Author Topic: Nanny wanted for Tech Professional  (Read 7606 times)

trailrated

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Nanny wanted for Tech Professional
« on: January 06, 2016, 11:19:09 AM »
I came across a posting from an individual seeking a Nanny, the salary would be $75,000/year.

This is where it gets wtf crazy. There are two children under the age of 10, and one dog. The posting requires that the nanny get along well with the 1) house manager 2) personal assistant and 3) THE OTHER NANNY.

My head exploded.

dandarc

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Re: Nanny wanted for Tech Professional
« Reply #1 on: January 06, 2016, 11:25:39 AM »
What's the point of having kids, if you're outsourcing the raising of them to the point you need 2 nanny's?

trailrated

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Re: Nanny wanted for Tech Professional
« Reply #2 on: January 06, 2016, 11:32:10 AM »
I am trying to think of what the House Manager does... Let the dog out every once in a while? Open the door when Comcast comes? Pay both the nannies on time?

mm1970

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Re: Nanny wanted for Tech Professional
« Reply #3 on: January 06, 2016, 12:00:28 PM »
Shoot, I'd take that job.  Wait, Bay Area?  I don't really want to live there.  Nevermind.

slugline

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Re: Nanny wanted for Tech Professional
« Reply #4 on: January 06, 2016, 12:17:38 PM »
Keep watching the listings and let us know if you see a posting for the third shift.

RFAAOATB

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Re: Nanny wanted for Tech Professional
« Reply #5 on: January 06, 2016, 12:21:08 PM »
I am trying to think of what the House Manager does... Let the dog out every once in a while? Open the door when Comcast comes? Pay both the nannies on time?

Isn't House Manager the modern term/role for the butler?

cloudsail

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Re: Nanny wanted for Tech Professional
« Reply #6 on: January 06, 2016, 02:33:58 PM »
If the Bay Area wasn't so crazy, I would think this posting is a joke.

okits

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Re: Nanny wanted for Tech Professional
« Reply #7 on: January 06, 2016, 06:09:46 PM »
I would guess the posting is intended to attract a college-educated, middle/upper-middle class raised, American-born (or other developed country) candidate who is accustomed to working for rich people (knowing their standards, lifestyle, common dysfunctions, need for security and discretion, etc.)  The employer is probably really, really rich.  The closest I've gotten to that slice of the population is talking to the people they employ.

Megma

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Re: Nanny wanted for Tech Professional
« Reply #8 on: January 06, 2016, 07:10:10 PM »
A former coworker of mine was the 2nd part time nanny for a DC power couple. The first nanny had the kids from 7 until about 330 when they were dropped off at various activities. My coworker picked them up at 430-5 and took care of them until about 630-7 when one of the parents got home to put them to bed.

So a full time day nanny and a part time evening nanny plus a bunch of activities...

MgoSam

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Re: Nanny wanted for Tech Professional
« Reply #9 on: January 06, 2016, 07:58:26 PM »
Is anyone else offended that the potential nanny doesn't need to get along well with the dog? Or am I the only one?

joleran

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Re: Nanny wanted for Tech Professional
« Reply #10 on: January 07, 2016, 08:45:06 AM »
I am trying to think of what the House Manager does... Let the dog out every once in a while? Open the door when Comcast comes? Pay both the nannies on time?

When you have to take care of a 15,000 square foot mansion, there's a million things to do just to keep the place up to par.  The house manager also does concierge/PA work, as well as seasonal decorating and organizing house parties.

Apples

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Re: Nanny wanted for Tech Professional
« Reply #11 on: January 07, 2016, 09:07:06 AM »
I am trying to think of what the House Manager does... Let the dog out every once in a while? Open the door when Comcast comes? Pay both the nannies on time?

When you have to take care of a 15,000 square foot mansion, there's a million things to do just to keep the place up to par.  The house manager also does concierge/PA work, as well as seasonal decorating and organizing house parties.

+1  A House Manager is the stay-at-home-wife for couples where both people work, and at least one has a very high profile job.  Someone needs to be there when the caterer arrives to set up for the gala fundraiser you're hosting in your home on Friday night, of course.  And that dinner party for the customer your company is trying to woo.  And when your home security system goes down try to fix it then contact the company and wait for them to arrive.  Etc. Etc.

