How did you find your qualified nanny?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Care and sittercity are for highschool and college kids, not for professional nannies.

I found an excellent, well-paying, completely legal (on the books) professional nanny job through Care.com and I am not a high school or college "kid". It did take more time than, say, going through an agency though--just as families have to sift through hoards of unprofessional or inexperienced "nannies", nannies have to go through hoards of unprofessional, low-paying families--so it's definitely not for everyone, but I think it's a great resource if you have the time for it.

+1

I am a Career Nanny and I found a wonderful position on Care.com. Admittedly it took me a couple of months of checking Care.com and Sittercity.com twice a day everyday but I did eventually find the right position. It was worth the wait and now I'm happy that I didn't settle and go for something else. My advice is to search far and wide and take your time and you will eventually find a quality nanny/position.

[Anonymous]

I want care to offer background checks for parents?
How about it, Care, while you're here...?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How long did it take you, three months or so?

A little less. I was inactively looking probably around March, but really started actively looking and applying around mid-April, and then I was hired for a position at the end of May--so about a month and a half of active job seeking/interviewing and a little over 2 months if you consider that I activated my profile in March.

As a nanny, I find that the most important thing to remember about care.com is that families do not have to pay to create a profile, but they do have to pay to respond to job applications, and there's no way to be able to tell if the job you're applying for is a paid profile or not, so at LEAST 3 out of 5 applications will probably garner no response. On the bright side, if you pay close attention, you'll realize that the families who take the time to provide detailed job profiles and are actually offering a reasonable, market-rate wage are usually the families who are seriously, actively looking for a nanny, and are willing to pay for care.com services.

[Anonymous]

Where I come from, $12/hr is "market rate" for an 8th grader, not for highly experienced nannies.

[Anonymous]

What's the highest rate you've ever seen on care.com or sittercity ? I've been told that the term ' competative ' is now being used as a hook, just as useless as the word 'natural' on your bag of chips. It means NOTHING. Just another way for unscrupulous abusers, to operate, and take advantage of unsuspecting nannies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's the highest rate you've ever seen on care.com or sittercity ? I've been told that the term ' competative ' is now being used as a hook, just as useless as the word 'natural' on your bag of chips. It means NOTHING. Just another way for unscrupulous abusers, to operate, and take advantage of unsuspecting nannies.

I live in a much lower-cost area than DC and the large majority of nanny positions pay under $15/hr. Of course in my area, you can easily live off of this. On sittercity/care.com I have seen some people compensating up to $25/hr. Of course to DC nannies this is nothing special but in a lower-cost area it is pretty good.

[Anonymous]

In DC, $15hr for what the OP is looking for is very standard. It's a very competitive rate.

[Anonymous]

8:34, Which area are you in?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In DC, $15hr for what the OP is looking for is very standard. It's a very competitive rate.

Apparently, you misses her point. OP said she CAN'T find a nanny at your so-called competitive rate of $15/hr. She's asking you to tell her where you found your dream nanny, at that bargain special price. Btw, can you get one for me to?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:8:34, Which area are you in?

The suburbs of Philadelphia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tell everyone you know, that you're searching for a great nanny. For me, personal recommendation, has always been the best way. Unfortunately, lots of parents try to snag top-notch nannies with a promise of "competitive pay", only to find out that they really can't afford you. Very few parents want to pay what it takes to get the best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Care.com has always worked for me when seeking families to nanny for. I once found a job on sittercity, but the majority from care.com. Sorry you are having trouble, good luck finding a great nanny!

I see this on here all the time and it baffles me! I have a profile on there but rarely check it because it seems like every parent on there is looking to pay $5-$10 per hour or some silly low ball weekly amount for a nanny/housekeeper for like 11 hour days. Care.com is pretty useless if you ask me, and I would think the pickings of good nannies are slim since most jobs listed there are a waste of time.

Exactly nanny here, I used to have my profile in care.com it's a useless site. They only want cheap nannies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Talk with your friends and neighbors. And yes, take the time to hang out at the parks and playgrounds. Talk with the best caregivers (parents or nannies) that you can find. Ask if they can recommend anyone. You never know.....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Talk with your friends and neighbors. And yes, take the time to hang out at the parks and playgrounds. Talk with the best caregivers (parents or nannies) that you can find. Ask if they can recommend anyone. You never know.....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tell everyone you know, that you're searching for a great nanny. For me, personal recommendation, has always been the best way. Unfortunately, lots of parents try to snag top-notch nannies with a promise of "competitive pay", only to find out that they really can't afford you. Very few parents want to pay what it takes to get the best.

When you put the word out, you should somehow indicate how you're eager provide top-notch compensation for that rare top-notch nanny.

Remember she should be a master of her profession, not a Jane-of-all-trades. So stay clear of expecting inappropriate tasks.