1. Get What You Pay For - When a nanny isn’t paid for her services, chances are, she won’t be that great a nanny. Gaining experience is one thing, however, putting time and effort into a situation and receiving no benefits is another. Eventually, not receiving pay will cause the nanny to become upset with the situation and her job performance will suffer.
2. Respect - While providing room and board to live-in nannies can be considered a form of payment, providing monetary compensation is also required. Monetary compensation shows the nanny that she is appreciated and you respect her work.
3. Hard Work - Nannies work hard. Many nannies are on the job more than 40 hours a week. Regardless of how long a nanny works, she needs compensation. Monetary compensation helps keep a nanny motivated to continue on with the job.
4. Employment - The nanny is an employee. As an employee, she is entitled to receive a paycheck. If the nanny is hired to work for free, this is considered being a household servant.
5. Laws - Nannies are domestic employees. Laws protect domestic employees in order to ensure that they receive the pay they deserve. Not abiding by the law can cause more difficulty than striking up a contract and paying the nanny.
6. Experience - Many nannies have extensive experience working with children. Many nannies also have degrees in childhood development, psychology and more. With this type of experience, a nanny should be paid for her time. Typically, an experienced nanny will not work for free.
7. Focus on Family - When a nanny is paid for her time, that means she does not have to pick up another job. Instead, she can fully focus on her employer’s family without worrying about how to pay her bills.
8. Likely to Stay - A paid, happy employee is more likely to stay over free help. Like with any job, the more invested and satisfied you are in the job, the more likely it is that you will stay. Free help rarely lasts. After awhile, free help will simply go elsewhere to a place that actually pays.
9. Tension - A household situation can become tense when one person on the help staff is not happy. If you do not pay your nanny but pay other household staff, the tension can become even worse. While a nanny may have initially agreed to no monetary exchange, that does not mean she will be happy in that situation for long.
10. Resentment - Free help will only work for so long before the situation turns. Although an initial agreement may have been reached on terms of monetary exchange, that does not mean your nanny will always be happy with the situation. Eventually, the nanny could grow to resent the family and simply stop doing the job or begin neglecting the children.

Free help is exactly what it is-free. Ensuring that a nanny gets something in return for her help and experience will not only keep her happy but potentially keep her around much longer. A free nanny is a situation that is too good to be true and will not last.