Side note:  Has anyone ever read Tina Fey and Amy Poehler talk about how they have multiple nannies and other people in their lives that make their crazy schedules run smoothly with kids and stuff?  They always  make a joke that they basically hire out for a stay at home wife.

mamagoose

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Re: Nanny wanted for Tech Professional
« Reply #12 on: January 17, 2016, 06:21:56 PM »
I was just going to point out the SNL skit with Tina Fey and her two nannies. She is a BUSY woman!

chouchouu

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Re: Nanny wanted for Tech Professional
« Reply #13 on: January 24, 2016, 05:31:23 PM »
I worked as a nanny in Kensington, London and met many families with these situations. My sister worked for two weeks for a family and was the second nanny for their infant. Apparently the house manager took away my sisters house key because she had the gall to get up early one morning and go swimming in the ocean before she was supposed to start work.

serpentstooth

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Re: Nanny wanted for Tech Professional
« Reply #14 on: January 24, 2016, 05:40:46 PM »
I came across a posting from an individual seeking a Nanny, the salary would be $75,000/year.

This is where it gets wtf crazy. There are two children under the age of 10, and one dog. The posting requires that the nanny get along well with the 1) house manager 2) personal assistant and 3) THE OTHER NANNY.

My head exploded.

I would assume that, at a minimum, this is what Sheryl Sandberg had to keep that family ship afloat. She made a great many mentions of being home every night to have dinner for her kids, but no discussion of who (her late husband was a tech CEO) was buying the groceries, cleaning the house, supervising homework, waiting for the plumber, replacing the children's outgrown shoes, cooking meals, putting the kids on the bus, pounding math into the mathematically disinclined child's skull, reviewing the zillion school handouts, planning the vacations, coordinating the schedules of two very busy parents and (presumably) very busy children, mowing the lawn and doing the 17,000 other things involved in running a household and raising kids at that level. (Going out on a limb here, that family was probably fully invested in the Ivy League Preschool Parenting Model.) She conveniently omitted this while hectoring women who will never have her means to spend more time at the office making people like her wealthier to advance the noble cause of feminism

pbkmaine

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Re: Nanny wanted for Tech Professional
« Reply #15 on: January 24, 2016, 05:53:19 PM »
Katie Couric has always been honest about that. When asked how she did it, she always said: "I have people! Lots of people!"

serpentstooth

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Re: Nanny wanted for Tech Professional
« Reply #16 on: January 24, 2016, 05:54:49 PM »
I am trying to think of what the House Manager does... Let the dog out every once in a while? Open the door when Comcast comes? Pay both the nannies on time?

I used to work in very high-end home construction and interacted with Household Managers. A lot of people from my field move into that job, because they get to know a family through the building process, earn their trust, and get an offer as the home construction winds down. Basically, a Household Manager makes sure all the moving parts in the house are running. They find and preliminary interview all staff (nannies, tutors, landscapers, pool guy, the person who services your bowling lane, the personal chef, the driver taking the kids to school). They pay the normal household bills from the operating accounts (check the statement on the nanny's credit card and pay the bill, pay the electric, pay the plumbers). They ensure the household inventory is always there (is the boss' favorite drink always at hand in the fridge? Is there enough wine on hand for the dinner party next Friday, or should I call our wine guy?). They know enough to ensure that repairs are completed correctly and can solicit and select among bids for contractors. They are often capable of performing minor household repairs. They ensure the family vehicles are always full of gas, clean and in excellent working order with routine maintenance performed. They make sure the family's technology is always in good working order. When the boss's teenaged son is having a sleepover, the household manager makes sure all the video game systems are working, the pantry is fully stocked and there's sufficient clean and pressed bedding.

None of this is rocket science, but generally, the people you are dealing with have very demanding standards. We're all willing to tolerate a poorly draining tub until the weekend when we can get to it; they aren't. They have a big expensive household and lifestyle full of Expensive Fun Things and they want them all to work perfectly all the time. Often these people are not idle rich, but very busy executives or business owners who don't want to dick around fixing a slow computer; they just want it to work perfectly and immediately, so they can spend their scarce free time with their wife, kids and friends.

