What are the benefits of registering with Rockmybaby® if you are a nanny?

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  • We prescreen families to ensure we find the right match for you
  • We help you find families that match your needs and requirements
  • We provided advice on interview techniques, CV compilation etc
  • Guidance is provided to both you and the family, in regards to Swiss legal employment obligations, job description, market salaries etc
  • We give support with employment contract and salary negotiations, to ensure you receive a fair / legal wage and employment contract
  • Support provided to you before and after your placement with a family should you have any questions or if any issues arise
  • Rockmybaby is a Partner with the Swiss Nanny Association and other Training Institutions to keep you up to date with the latest trends and trainings
  • Should your contract come to an end with a family, we will assist with placing you in a new position where possible

    We are here to support you and help you find the right family, to ensure a long and happy relationship, for all parties involved. If you would like to work with us – please send your CV to info@rockmybaby.ch  www.rockmybaby.ch 

LOTS OF NEW NANNY AND AUPAIR JOBS AVAILABLE!

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ROCKMYBABY SWITZERLAND are URGENTLY recruiting for jobs in Zurich, Zug, Vaud, Ticino and Geneva areas for LIVE-IN, LIVE-OUT NANNIES and AUPAIRS (candidates must be from EU or have a swiss permit or passport) – if you are interested in any of our roles, please apply online www.rockmybaby.ch – please pass on to anyone you know may be looking for such roles as well. Many thanks!

child to prepare for the trip

Difference between a Babysitter, Aupair & Nanny in Switzerland

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Many clients have questions regarding the differences between a Nanny, Aupair and Babysitter. We have outlined the main differences below, which may enable you to better understand your needs and requirements. To discuss your childcare needs, please don’t hesitate to contact Rockmybaby® on info@rockmybaby.ch

Babysitter

 

A babysitter is someone who takes care of your child / children for a few hours on an ad hoc basis i.e. when you are going out for dinner or need to attend an appointment etc.

The main role of a babysitter is to care for your children in your absence, making them feel safe and secure and ensuring all their needs are met. In Switzerland, babysitters generally range from the age of 13 upwards, are paid hourly and hold a first aid certificate. All Rockmybaby® babysitter’s are aged from 18 years onwards.

Cost

Depending on age of babysitter anything from 10CHF/15CHF per hour for a teenage babysitter to 20CHF-30CHF per hour for a more experienced babysitter

Working hours

Flexible, ad hoc hours

Aupair 

An au pair is normally a young foreign person who comes to a host country for a cultural experience, to live with the family on a 1 year work permit. They are normally between the ages of 19 and 30. The childcare experience of the Aupair is generally limited.

Cost

The monthly cost of an Aupair to a family is between 1700CHF-2000CHF per month including the Aupair’s allowance of approximately 700-800CHF per month, language school, health and accident insurance, taxes, social contributions and pension (an extra person at the dinner table is also an additional cost)

Working hours

An Aupair works a maximum of 30 hours per week distributed over 6 days per week. Of which only 50% can be unsupervised without a parent.

Nannies

Nannies usually have a childcare education, have experience caring for children and can provide childcare related references. They are employed by the family and their focus is on the care and development of the children. Nannies vary in age and experience and can either be live-in or live-out. A nanny takes care of all child-related duties.

Cost

The salary of a nanny varies between 3500CHF – 5000CHF gross on average for a full-time nanny depending on experience and qualifications. Nannies can be employed on either a full-time or part-time basis and as a live-in or live-out employee.

Working hours

A nanny can work up to a maximum of 50 hours per week, of which all can be independently i.e. no parental supervision restrictions apply.

Nanny / Housekeepers

Nanny / Housekeepers are often requested through our agency who focus on childcare and housekeeping duties (housekeeping that is carried out whilst the children are either at school or in care of a parent for example). This has become a popular choice for parents with older children where the children are at school in the morning and come home in the afternoons. Salaries and working hours similar to Nannies.

