Nanny Agency JobsIf your nanny role has changed, prepare a pay-review request around the difference between the job you agreed to and the work now being requested. Describe that difference clearly, propose a conversation and ask for a specific decision.
This guide is for a nanny already working with a family. The original worksheet and message below help you explain a changed role, discuss possible arrangements and record what remains unresolved.
Identify the change before making the request
Start with the last clear description of your role: your work agreement, an agreed update or written confirmation of duties. Then describe the current request in ordinary language. Avoid relying only on “I am doing much more,” even if that accurately captures how the job feels.
Consider whether the difference involves an additional responsibility, a broader area of ownership or a task that has become recurring. Separate a proposed change from something already happening. Also separate what the parent explicitly requested from something you started doing voluntarily; both can be discussed, but they are different histories.
HomeWork Solutions distinguishes performance reviews from salary reviews. For this conversation, name the role change and ask directly for compensation to be discussed. A general check-in about how things are going may not make your intended topic clear.
Complete a before-and-now worksheet
Use one entry for each meaningful change. Keep the wording factual and avoid attaching private family messages or a detailed child diary when a concise description will do.
- Previously agreed: What responsibility did the earlier arrangement describe?
- Now requested: What is different, and who requested it?
- Start and frequency: When did it begin, or when is it proposed to begin? Is it occasional or recurring?
- Practical effect: What additional planning, responsibility or working time does it involve?
- Evidence: Which existing agreement or work record supports your description?
- Your proposal: What arrangement would you like considered?
- Decision needed: What exactly should the employer confirm?
Fictional example: A nanny's agreed role includes preparing the children's belongings for school. The family now asks the nanny to coordinate all activity registrations and maintain the term's activity calendar. The nanny records these as proposed recurring administrative responsibilities, identifies the approval decisions that would remain with the parents and requests a discussion of the revised role and pay before the new arrangement is settled.
The useful distinction is ownership. Carrying out an occasional instruction and managing an ongoing process may require different discussions, even when both are described casually as “helping with activities.”
Send a focused meeting request
Choose a calm work channel and give enough context for the employer to prepare. A lengthy argument by text can make it harder to identify the decision you need. Your initial message can simply name the change, explain why you want a discussion and suggest finding a suitable time.
Original adaptable message: “Could we set aside time to review my role and pay? Since we agreed my current responsibilities, [specific responsibility] has been added or proposed. It involves [brief practical change]. I would like to compare the updated role with our existing agreement and discuss compensation for that arrangement. I can bring a short summary so we can decide the scope, any pay change and when an agreed update would begin.”
Replace the bracketed material with facts. If you have a particular proposal, prepare it for the meeting and explain the scope it covers. Avoid using another nanny's private arrangement as proof that your employer must reach the same decision. Your request should stand on the role you are discussing.
Discuss scope alongside compensation
Bring your worksheet and start with the change that matters most. Check whether the employer sees the proposed duties the same way you do. A disagreement about the role cannot be resolved solely by discussing pay.
Use these original prompts to test the arrangement:
- Scope: “Which of these tasks do you want me to own regularly?”
- Priorities: “What should be reduced or reassigned if these responsibilities are added?”
- Authority: “Which decisions remain yours?”
- Proposal: “Can we discuss compensation for the role described here?”
- Timing: “When would an agreed change take effect?”
- Review: “When will we revisit whether the arrangement is working?”
You can discuss a narrower role as well as a revised compensation proposal. Be clear about which arrangement you are prepared to consider. Do not describe an option as agreed while either side is still evaluating it.
Follow up on the actual response
If the employer agrees in principle, ask for the specific duties, compensation and effective date to be confirmed in the written work arrangement. If a detail is missing, leave it marked open. Appreciation for your work is welcome, but it does not fill in an undecided term.
If the employer needs time, agree when the conversation will resume and clarify the interim duties. If the answer is no, ask whether the employer is declining the compensation proposal, changing the requested scope or declining both. That answer helps you assess the role realistically.
Use a short follow-up record: Discussed; agreed; still open; interim arrangement; next conversation. If an agency placed you, ask whether it offers support for an existing placement before expecting it to mediate. Share only the relevant employment facts through an appropriate channel. Do not assume the recruiter can decide terms for the employer.
Source and next step
The worksheet, example, prompts and message are original NAJ tools. Start by completing one before-and-now entry. If you cannot yet describe the requested change clearly, clarify the duties first; your pay-review conversation will then have a defined arrangement to address.