Household managers also dealing with houses that are much more complex to clean, repair, maintain than your average three bedroom ranch. We built a spec home that had, among other things, an ice cream parlor, a water slide, a full sized basketball gym, a bowling alley, two guest houses, two sleepover rooms. All the furniture was custom and much of the hardware, appliances and household equipment were imported from Europe and there were limited people available to fix it. It's actually a really interesting line of work to someone like me, and one I probably would have transitioned into, had I stayed in the industry.

trailrated

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Re: Nanny wanted for Tech Professional
« Reply #17 on: January 24, 2016, 05:59:24 PM »

I am trying to think of what the House Manager does... Let the dog out every once in a while? Open the door when Comcast comes? Pay both the nannies on time?

I used to work in very high-end home construction and interacted with Household Managers. A lot of people from my field move into that job, because they get to know a family through the building process, earn their trust, and get an offer as the home construction winds down. Basically, a Household Manager makes sure all the moving parts in the house are running. They find and preliminary interview all staff (nannies, tutors, landscapers, pool guy, the person who services your bowling lane, the personal chef, the driver taking the kids to school). They pay the normal household bills from the operating accounts (check the statement on the nanny's credit card and pay the bill, pay the electric, pay the plumbers). They ensure the household inventory is always there (is the boss' favorite drink always at hand in the fridge? Is there enough wine on hand for the dinner party next Friday, or should I call our wine guy?). They know enough to ensure that repairs are completed correctly and can solicit and select among bids for contractors. They are often capable of performing minor household repairs. They ensure the family vehicles are always full of gas, clean and in excellent working order with routine maintenance performed. They make sure the family's technology is always in good working order. When the boss's teenaged son is having a sleepover, the household manager makes sure all the video game systems are working, the pantry is fully stocked and there's sufficient clean and pressed bedding.

None of this is rocket science, but generally, the people you are dealing with have very demanding standards. We're all willing to tolerate a poorly draining tub until the weekend when we can get to it; they aren't. They have a big expensive household and lifestyle full of Expensive Fun Things and they want them all to work perfectly all the time. Often these people are not idle rich, but very busy executives or business owners who don't want to dick around fixing a slow computer; they just want it to work perfectly and immediately, so they can spend their scarce free time with their wife, kids and friends.

Household managers also dealing with houses that are much more complex to clean, repair, maintain than your average three bedroom ranch. We built a spec home that had, among other things, an ice cream parlor, a water slide, a full sized basketball gym, a bowling alley, two guest houses, two sleepover rooms. All the furniture was custom and much of the hardware, appliances and household equipment were imported from Europe and there were limited people available to fix it. It's actually a really interesting line of work to someone like me, and one I probably would have transitioned into, had I stayed in the industry.
Eye opening post, I stand corrected. Thanks for the info.

serpentstooth

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Re: Nanny wanted for Tech Professional
« Reply #18 on: January 24, 2016, 06:07:03 PM »

I am trying to think of what the House Manager does... Let the dog out every once in a while? Open the door when Comcast comes? Pay both the nannies on time?

I used to work in very high-end home construction and interacted with Household Managers. A lot of people from my field move into that job, because they get to know a family through the building process, earn their trust, and get an offer as the home construction winds down. Basically, a Household Manager makes sure all the moving parts in the house are running. They find and preliminary interview all staff (nannies, tutors, landscapers, pool guy, the person who services your bowling lane, the personal chef, the driver taking the kids to school). They pay the normal household bills from the operating accounts (check the statement on the nanny's credit card and pay the bill, pay the electric, pay the plumbers). They ensure the household inventory is always there (is the boss' favorite drink always at hand in the fridge? Is there enough wine on hand for the dinner party next Friday, or should I call our wine guy?). They know enough to ensure that repairs are completed correctly and can solicit and select among bids for contractors. They are often capable of performing minor household repairs. They ensure the family vehicles are always full of gas, clean and in excellent working order with routine maintenance performed. They make sure the family's technology is always in good working order. When the boss's teenaged son is having a sleepover, the household manager makes sure all the video game systems are working, the pantry is fully stocked and there's sufficient clean and pressed bedding.

