expectations

[Anonymous]

i have been emailing back and forth with a mom looking for a nanny for her newborn and
she wants to know what my expectations are and i'm at a loss I cant think of what to write back
does anyone have any ideas??

[Anonymous]

How far does she live from you?

[Anonymous]

about 15-20 mins i think i don't know where she lives exactly just the city and its not that big of a city

[Anonymous]

That's definately an odd question to ask before meeting you. Maybe she doesn't know if she can afford you, so she wants you to talk money. But what a strange way to ask.

[Anonymous]

How did she find you?

[Anonymous]

care.com

[Anonymous]

You're at a loss because you don't know what she means. Expectations in terms of salary? In terms of availability of the parents? Expectations on being able to take the baby out of the house? Expectations ... ? So vague.

[Anonymous]

Is she asking

what your rates are
if you expect to be paid legally
if you expect benefits (PTO - vacation/sick)
what your termination/quitting terms are (even though nannies are at-will, we ideally make good faith efforts to abide by our agreements)
if you have a sample work agreement to share with her
if you expect to perform household chores/duties (or even which child-related duties you're willing to perform)

?

I could see her meaning any/all/none of those, so maybe ask her for clarification?

[Anonymous]

exactly! i keep trying to think of something and. . . . . . . nothing!!

[Anonymous]

Maybe she is asking what your ideal position would be? Kind of a weird approach for her to ask what your expectations are. What did you end up saying?

[Anonymous]

OP I haven't wrote anything back yet she also want me to tell her about myself and this is the first job i would have that is with someone i don't already know or at least know someone who introduced us
so i'm trying to work on that lol

[Anonymous]

Mb sounds like a bit of a flake. Maybe she's not yet together?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP I haven't wrote anything back yet she also want me to tell her about myself and this is the first job i would have that is with someone i don't already know or at least know someone who introduced us
so i'm trying to work on that lol

Ask her what she means then, if you don't know. You could go ahead and use everything a PP mentioned, talk about all the different things and that would cover most things she might mean. If this is her first child and has not done this before, then maybe she doesn't even realize what she wants/needs to ask? Maybe she is hoping for you to spell some of that out for her, tell her what needs to be figured out etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP I haven't wrote anything back yet she also want me to tell her about myself and this is the first job i would have that is with someone i don't already know or at least know someone who introduced us
so i'm trying to work on that lol

Ask her what she means then, if you don't know. You could go ahead and use everything a PP mentioned, talk about all the different things and that would cover most things she might mean. If this is her first child and has not done this before, then maybe she doesn't even realize what she wants/needs to ask? Maybe she is hoping for you to spell some of that out for her, tell her what needs to be figured out etc.

thats a great idea and it is her first child. do you or anyone else have any good questions to ask her???

[Anonymous]

I've gotten emails like this from MBs who aren't used to interviewing or hiring. If you haven't already discussed it you could rephrase your resume or ad and add a few personal details. You are looking for a long term/short term position that is part time/full time, live in/live out, with a pay range of $__ - $__. If she seems really lost, you could mention to her any additional tasks that you normally perform and are included in your base rate (if any). Ask her about her child rearing philosophy. Is she more of an AP mom, cry it out mom, or somewhere in the middle.