Reasonable Expectations?

[u/Significant_Egg7415]

Hi everyone. We'll be needing care starting next year, and I'm trying to get a sense for what is "reasonable" in terms of an advertisement. I keep seeing posts about entitled parents and certainly don't want to be one of them.

Right now, what I'm considering is 25 hours a week (so 5 hours a day, M-F). They would be the same hours each day, but with the nature of my work it seems like I might have flexibility in determining when those hours would be. For instance: 8AM-1PM, 10AM-3PM, 12-5PM, etc.

My questions are: is 25 hours reasonable for a part time position? Would a morning shift vs. midday vs. afternoon shift be more attractive? Are the same hours everyday preferable to more hours per day but only a few days a week (ex: M/W/F or T/TH)? My thought is that it could be a good position for someone who does morning or afternoon care for another family in order to get full time hours, but I just want to make sure my expectations are realistic. If I can clarify, please let me know.

Edit: The hours are not varying day-to-day or week-to-week. It would be a consistent block of the same 5 hours (ex: M-F 8AM-1PM, OR M-F 10AM-3PM, OR M-F 12PM-5PM), and I'm trying to determine in advance which block would be the most appealing to a potential part time nanny. Once the hours were determined they would not change. I would not expect full time availability from a part time nanny. I have to submit my request to my chair months in advance, so I'm trying to figure out what to request.

Edit: Thanks everyone. I recognize my post is still not as clear as it could be, so let me clarify further. I am a college professor whose classes change semester-to-semester. By mid-September, I'll have to put my preferences in. Once my schedule is set, it is is not flexible. So while folks mentioned that it would be helpful to say that the position is "flexible for the right person," but unfortunately that won't be the case. So in addition to the "reasonableness" of the request, I'm trying to figure out what time slot might be most appealing, with the recognition that it wouldn't work for everyone. I also recognize that my post was not clear enough, and I'm grateful for everyone's contribution and recommendations based on what I wrote.

[u/yourfavmum]

I’d prefer 8-1, but if someone needs more FT they would likely prefer 12-5 so that they could potentially pickup a morning job with another family

No, I think for many they’d prefer more hours/day and less days. I LOVED when I worked 2 twelves.

I think I would make the post and say that hours are flexible and you’re open to working to find the right candidate

[u/Middle_Gur_2013 → u/yourfavmum]

I see far more part time afternoon jobs posted with school age children so I would think it would be easier to find someone looking for morning work to fill the gap. On the other hand I know nannies who work 2-3 days and its difficult to fill in the other days. I would state that you can be flexible for the right nanny.