Hiring a Nanny
Hiring a nanny to care for your children falls in the category of “daunting” when the necessary skills and experiences are absent from your repertoire. Because the position is unsupervised, scrutiny is a must. To follow are some tips on how to go about hiring this all-important person.
What to look for when hiring a NANNY:
1.Experience. Examine and explore the nanny’s work history (including child care) life experiences and education.
2.Compatibility. Do you concur on child rearing and discipline philosophies and approaches. Are your habits similar? (i.e. neatness, organization, timeliness, flexibility vs. rigidity, food choices, priorities)
3.Qualities. Does the nanny applicant have a natural inclination to connect to and understand the needs of children at each stage of development?
4.Common Sense and Patience. A nanny needs an extraordinary amount of both.
What to look for in an REFERRAL AGENCY:
1.Screening and Background Checking Methods. Know specifically the depth of child care reference checks and applicant interviews they perform. How selective are they in screening nannies? How many nannies are in their pool of candidates?
2.Availability of nanny agency personnel. Do you get an answering
machine when you call or is there someone in the office during business hours?
3.Breadth of experience and reputation. If the referral agency has been in business a short time expect them to be short on experience in screening applicants and counseling on hiring a nanny. If the agency has been in business a long time expect more experience in the ability to detect the more subtle red flags that only experience can define. Word of mouth reputation is important. Agency fees should reflect agency's expertise.
If hiring a NANNY on your own:
1.Ask DETAILS about background and work history since high school graduation.
2.Check ALL childcare jobs and verify ALL employment.
3.Contract to do a state criminal check, DMV check and social security number verification.
About the Author
Wendy Sachs, owner of The Philadelphia Nanny Network, Inc. since 1985, is also a founding member and 4-term President of the International Nanny Association. A nationally recognized expert on the nanny profession, she has given over 500 interviews to network TV, magazines and newspapers. She has appeared on NBC,CNBC and CNN, including Today Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show. A mother of two children, she is a veteran nanny employer.
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