William Cash reveals that he and his wife were labeled “slave drivers” after advertising a babysitter
William Cash reveals he and wife Lady Laura Cathcart were labeled ‘slave drivers’ after advertising a babysitter at £12 an hour for their two children
William Cash and his wife Lady Laura Cathcart were accused of being ‘slave drivers’ after they advertised for a nanny, he has revealed.
Mr Cash and Laura needed someone to look after their two children aged six and eight during the school holidays, he explained in the Telegraph.
They offered £12 an hour for the role, from their Shropshire home, Upton Cressett Hall, and posted the advert online.
But according to Mr. Cash, the comments were quickly flooded with abuse.
He claims that he and his wife were labeled “Big House Owners” looking for a “dogsbody” – with some people suggesting that he and Laura take on the extra childcare hours themselves.
Cash also claims a Facebook user responded to remind him and his wife that slavery was abolished in 1883.
William Cash, 56, and his wife Lady Laura Cathcart, 39, advertised for a part-time nanny to look after their school-age children during the summer holidays
The society writer, 56, revealed that he and Laura, 39, had advertised the feature from July 5, when their two children – eight-year-old Cosima and six-year-old Rex – finish school for summer break.
The advertisement read: ‘A busy family household seeks a reliable person to look after two children (eight and six) during the summer holidays. Part of your role is to drive to summer clubs, help with homework and feed them tea/dinner.
“Someone with experience in the hospitality industry and children would be useful.”
Mr. Cash claimed that he, as a magazine publisher, and his wife, a milliner, both work full-time and needed a helping hand with childcare when the children are out of school so they could continue working.
Mr Cash claims he and his wife were likened to slave owners after they advertised for the position
However, after receiving abuse online for the vacancy, Mr Cash claims he is wondering how he and his wife, as working parents, should deal with the childcare dilemma.
He added that the experience was a “warning tale” about a class divide in Britain, claiming it was indicative of the fact that many young Britons “don’t want to work”, especially at weekends.
While reflecting on the difficulties of hiring domestic workers today, Mr Cash described the process as walking on ‘social eggshells’ and argued that there is a ‘labour shortage’ in the service sector.
He added that even if he has been able to hire domestic help, he and Laura have been beset by rising wage expectations.
Mr Cash revealed that the couple had previously taken on a housekeeper, who held the position for five months before she resigned as she had been offered a salary of £45,000 elsewhere, plus bonuses and health care.
While acknowledging that nanny positions in cities like London seem to offer increasingly competitive salaries, Mr Cash questioned whether £12 an hour for the part-time job in a rural area like Shropshire was an unreasonable offer.
Mr. Cash has previously written extensively about his search for love and a family, following the failures of his first two marriages before tying the knot with Laura in 2014.
He has also revealed what it is like to be an older father as they got Cosima when he was 48 and Rex was born two years later.
And at 17 years older than Laura, Mr. Cash has opened up about his age-gap marriage. He told You Magazine, “It’s a myth that having a younger wife makes you feel younger. It makes you feel old.’