For your Nanny, Aupair, Nanny / Housekeeper or Babysitter needs, please contact Rockmybaby on info@rockmybaby.ch and www.rockmybaby.ch

 

General Guidelines for Employing an EU Au Pair in Switzerland (varies per canton)

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Many clients approach us to ask what are the requirements for hiring EU Aupairs in Switzerland. We have put together below a general overview of the guidelines for hiring EU Aupairs in Switzerland , however this varies from canton to canton (please contact Rockmybaby for further information) –

  • The host family must have a different mother tongue language from the Au Pair
  • Depending on canton, the host family should generally speak the local language to a good level
  • An Au Pair can be employed for up to 2 years. This is the maximum an Au Pair can work in Switzerland as an Au Pair
  • The age range of Au pairs is between 17 and 30 years’ old
  • The host family must complete a contract with the Au Pair. This will be required to secure the L permit required for working in Switzerland.
  • The Au Pair must attend language lessons for minimum 120 hours per year – this is compulsory requirement and the host family are required to pay for this.
  • Maximum working hours is 30 per week in general (however can vary slightly from canton to canton) and the working regulations must be adhered by for each individual Canton with regards to Au Pairs.
  • The Au Pair must have at least one day off a week and at least 1-2 Sundays off a month
  • The host family must insure the au pair with health insurance and pay at least half the costs
  • The Au Pair must not work more than 50% of these hours independently (i.e. a parent has to be present for 50% of working hours)
  • The Au Pair’s job should be simple in nature – no heavy cleaning or complex tasks
  • The Au Pair must have their own bedroom in the home of the host family
  • The host family must have a B or C permit or Swiss Nationality (varies per canton)

Please note Rockmybaby does not assist with the recruitment of non-EU Aupairs.

For your Aupair needs, contact us today – charmian@rockmybaby.ch

What are fair wages for a nanny in Switzerland?

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Great Blog post by our Nanny / Household Staff Payroll Partner quitt.ch

Found the right nanny for you in home childcare perfectly matching your requirements and your children needs? Well done! Time to employ and insure your new nanny correctly. As part of this employing process most parents see themselves faced with the question of what a fair wage for the nanny would be. These are our recommendations!

Nanny wage recommendations

Our wage recommendations for nannies are indicated as gross wages. It is import to be aware of the fact that the gross wage is the total remuneration of work carried out before the social security contributions and tax. All of our wage recommendations are based on a full time position with an employment rate of 100% and a working week of 42 hours.

At least CHF 3’450 to 3’800 without vocational training
At least CHF 3’800 to 4’800 with proven professional skills and experience
These values are based on the one hand on the handbook “Alternatives to the day-care centres” of the city of Zurich (available in German only) and on the other hand on the graph below showing the distribution of monthly gross wages of nannies employed via quitt.ch. By paying close attention to the graph you will see that the vast majority of the gross wages of nannys employed via quitt.ch are part of the wage gap indicated above.

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Determing wages for a nanny: What else to consider

Many parents in Switzerland decide to hire nannies since they can look after the children “around the clock” outside the usual opening times of day care centers. Many nannies are so called live-in-nannys living with family of the children to be supervised. Lodging and boarding are provided by the family.

These out-of pocket expenses are called wages in kind which are part of the total wages for nanny, and therefore have to be accounted for accordingly. In Switzerland, the total amount of wages in kind is CHF 990. So for example if the monthly gross salary of a nanny is CHF 2800, the wages of kind of CHF 990 will be added to gross salary. So the entire monthly gross salary of the nanny will be CHF 3790. The AHV and social insurance contributions as well as the taxes will be deducted from the total amount of CHF 3790.

By using our free wage calculator you can calculate the monthly wages for your nanny including the automatic deduction of all social contributions and the cost for the compulsory accident insurance.

Nannies and occupational plans

Most nannies are employed on a monthly basis due to the high number of working hours per week. As soon as their monthly wages exceed CHF 1762.50 per month or CHF 21’150.00 per year they have to be registered with a pension fund (Second Pillar of the Swiss occupation plans).

