When you’re deciding whether or not to work with a particular family, you’ll be considering the big picture as well as the fine details of your employment agreement. Once you’ve established the must-haves, like your pay and a nanny contract, you’ll want to discuss the benefits you’ll be offered. While an extensive benefits package isn’t exactly a given, many employers are aware how competitive the industry is and understand the importance of providing certain standard employment benefits—and sometimes, benefits that go beyond the basic.
Each nanny will have their own priorities when it comes to benefits, while many families will value certain benefits over others.
From paid time off to mileage reimbursement or even gym memberships, there is a range of practical support and extra perks that can boost security for both you and your employer.
Here are 14 benefits you should feel empowered to explore with a potential or current family employer.
The basics
1. Paid time off
Workers in Canada are legally entitled to 2 weeks of paid vacation a year after the first year of employment (generally, depending on the province), based on their ordinary hours of work. They are paid 4% of their annual wages during those 2 weeks, i.e. the amount corresponding to the hours they would have worked based on a yearly average.
In addition to your annual leave, you are also entitled to take statutory holidays (which may vary from province to province—see, for example, the rules for BC, Alberta and Ontario) off and receive your base rate of pay if you would usually be working that day, unless your award or another registered agreement sets out other rules for public holidays. If you do work on a statutory holiday, you’re entitled to one-and-a-half times your base rate in most provinces. You might want to discuss the arrangements for statutory holidays with your employer, and if need be, seek clarification from your province’s Employment Standards office as to your rights.
2. Overtime
Make sure that the overtime rate for your specific award covers all hours worked in excess of the ordinary hours listed in your award or agreement (40, 44, or 48 hours, depending on the province), and that it is specified in your contract, as you may often work overtime. Whether you’re working on a full-time or part-time basis, your employer can request that you work reasonable overtime (paid at a higher rate, generally time-and-a-half), so you must negotiate this with them and have it included in your contract. However, please note that you can refuse to work overtime if the request is unreasonable.
3. Sick days
In most Canadian provinces, employees are not entitled to paid sick leave. The only current exceptions are Québec, which offers 2 days, and British Columbia, which offers 5 days of paid leave. Your employer may require you to give notice or provide evidence of incapacity to work (such as a medical certificate) in order to pay you for your sick leave, so you will need to discuss this with them.
4. Paid statutory holidays
Most Canadian provinces have 9 or 10 statutory holidays. As noted above, you may be entitled to a day off at your basic rate of pay, or if your employer wants you to work, they need to pay you extra. It is important to establish the expectations, and to specify any extra pay that applies in this case.
5. Guaranteed pay
It’s also wise to make sure that you are guaranteed payment for a set number of hours per week. Guaranteed pay or hours are especially important if your employer goes on holiday without you. Your bills don’t stop when your employer’s away, and negotiating guaranteed hours will protect your income.
It also protects the family you work for, as they won’t risk losing you to another employer should you need to take on new work while they’re away.
6. Per-kilometre reimbursement
It’s a good idea to ask for a per-kilometre reimbursement benefit so you can cover the cost of using your own gas to run errands or take your employer’s kids to activities. Most nannies are paid an allowance of about $0.61 per kilometre.
7. Open kitchen policy
This benefit makes it clear that you can eat anything in the house while you’re working, and that if certain foods are off limits, they will be put in a designated spot. This allows you to focus all your attention on the children without worrying about supplying your own meals, taking up space in the family’s fridge, or ordering lunch from an app.
8. Household account
Talk to your employer family about setting aside a petty cash float or giving you a credit or debit card to be used for various expenses incurred on the job. You may need to buy art supplies or take the children out to lunch, and some nannies report having to fund these activities out of their own pocket.
9. Retirement savings accounts
While all employers are required to pay pension (CPP/QPP) and Employment Insurance (EI) contributions for their employees, some may offer to pay into a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP), an additional retirement savings account registered with the Canadian government. You should consider discussing with your employer whether they intend to pay into your RRSP and have it included in your contract.
Discretionary benefits
10. Cell phone cost reimbursement
While this isn’t as common as paid time off or sick pay arrangements, some families will provide reimbursement for your cell phone bill or offer you a separate work phone. But if the family gives you a dedicated work phone, leave it at their home. Don’t use it for personal calls or take it home with you, as this may inadvertently give the family access to private information, including where you live and where you’re going after work or on the weekend, which you might not be comfortable sharing with your employers.
11. Professional development/continued education
Some nannies have employers who are willing to offer them financial assistance for continued education or professional training. You can try to negotiate a contract with the family employing you that covers a set amount of funds and days that you can put toward professional development.
Nannies can suffer from burnout, and taking an all-day class as part of a nanny training program or attending a conference for childminders and early educators can be stimulating and ultimately make you a better nanny. It is money well spent for both the nanny and the family.
You could begin by asking for just one day or $200 to put towards continuing education and then request more later. Or if you’re already in a contract with your employer, this is something you could ask for at your annual review. Families will be impressed that you want to become an even better nanny.
12. Flexible hours
Nannies sometimes have other jobs. For example, if you are an actor, you may need your employer to be flexible regarding your hours so that you can go to auditions. In this case, you might ask for a set number of flexible hours per month—in addition to paid time off—to be used as needed, provided you give the family as much notice as possible.
Above-and-beyond extras
13. The pipe-dream perks
There are some “pipe-dream” benefits that nannies might receive, such as paid time off in excess of the statutory minimum, or a locked-in percentage for annual raises. While it may be challenging to secure any of these during initial negotiations, nannies and employers can revisit them during an annual review.
14. Recreational bonuses
Depending on an employer’s line of work, they might have unique things to offer that can sweeten the deal. This could be a chiropractor who does free adjustments, use of a vacation home for your holidays, or season tickets. Or what about weekly car cleaning—a nice gesture if the family’s children are smearing food into your car seats when you’re carting them around. Other benefits along these lines include gym membership, tickets to concerts or other live entertainment, or airline miles.
How to prep for your benefits talk with a prospective employer
Nail down your must-haves, ideals, and dealbreakers
Listing the benefits you need most is a key first step. Define your dealbreakers and most important requests ahead of time. While you might not frame them that way in negotiations with your employer, you’ll have them uppermost in your mind, which can help inform an open, honest discussion.
Seek support
If you’re nervous about conducting negotiations and discussing the benefits you want, call a friend or ask an agency or fellow nanny to walk you through it all.
When in doubt, get it in writing
Though every family’s contract will be different, it’s always a good idea to get the details in print. It is best practice to have all your benefits in your contract with your employers before you start. You can always adjust your contract as time goes on or if you feel that you should be better compensated for your work.
The bottom line
Ensuring that you have the benefits you need is integral to securing a stable working relationship that lasts. If you have an employment package that includes long-term safeguards, you can relax and focus on your work.
