How to hire great part time help

[Anonymous]

I’ve hired great luck hiring college students to come for 2 hours a night for $70 to help with kids and clean up kitchen, they do a great job cleaning up. They were reliable overall at that price point but do have school breaks where they are gone. We had 2 at a time - neither wanted 4-5 nights a week and having 2 made it so one could cover when other needed to switch nights. They babysat on weekends also occasionally. They thought it was a great deal overall but they do turn over when summer hits / they graduate etc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’re hoping to use outsourcing to improve our family lives when both kids are in elementary this fall. We’re a bit flexible (or maybe just undecided) about what kind of help is best (house manager type vs strictly an after school sitter vs someone who specializes in cooking or cleaning). After reading a lot of other people’s experiences it seems like finding a good, reliable employee can be challenging. I’d almost like to stay flexible on our needs in order to get the most helpful person.

Any advice on how to accomplish this is welcome. Obviously pay competitively for our area. Any recommendations in terms of screening for particular experience or background or what to look for in interview/trial days?

Pay extremely well.

+1 This. I have seen countless adds of people wanting care from 7-8 am and 4-5 pm. How is that attractive to anyone unless you're willing to pay a lot. Then people wonder why no one wants that job. Would you, unless you were retired and lived next door?

[Anonymous]

Afternoon part time help is in the highest demand. You’ll have to pay a high rate for reliable care. There’s a lot of competition. Adding laundry and dinner prep is fine, but don’t over schedule.

[Anonymous]

I would not give up on the full-time nanny/housekeeper option. It is very common where I live and allows you to keep the right person employed for years. You'll want someone who drives so they can help with driving the kids to and from school and activities. You have to be willing to be flexible about the cleaning since it will be done when the kids are in school. You also want someone who is fairly fluent in English. We pay ours on the books, provide medical/dental/vision insurance, two weeks of vacation leave plus a week of sick leave.