By the way, nannies directly accommodated by families in Switzerland are generally preferred over nannies having to provide for their own accommodation and boarding!

quitt.ch offers all services needed when it comes to employing, registering and insuring your nanny in accordance with all legal requirements. quitt.ch handles all administrative employer obligations, offers a favorable pension fund solution and provides all important documents such as the monthly pay statements and a professional employment contract. Further information about the employment of a nanny can be found here.

Guidelines for Effective Nanny-Employer Relationship

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Nanny / Employer Communication is critical to ensure the longevity and happiness of the working relationship. Conflict, resentment and frustration can build up if communication lines are not kept open and issues are not dealt with effectively. Without communication between the two parties, the relationship will fail.

When a new nanny starts with a new family it can take time for both the nanny and the family to get used to each other’s ways of doing things. The settling in period takes some time for both parties, and compromise may be necessary on both sides.

Here are some important guidelines for communication with your nanny to get your relationship off to a good start –

  • Schedule morning and evening debriefing routines.
  • Ask your nanny to maintain a daily diary / log of main activities and happenings – Rockmybaby® has a nanny diary you can purchase which will allow you to keep track of the child’s / children’s day – contact tanya@rockmybaby.ch to order one.
  • Have a daily check-in time via phone or email / whatsapp.
  • Hold a weekly or monthly meeting in a quiet area with no interruptions.
  • On the agenda for these weekly meetings should be children, job tasks, expectations etc – both parties should be open and share their feelings and opinions in a diplomatic way. Both parties should feel comfortable and respected in sharing their feedback with each other. Be as honest and open as you can focusing on positives and areas of improvement in a diplomatic way.
  • It is best to always be open and direct in your communication and don’t expect your nanny to read between the lines.
  • Be supportive and empathetic when discussing more sensitive topics with your nanny like areas of development. Remain calm and do not show anger or be disrespectful in any way. Always keep communication professional.
  • Communicating around serious issues should be dealt with effectively and in a timely matter, so as not to let resentment and frustration build up.
  • Be an active and good listener.
  • Communicate how grateful you are for your nanny and her work and once in a while give her an unexpected bonus, time off or small gift to show your appreciation.
  • Praise her for the work well done – saying something kind or highlighting what she does well will go a long way to building a positive relationship
  • Be prepared to compromise on less important areas and be open to the nanny’s suggestions and ideas.

Remember that you have an employee-employer relationship with your nanny.

As much as your nanny might feel like part of the family, this is an employer / employee relationship at the end of the day. Always make sure your expectations are clear from the outset to make sure there are no misunderstandings, and have respect for her time off, the contract and duties.

The most successful nanny/employer relationships are where there is a mutual respect between both parties. The nanny / employer is unlike any other employer/employee relationship as she becomes part of your family. It is important for nannies to feel valued and for you to feel heard, hence ongoing communication is critical. With the right amount of attention and care, you can nurture your relationship to be one of the most important ones you will have for your family.

For you nanny recruitment needs, please contact Tanya at tanya@rockmybaby.ch – www.rockmybaby.ch

 

 

Benefits of a Live-in Nanny

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Have you been thinking of whether a live-in or live-out nanny is better suited to your family? Here are some benefits of a Live-in Nanny which may help you in your decision.

  • Are you in need of a flexible nanny? If you need to travel frequently for work, have irregular working hours, have a busy social life etc, you may want a more flexible nanny than when you have quite predictable working hours.
  • Do you want mornings to be less stressful? A live-in nanny is already in your home, so there is no waiting around in the morning until the nanny arrives.
  • Is cost a factor for you? Live-in nannies receive room and board as part of their compensation package, hence can cost less than live-out nannies.

Whatever you decide, live-in or live-out, be sure to decide for a person that fits in with your family and needs.

Contact us on info@rockmybaby.ch for your nanny needs – http://www.rockmybaby.ch