None of this is rocket science, but generally, the people you are dealing with have very demanding standards. We're all willing to tolerate a poorly draining tub until the weekend when we can get to it; they aren't. They have a big expensive household and lifestyle full of Expensive Fun Things and they want them all to work perfectly all the time. Often these people are not idle rich, but very busy executives or business owners who don't want to dick around fixing a slow computer; they just want it to work perfectly and immediately, so they can spend their scarce free time with their wife, kids and friends.

Household managers also dealing with houses that are much more complex to clean, repair, maintain than your average three bedroom ranch. We built a spec home that had, among other things, an ice cream parlor, a water slide, a full sized basketball gym, a bowling alley, two guest houses, two sleepover rooms. All the furniture was custom and much of the hardware, appliances and household equipment were imported from Europe and there were limited people available to fix it. It's actually a really interesting line of work to someone like me, and one I probably would have transitioned into, had I stayed in the industry.
Eye opening post, I stand corrected. Thanks for the info.

Oh, yeah, that's the other thing the household manager does. They keep all the service people who keep a household ship afloat happy. When the Blue Star range breaks, they mollify the pissy cook (smart rich people let the chef design the kitchen and pick the appliances; otherwise the kitchen can be an expensive disaster to cook in), arrange alternative meals for the entire household (which can include live-ins) until such a time as the stove can be repaired, and they call the one guy in three counties who can fix the damn things, and because they've always been really nice and good to him at Christmas, he puts you ahead of the OTHER rich people with broken stoves to fix yours FIRST. Multiply that by every stupid thing in the house that can break. Do you have any idea how few qualified people there are to repair a residential water slide in New England? Very few. It's a good idea to make sure they like you.

SeanMC

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Re: Nanny wanted for Tech Professional
« Reply #19 on: January 24, 2016, 06:16:12 PM »
In a recent interview with NPR, Shonda Rhimes explained how terrible it is for celebrities/rich people to pretend they don't have help, because it makes people who really do have to do it all think they are doing a bad job or sets impossible standards.

You can listen to it here:
http://www.npr.org/2015/11/09/455340952/for-one-year-shonda-rhimes-said-yes-to-all-the-things-that-scared-her

(her point isn't summarized in the highlights listed below the audio)

onlykelsey

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Re: Nanny wanted for Tech Professional
« Reply #20 on: January 25, 2016, 02:57:12 PM »
Quote
I've always been curious, but do the other live-ins get meals cooked to the same standard as the family, or are they better than most, but not as good as the families?

In my limited experience with the mega-wealthy (friends in Connecticut with 5+ live in staff with no children, plus other help/staff), the live-ins get the same food as the family (with obvious exceptions of hosting events inhouse, etc.

serpentstooth

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Re: Nanny wanted for Tech Professional
« Reply #21 on: January 25, 2016, 02:58:20 PM »
They have a big expensive household and lifestyle full of Expensive Fun Things and they want them all to work perfectly all the time. Often these people are not idle rich, but very busy executives or business owners who don't want to dick around fixing a slow computer; they just want it to work perfectly and immediately, so they can spend their scarce free time with their wife, kids and friends.
Incidentally I think this is something that all of us can understand on one level or another. A while back I transitioned from a Windows computer I built myself or an iMac at home in part because I didn't want to screw around with fixing the computer any more. Part of what you are paying for with an Apple and OSX is the limited number of hardware platforms - makes it much easier to develop a stable operating system (most of Window's stability issues are due to drivers).

Quote
Oh, yeah, that's the other thing the household manager does. They keep all the service people who keep a household ship afloat happy. When the Blue Star range breaks, they mollify the pissy cook (smart rich people let the chef design the kitchen and pick the appliances; otherwise the kitchen can be an expensive disaster to cook in), arrange alternative meals for the entire household (which can include live-ins) until such a time as the stove can be repaired...
I've always been curious, but do the other live-ins get meals cooked to the same standard as the family, or are they better than most, but not as good as the families?

