Tips for hiring a Nanny:
We at Tiny Treasures Nanny Agency feel it’s important to share some of our useful Nanny hiring tips. The idea of hiring a stranger to take care of your children is very overwhelming. In addition, we certainly understand sometimes anxiety and stress can come with the hiring process. We hope you find this information useful.
Nanny Schedule and Skill set:
Identify what your family's specific needs are. This is where you can really fine tune and manifest the best caretaker to fit the requirements of your family. Be definitive. For example: figure out your ideal schedule and hours for the nanny. Consider if having a nanny with an educational background, whether it is some college or masters, is important to you. Do you want a nanny that can tutor or is particularly skilled with music and/or the arts? How about private home or daycare experience? Do you require your nanny to possess any distinguished skill sets? Are you considering a bilingual nanny? Lastly, what about compensation and/or benefits? When you have figure this out to the best of your ability. Then it’s time to search.
Like many other pursuits, word-of-mouth is the first go-to. Ask close friends, other parents, those in your community, your pediatrician, and any other trusted sources about a caregiver they personally know. If that leads to nowhere, the next best option is to use a reputable and trusted childcare agency.
Next comes the interview process. You will be able to identify and notice mannerisms that can help you with you decision. Look for signs, does the potential candidate wash his/her hands after entering? Does the candidate look casual, but professional? Does she/he look bored, watches the time? Get to know the candidate as much as you can during this brief encounter. Then the real hard work begins.
Once you believed you’ve found the right fit for your family, make sure to check a minimum of three references. This is automatic with a reputable and trusted childcare agency such as Tiny Treasures, however, if you find a nanny through word-of-mouth make sure to check references. You would be surprised how many families skip this step. So “trust but verify”
Before you make the candidate an offer, we strongly recommend having a trial. Here you can see and feel if the nanny is a match for your family. The nanny might be ideal on paper, but you also must see the interaction the nanny has with your children to make the correct decision.
Last but not at all least, and we cannot stress this enough. Do a criminal background check! Our agency will always check the background of our candidates and we recommend you do as well if hiring through word-of-mouth. Remember the nanny will be in your home taking care of your children. After this we recommend creating an employment contract and NDA (non-disclosure agreement). An employment contract is important to clearly stipulate the responsibility, duties, salary and benefits regarding the caretakers position. An NDA is a comprehensive contract that states your personal information is confidential while the nanny is gainfully employed and thereafter.
Remember, you are hiring a new person to join your parenting team, to look after, engage and keep your children safe. Use your intuition and be sure to to do a thorough vetting process. They are indeed looking after your Tiny Treasures.
