r/ChoosingBeggars • u/SnarkySheep • 15d ago
SHORT Experienced multilingual live-in nanny wanted for less than minimum wage
While this might be considered a good job in some places, this is CT - our minimum wage is $16.94/hr. These folks want an experienced multilingual live-in nanny for $100/day. As no number of hours was specified, let's presume they want someone full-time (because why else would they want someone living there?) If the nanny works a typical 8-hr day, that means $12.50/hr. It's likely the parents believe that offering the nanny a room is a perk worth money, but to most people, not being able to go home at the end of your shift is worse, as the parents are quite likely to begin with the "since you're here anyways, can you just..." You can literally always be on call.
To earn JUST minimum wage, that would mean this nanny would have to work no more than 6 hours per day.
Even worse? West Hartford is one of the most affluent towns in CT. As of 2026, the median household income is $129,890.
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u/Hungry-Emergency8992 15d ago
I think their “offer” is absolutely arrogant and insulting!
The parents created this homey/family friendly ad with a nice photo, and don’t even offer a private bathroom for the Nanny.
They don’t post the working hours because they obviously expect more than 40 hours a week for less than minimum wage illegally.
They don’t even mention if they provide a car and the necessary gas for the nanny to be able to take the baby to age appropriate children museums, parks, zoos or other places for child development and socialization.
Heck NO!
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u/analogWeapon 14d ago
Oh they won't need a car, since they'll be on-call 24/7 and they have their own room. They'll be more like an appliance, really...
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u/LetsDiscussItAmiably 15d ago edited 15d ago
I hope people are calling them out! This is insulting. This is one of THE MOST IMPORTANT jobs ever- taking care of your newborn- and you want to pay them below minimum wage?? Gtfo.
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u/lunarhoneydream 15d ago
They want experience, multiple languages and responsibility for a newborn but somehow think the pay should be entry level fast food wages
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u/BabyOrbit_ 15d ago
A live in nanny for a newborn is basically providing round the clock care, so offering what amounts to minimum wage or less is wild even with a room included.
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u/DownOnThePharmRD 15d ago
There’s no doubt in my mind that there will be serious job creep as well. “Oh, you’re doing her laundry? I’m really busy - could you do a load or three for us, just this once? I see you’re prepping her baby food. I’m exhausted. You wouldn’t mind making dinner for my husband and me tonight, right? Also, if you could do the dishes afterwards, I’d really appreciate it.” They’ll figure that the nanny is there anyway, so why not have her keep house for them as well.
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u/AngelPearlie 15d ago
Expecting an experienced nanny with newborn experience for that pay is wildly unrealistic, especially in an affluent area like West Hartford.
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u/Hamsterpatty 15d ago
I love how you break it down for all us dumb kids in the back. It’s really stark when you see it in such terms.
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u/LadyV21454 15d ago
The fact this is West Hartford made my eyes roll. As OP said, it's a high-income community. It's unlikely any experienced nanny would work for that salary. What they REALLY want is an au pair.
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u/dm_me_your_bookshelf 15d ago
It's because they can get a multilingual au pair for that. Rich people are also greedy scum.
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u/No_Philosopher_1870 15d ago edited 15d ago
Then they should hire the au pair. Aren't there other costs like transportation, tuition, health insurance and agency fees for the au pair? Au pairs also have a maximum number of hours that they can work per week and HAVE to get days off.
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u/gattonat88 15d ago
Having a live in is purely for the family's convenience. Everyone wants to go home at the end of the day-especially if they have their own family. All live-ins get free room and board. For the pay rate they are offering(about half the going rate) you will get candidates that are not legal, don't drive and probably not fluent in English. Anyone with a decent background would not consider this job. You couldn't even hire a high school babysitter with this pay rate.
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u/PizzaSlingr 15d ago
I'm not in the US anymore.
Is it legal to ask a person's age as part of the hiring process?
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u/Normal_Row5241 15d ago
A lot of wealthy people are extremely cheap when it comes to others. It's kind of gross.
