Parents outraged nanny won’t accept 'insultingly low' rate

“You want me to pay you to just sit there and watch tv? One day, you'll be a mother and will understand!”

Whether you haven’t been able to get your child into daycare or decided you wanted care closer to home, a nanny is the perfect solution.

So, you’ve decided to hire a nanny; now it’s time to find one who is reliable and trustworthy—a piece of cake, right?

Well,  the nanny has to want to work with your family, too!

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Be realistic

Sophia Pagliuca, a seasoned professional nanny, has had her fair share of perplexing encounters with entitled parents with some of the messages she's received are simply jaw-dropping.

From shockingly low-wage offers to bizarre comments about household items, it seems some parents fail to recognise the value of a full-time nanny despite entrusting their children to her care.

In a recent video that went viral, Sophia shared screenshots of these messages.

“What's ur rate?? Need help with 4 kids like 60 hours a week — but some weeks will be like 10-15 hours. We've had trouble finding people who don't want to be paid 60 hours even if we don't work that…. Imk,” asked one parent.

Sophia joked and added text overlay, saying,  “I wonder why they had trouble…”

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Can you work 12 hours a day for $3 p/h?

Another parent added a ridiculous message that has us cringing.

“Heyyyy! Sliding up from your recent FB post, what's ur rate? We have like $150-$200/week budgeted and we'd prefer to not have other kids there or combine like a nanny share or something. Oh also we need M-F, 7-6 or 7-7, whatever u can do. Also, just to be transparent, I call off a lot so we won't need you sometimes but we don't do guaranteed hours if that's something ur looking for.”

That works out at roughly $3 an hour!

Sophia took this opportunity to offer some advice to parents telling them full-time nannies need “guaranteed hours,” or it’s a “goodbye.”

“Also I'm so sorry but the ‘ur’ and ‘u is such a red flag to me. Type words,” she added.

RELATED: Dad-of-three records wife’s abuse with nanny camera

Some of the texts Sophia has received. Source: Tiktok

Do you take cash?

Other parents pushed Sophia to be paid “under the table” to avoid having to pay taxes, which would impact her insurance and paid time off entitlements.

And some parents even attempted to take advantage of the full-time nanny, feigning confusion or seeking clarification on her wages and additional charges such as overnight stays or transportation. 

Fortunately, Sophia has protective contracts in place to safeguard against such scams.

“You’re just going to watch TV”

In another instance, a parent attempted to shame Sophia by suggesting she couldn't understand because she wasn't a mother herself.

“One day, you'll be a mother and will understand this rate is crazy. While my kid will be sleeping the majority of the time you want me to pay you to just sit there and watch tv?? And also, yeah, my old sitter did only charge $7.25/hr... that's almost $100 to sit there. Good luck to you lol,” said the mum.

Just when we thought that was hit, the good times just kept on rolling.

Next up was one parent who expected Mary Poppins without the bill: “Hi Sophia ... Needing an experienced nanny to do childcare, laundry, carpooling, and other tasks as needed. Our top qualities are self-motivation (finding things to get done when done with all assigned duties), firmness, and discipline. A friend down the street sent us your resume,” the parent wrote.

“I saw your rates on page 2 but wondering if we can use the ‘nanny’ rate but just add a few things from under the ‘household manager’ tab for the same rate. Our last nanny had a little less experience but we paid her $18/hr under the table BUT we gave her $100 a month for gas etc which is basically $20/hr. I know that's still below your rate so just let us know if that works,” they added,

"We also have extensive connections in the area ... we have many real estate and brokerage contacts which is a very great perk we offered our last nanny. Thanks for your promptness in response.”

RELATED: Byron Bay mum defends hiring a ‘hot’ nanny

Sophia is sticking to her guns when it comes to setting and keeping her boundaries. Source: Instagram

“You have no clue”

Pagliuca made a follow-up video to explain that a nanny's duties might extend to laundry, house cleaning, or meal preparation.

However, some parents argue that the nanny isn’t busy half the time since the children are either sleeping or at school.

While some TikTok users empathized with Sophia's perspective, others were less supportive of her boundaries.

“Nanny acting like she should be paid CEO salary and treated like a queen. You have no f**king clue how hard it is for people with kids to make ends meet,” one commented.

Another added, “I have never had a nanny but I am confused why you think you should make 28/hour? A bit ridiculous in most areas.”

A nanny isn’t always the cheaper option when it comes to caring for your kids, but as the old saying goes, ‘you get what you pay for,’ and we wish the parent offering an hourly rate of $3 the best of luck!

Originally published as Parents outraged nanny won’t accept 'insultingly low' rate