Why do parents not pay for childcare?

Question

I have a nanny job taking care of two disabled brothers and the parents both work. They are almost $2,000 behind in paying me. I want to quit, but feel bad because the boys really need someone that will treat them good. The oldest one is autistic and severe ADHD and the youngest cannot walk, or talk..they are still doing testing to find out what is wrong. I know they have a lot of medical debt, but I cannot afford to keep working for them. I am really torn as to what to do. My husband and I are having to borrow money to keep our power from being shut off. I know if I quit they will do the same thing to the next person. I found this job through craigslist. Should I post an ad on there saying they should not work for this couple because of payment problems? I hate to do this, but I would hate to have someone else get taken in by them.

I can't take them to court because th wages are not being reported. I have no proof that they owe me the money. I did post an annonymus message on craigslist to get a payment agreement in writing before working for someone, but didn't put in any contact info or info that would identify them in any way.

I left a message for them tonight saying that I had to have the money because if I didn't pay our power bill by Monday at 4:30 it would be shut off and still no phone call. They know our financial situation.

Answer 1

People have to live and you can't do it without money.
I would ask them if they are going to pay me or not and if they can't then i would quit. I would have quit the first week i did not get paid.

Answer 2

I have been through that before. Caregivers have it rough; we are often considered hired help or babysitters. Place an ad for more work opportunities. notify the couple that you demand payment and file a suit against them if they don't pay up. If it's $2,000.00 it might be a felony and having papers served may be a wake up call for them to pay up. I can appreciate your concern for the two brothers, I would also make every effort to be there for them, but you have bills and rent to pay just like they do. If you turn it over to collections or take legal action they will owe a lot more then what they owe you. Take action and take care of #1 - you. If you are not there who will be? It is important that you do take action soon and don't put it off. Start with a frank talk to the parents who owe you the money and take notes, then do what you can so your family and yourself are not burdened by the non payment. Hang in there and do the best you can.

Answer 3

Get your money first because if you say anything bad, you will never see it. Explain that you can't return to work until they pay you the money that they owe you. If they refuse to pay, you can try small claims court, but if the whole thing is verbal, its not going to be that easy.

In the end, you are better off to leave them behind and not say anything bad. After all, what would stop them from posting something on Craig's List that said not to hire you because you were a bad Nanny? Think twice before you put anything in writing about these people.

Good luck.

Answer 4

Not knowing the parents' financial status, I can only guess why they are not paying you. I can see that they might not pay you because their other bills seem more "pressing", and can get them pursued by those people who come around to collect overdue bills. You, on the other hand, sound like a caring person, and I bet you don't have any bill collectors to pursue any undue payments on your accounts, and they know it, so, if they can get by without paying you, or at least not in a timely fashion, they'll not pay you. I once loaned a "friend" a thousand dollars because he said he was going to have to file bankruptcy if he couldn't get some money to pay some of the bills. He knew very well that I had just come into some money, and so how was I going to say "no", to a "friend". That was five (5) years ago, and he's not made one iota of an effort to pay one cent of it back to me. I was eager to be helpful and make easy payments for him, as in "whenever he could". Now, five years later, I haven't seen one penny of it, and have lost any hope of ever seeing any of it. He doesn't even call me or e-mail me either, for at least the last two or three years. And I learned he was short of money to pay bills because he spent a lot of money on a model railroad set, that he kept adding on to. And now he's driving a very nice SUV, and his family is living well, but, where's my money I loaned him. You'll lose your money too if you don't act strong, as I failed to do. You don't have a "job". You're just CEO of your own charity, and this couple is loving it. Do something. Get your money. Quit. Or suffer. God Bless you.

Answer 5

None of us can answer this for you. But my two cents is this - while your sense of responsibility is admiral, you're not talking about the care of a relative - this is a job, just like selling perfume at Macy's. You work, they pay - that's the deal. It sounds to me like they've taken advantage of your dedication, knowing that you cannot report unpaid wages.

My suggestion would be to get as much money back from them as possible, and bail. You have to focus on your own needs, and know that the family will find good care for the children once you're gone (whether they screw them over also or not).

Answer 6

This is indeed a difficult situation for you. These parents are taking unfair advantage of you, and you feel obligated to take care of these unfortunate children. You need to have a talk with the parents and explain your circumstances to them. Perhaps they are unaware that falling behind in their payments to you is causing you financial difficulties. I wouldn't worry about the next person who goes to work for them. That's their problem. They will probably quit after one week of not being paid. My concern is for you and for these kids. If a heart-to-heart talk with the parents doesn't bring any change, then I think you should contact the Child Welfare and explain what's happening -- not to punish the parents, but to see that the children get proper care. However, you can't continue working for them for free. You've extended yourself far enough. You have a heart, and I admire you for that, but you have to look out for yourself also. Good luck, dear.

Answer 7

I would say look out for your self. Its too bad the children have to be affected through out this. I would first have a long talk with the parents and be straight up with them and let them know things financial are not good and that you need to look for another job or they seriously need to start paying you what is owed and if they dont pay then move on dont make your life miserable cause of it.

Answer 8

i say quit let them no that u can't work for free. that there nonpayment is putting u in financial debt. that u really love the kids but u have to go.. let them no that u would be taking them to small claims if u do not pay you the money owed to u.. and ask if u could still check in on the kids every so often because u have grown attached to the children

Answer 9

I think you should not keep working for them. They are obviously only doing this to you cause you are letting them so just tell them you have to move on. And I dont think you should post any comments about them on craigslist cause it probally wont matter anyways and i belive in Karma. But you should post a job availablity on there. The family should also look into state help if they cannot afford to pay for it thmeselves.

Answer 10

I would quit. I understand you feel badly for these children, but this is one of those times where you're going to have to look out for yourself. I would actually give the parents one last shot is paying me, then I would quit. I would go ahead and post something on craigslist simply saying that this couple has a hard time paying people.

Answer 11

if they arent making enough money then maybe they can qualify for daycare assistance. the state also may have some resources for disabled children.(look up some govt listings in the phonebook to see where to find community services/assistance like that) if you arent liscenced then you may not be able to get paid by them through the state if they do qualify, but you can quit and find another job without worrying about who will take care of the children. good luck!:)