, reference and portfolio quality, educational level and benefits and perks offered with a position.

This type of position may require an out of state location process to obtain qualified candidates, depending on position level of responsibility, and prior experience required by the hiring family. [top]

Governess: The International Nanny Association defines a governess candidate as "traditionally an educationally-qualified person employed by families for full-time or part-time at-home education of school age children."

These candidates MUST have, at minimum, a bachelor’s degree in education, and a verifiable teaching certificate for the state of hire (or be able to obtain one prior to hire).

Governess positions usually require travel with the family, keeping the children up-to-date on studies, and may be live-in or live-out. The governess is also responsible for making the social aspect of the children's upbringing a priority by locating local home-school groups and resources.

Typical duties may include: Teaching of all daily academics and the planning, record-keeping, and research associated with this; traveling with family to continue children's education while on-the-go; child transportation to activities/sports; scheduling of all social activities for children and group networking; all child-related errands; planning and facilitating children's parties; keeping a daily log detailing the day for parents; holding regular conferences with the parents to discuss education; helping to keep child's areas tidy and organized; cooking for children (and possibly family if agreed upon); keeping family calendar and children's schedule updated; packing family/children for vacations; helping with homework; keeping all toys in working order and cleaned; and focusing on daily manners and cultural issues.

Salary range for a nanny/governess position generally ranges from $30,000-$60,000/year+ (live-in or live-out) in this regional area, based upon the candidate's childcare experience, teaching experience, governess experience, position responsibility level, reference and portfolio quality, educational level, and benefits and perks offered with a position.

This type of position may require an out-of-state location process to obtain qualified candidates, depending on position level of responsibility, and prior experience required by hiring family. [top]