Im due to start full time around June-ish and was considering having a cleaner in, someone to iron (and maybe wash) and then theres a childminder .... which got me thinking, maybe a nanny/mothers help might be easier and more financially viable.

I would be looking for someone to do the morning school run (1 child aged 8) and collecting from school at 3.15 and minding until i get home about 5ish, there would be some housework to do (tidying, washing and ironing)

how much would i be expecting to pay per week for such a service?

You'd probably be better served asking this in the Parents' Group, as they'll be better fixed to know about this sort of thing.

good thinking .............. how do i switch sections?

good thinking .............. how do i switch sections?

Magic mod fairy

Whenever Mrs Tricky moans about the mountain of housework, I offer to get in a Swedish au pair (http://www.greataupair.com/fastfind.cfm/locatorID/786756/page/2/pagelist/1/searchType/Advanced/aupairShortStay/1/aupairStartDate/0/countryList/220/pref/0/nationalityReq/1/displayRows/5) to help her out. For some reason she's never taken me up on the offer.

>>>>>>>> glances round house at laundry, ironing, pots and dirty floors... hmmm, a Swedish aupair...:suspect:

I still dont know what a fair wage would be

Someone will answer you sometime soon, in fact you might even get offers for the position, we've had a few in the past :)
Hang on a little while, I'd guess you'll get at least 5 answers and 2 of those would be offers :)

forgot to mention .......... this is NOT a live in position

Have you thought of the Jobs section? If you mentioned it there you might get a few replies. I noticed one from someone else wanting home and child help :)

Have you thought of the Jobs section? If you mentioned it there you might get a few replies. I noticed one from someone else wanting home and child help :)

the job wouldnt start until june/july and right now, im undecided whether to continue with a childminder and employ a cleaner too, or get a nanny. I really need to know the fnancial implications before i make the decision, so right now, there isnt a job to advertise.

apart from the school runs and after school childminding, the hours would be very flexable

It's probably cheaper to continue with a childminder and then get a cleaner. Nanny's would expect to earn around £150 (if you were very lucky!) to £250 per week, after tax. That is all dependent on the age of your children and how many hours you want them for.

You may get an idea of costs from here: http://www.clickajob.co.uk/cgi-bin/user.cgi?module=vacancy_search&save_search=1&task=search_results&sort=&period=&vacancy_type=&keywords=Nanny&postcode=Sheffield&min_salary=0&max_salary=99999999

An aupair is less expensive than a nanny though.

If you do decide you want a nanny I know an excellent one. I could find out if she was free to work.

A nanny would only clean and wash the childrens things though, not the whole families.