What Not To Do When Hiring A Nanny
The decision to hire a nanny is huge. You have decided to find a person to care for the most precious thing in your life. Your children.
And you do not want to make the wrong choice when it comes to the care of your child. The wrong choice could leave you feeling unsettled and anxious every time you leave your child. And you DO NOT want that at all.
Today I want to share with you six things that you DO NOT want to do, when hiring a nanny.
- Do NOT hire an inexperienced nanny.
When you hire a nanny, you want her to have the experience caring for a similar aged child, and the same number of children. For instance, do you have twins? Its best in that type of situation that she has cared for twins and their special needs before.
- Do NOT neglect calling references.
All About Nannies performs lengthy phone interviews with each candidate’s references and provides a detailed report on each conversation, but we suggest you do additional reference calls to ask your own questions as well!
Calling a nanny’s references will quickly get you the facts on that nanny’s previous work experience.
Ask questions to get the facts. Such as …
“How did you come into contact with this nanny?”
“Would you hire this nanny again?”
“How many days did she call in sick, or report to work late?”
“What issues (minor ones included) came about with this nanny?”
- Do NOT be vague on your parenting methods and preferences in the interview process.
Your potential nanny needs to fully understand your preferences from the beginning.
During your interview discuss…
Housework- What do you expect your nanny to accomplish around the house. And when should she do them.
Media Usage- Are you comfortable with the nanny using the Television, computer, or phone during hours she is caring for your child? Or do you want her to only use those during specific hours during care.
Sleep training and routines- Do expect the nanny to rock or walk the baby to sleep? Or do you prefer your child to self soothe? Is there a specific way you want your children put to sleep? Do you want nanny to help with a new routine or work on sleep training or do things exactly as you already do?
Nanny’s meal arrangements- Do you provide meals for your nanny? Or will you expect her to bring her own food?
Play dates and activities- Is the nanny expected to arrange play dates? Do you want playdates in your home, or in a public setting? Do you want your child participating in story time at the library or visiting the zoo? Is the nanny okay with driving your children around? Are you okay with driving her around?
Discipline- What methods of discipline do you want implemented for your children?
- Do NOT be vague about pay.
Talk about how many days you expect of her to work a week. Talk about exactly what the schedule will be each day. How many days off she will have in a year, including sick days, and whether or not she will be paid those days. Professional nannies will expect a standard package of benefits including paid vacation, paid sick days paid legal holidays and guaranteed hours.
Also discuss how she will be paid. Hourly? A flat rate? And how often will pay be received?
- Do NOT neglect to set up working interviews!
You should always ask the nanny to come do at least one working interview where candidates will come perform anywhere from 1-5 complete work days to watch how you take care of your children, what the normal schedule and routine will look like and how you want things done. Walk her through a typical day. Show her how you feed, change, and put the child down for naps. Then let her do those tasks the next day, with you following behind to make sure it is going well. This time will also help your baby adjust to the change and know that this person is someone they can trust.
- Do NOT interview only one person.
While it may be the right person right out the gate, don’t settle for the first person you interview. Make sure you interview multiple candidates. You want to make sure that you have candidates to compare to make the best decision! Make sure to ask the right questions of each person. We will provide you a detailed list of interview questions and what to look for in interviews! Here are some great suggestions to ask candidates:
“How long have you been a nanny?”
“How many children have you cared for at once?”
“How and why did you end your previous jobs?”
“What activities will you do with my child during the day?”
“Do you have any certifications? CPR, childcare, etc.?”
“Is your schedule flexible?”
“How do you handle sick days?”
In conclusion, finding and deciding on a great nanny can be hard work, and it should be! This is a big decision. You are hiring someone to fill your shoes in your child’s world while you are gone, those are BIG shoes to fill!
Hire experience. Call references. Be clear on parenting methods. Be clear on pay. Do working interviews. Interview multiple candidates.
And before you know it, you will have your dream candidate. Someone matched to meet your needs, the needs of your child and who will become the newest member of your family!
If you need more tips on what not to do when hiring your perfect nanny, feel free to reach out to us here at All About Nannies and we’d be happy to assist! We specialize in long term, career nanny placements and have an amazing relationship with of some of the best nannies in the industry who have trusted us for many years. We can help you in finding placements that are the right fit, for all of your families unique needs. Click here for more information. We would love to help!
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