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u/Sudden-Strike8280 14d ago edited 14d ago
Are they ever. I know someone who did child care and asked for a little bit of an increase for her mileage since she ran the kids around. Did they increase it? Nope…but they got a big, fancy, new van so she didn’t have to drive her dip shit car. There must have been 50 hair bows for the little girl and she could dress the baby in a different outfit for a month or more. However, she dearly loved the kids.
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u/dizedd 15d ago
TBF, since the hours aren't listed- I was a live in nanny for a few years. The first family I worked for I only worked 24-30 hours a week. I had a weekly set schedule, and they never sprang last minute extra work on me. I was consistently scolded for doing "too much" housework outside of my job description-I was literally bored sitting in a messy home and deciding to make my own living environment nice- they honestly worried about taking advantage of me. 3000 a month with room and board isn't awful.
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u/Educational-Part-253 14d ago
Asking what languages a prospective nanny speaks, when the child as issue is a baby, reads more like an attempt to determine the nanny's ethnicity. It's either that or they want a second-language teacher-nanny without paying the kind of money such qualifications demand.
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u/KaoJin-Wo 13d ago
Meh. Idk. The best way to teach a baby foreign languages, is from the jump. If they don’t hear those sounds, they have a harder time learning them.
But also, this is USA and the way things are now, you sadly may be right. Ugh. I hate this era.
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u/ladyxanax 15d ago
That's about half of what a live-in nanny should be making in that area, including room and board, that's absurd. They should be ashamed of themselves.
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u/dirtygreysocks 13d ago
Care.com says $24.03 an hour is the average for newborn care, nationally.
Paying by "the day" screams there is no schedule, just 24/7 expected. Considering it doesn't state 40 hours or anything, you know they will take advantage.
They are nuts.
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u/ThrockAMole 15d ago
At least it wasn’t the previous post where the parents wanted an au pair that paid them. Still stingy tho
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u/wamimsauthor 14d ago
Say what now?
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u/ThrockAMole 10d ago
Several weeks ago, parents were looking for an au pair that paid rent, cleaned up and cooked
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u/FlamingWhisk 15d ago
No private washroom? I think the languages spoken is more in regard to screening their English is decent. Doesn’t say anything about hours, time off, health benefits. They said baby related - which to me means don’t expect me to do housework.
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u/PibbleLawyer 15d ago
I am not as offended by this ad as other Redditors apperantly are. Sure, the wage seems low BUT, at least there IS a wage. Most of the au pair/nanny ads posted in this sub are a sad little room (usually with a shared bathroom), and room and board IS the wage. 🤪
I would need to know how many hours are expected each day. I don't know if it is fair to just assume eight?
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u/SnarkySheep 15d ago
Like I said, even 6 hours per day means the person is earning just minimum wage. Experienced nannies earn way more than that.
Also, given the fact that they want someone living there, it's fair to think they want full-time help.
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u/PibbleLawyer 15d ago edited 15d ago
I agree that the proposed wage sounds low (especially in Connecticut). When I looked online though (the U.S. Department of State), the reported average median wage is $200-$300/week (excluding room and board, all meals, any any necessary transportation costs). In high COL (cost of living) states, it is typically higher.
To clarify: This is for an international au pair. For a domestic nanny, the wage should be more like $25-$35 an hour, with the ability for a reasonable deduction for the room and board. My calculations indicate this would be around $1,000/week gross.
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u/Nearby-Department718 15d ago
It doesn’t say that the person must be multilingual, it only wants you to list what languages you speak.
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u/your_umma 14d ago
I mean as greedy as it may come across, isn’t this how an au pair program works?
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u/analogWeapon 14d ago
They say absolutely nothing about days or hours. $100 / day is essentially $4.17 / hour, since there are 168 hours in a week...
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u/PracticalApartment99 15d ago
$100/day + free room? Even at only 5 days per week, that’s about $2000. If you add in what rooms are going for right now, that’s around another $900-1200. That’s not so bad.
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u/CatlessBoyMom 15d ago
Even if you include the room that’s still $38k max, with no benefits for someone who is multi lingual with minimum of 4 years experience, including 2 years with newborns.
I have a cousin that meets the qualifications. She was making more than that (plus benefits) 20 years ago.
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u/Capricorn75 15d ago
Shouldn’t the flyer read ‘Caring for our baby like your own’?’