Depends. Nannies usually eat what or where the children eat when they're caring for them. Higher level staff may have their own apartment/kitchenette and prepare a lot of their own meals. Often the cleaners and landscape/maintenance staff will be from the same country, if not family, so one will prepare meals for all of them at once in the kitchen as part of their job. Generally they'll have a household member with a credit card for making those kind of purchases and as long as nobody goes nuts, it's fine. People who have only a single live in nanny generally either purchase food she likes or allow her to use the petty cash or credit card they provide for that purpose.

dragoncar

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Re: Nanny wanted for Tech Professional
« Reply #22 on: January 25, 2016, 03:02:43 PM »
They have a big expensive household and lifestyle full of Expensive Fun Things and they want them all to work perfectly all the time. Often these people are not idle rich, but very busy executives or business owners who don't want to dick around fixing a slow computer; they just want it to work perfectly and immediately, so they can spend their scarce free time with their wife, kids and friends.
Incidentally I think this is something that all of us can understand on one level or another. A while back I transitioned from a Windows computer I built myself or an iMac at home in part because I didn't want to screw around with fixing the computer any more. Part of what you are paying for with an Apple and OSX is the limited number of hardware platforms - makes it much easier to develop a stable operating system (most of Window's stability issues are due to drivers).

Quote
Oh, yeah, that's the other thing the household manager does. They keep all the service people who keep a household ship afloat happy. When the Blue Star range breaks, they mollify the pissy cook (smart rich people let the chef design the kitchen and pick the appliances; otherwise the kitchen can be an expensive disaster to cook in), arrange alternative meals for the entire household (which can include live-ins) until such a time as the stove can be repaired...
I've always been curious, but do the other live-ins get meals cooked to the same standard as the family, or are they better than most, but not as good as the families?

I'd have to guess its equivalent to "family dinner" at restaurants - high quality food but lower cost ingredients (not everyone is eating the lobster, but risotto doesn't have to cost much)

Reynold

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Re: Nanny wanted for Tech Professional
« Reply #23 on: January 26, 2016, 01:07:54 PM »
I knew someone who did pool cleaning for a summer in Greenwich, CT (higher per capita income than Beverly Hills, CA).  Mostly who he met were the House Manager type people, not the owners.  One pool had an Egyptian theme, with statues of Isis, etc. 

Another part of what they do is maintain privacy.  In many cases, such as some of the celebrities mentioned here, the celebrities can't be wandering around grocery shopping without getting mobbed.  They don't even have the house registered in their name, as they don't want crazed stalkers.  Thus the House Manager and others arrange for services, go shopping, etc. without it being able to be associated with the owner(s). 

And high end standards are not trivial to cater to.  I read an article about a guy whose job was staying at high end hotels to test out how good they were.  One thing he would do is bring a burned out light bulb, and put it into a desk lamp, for example, to see if the staff would realize it during the cleaning process and change it out.  Failure meant a downgrade to the hotel rating.  I read that in the process of building Bill Gates house, he had a mature tree moved one foot over to build the driveway.  He also had all the outlets in his house covered with hidden panels, as he thought they were unattractive.  As Serpentstooth says, people to do those kinds of things aren't a dime a dozen. :)

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: Nanny wanted for Tech Professional
« Reply #24 on: January 26, 2016, 01:15:27 PM »
Oh, yeah, that's the other thing the household manager does. They keep all the service people who keep a household ship afloat happy. When the Blue Star range breaks, they mollify the pissy cook (smart rich people let the chef design the kitchen and pick the appliances; otherwise the kitchen can be an expensive disaster to cook in), arrange alternative meals for the entire household (which can include live-ins) until such a time as the stove can be repaired...
I've always been curious, but do the other live-ins get meals cooked to the same standard as the family, or are they better than most, but not as good as the families?
[/quote]

I think it was a bit in I, Claudius where a fantastically wealthy household had some hired entertainment that they were very pleased with. The man of the house told his butler-type-person to make sure that the entertainment was very well fed.

"They shall eat better than the kitchen staff," butler proclaims.

And the man of the house said something like, "Well, let's not get carried away. Better than US will be quite sufficient."