Frustrated with nanny search and hiring
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Anonymous
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I have hired two nannies before and don't remember it being this hard. I am not in DC and my prior nanny I found on DCUM. In my new area I am using care.com and a nanny agency. The agency has yielded nothing and care has been incredibly frustrating. Candidates do not show up to scheduled phone interviews, and most people applying for the job do not meet the requirements stated. I have probably corresponded with 40-50 people and yet most cancel on me, or cancel an in person meeting. I have gone after people as well as taken a look at those who have applied to my job. I am paying a competitive rate and nothing in the job is unreasonable though I am not willing to pay under the table. I have tried the local facebook page and list serves. I am at a loss. I know the market moves quickly and I am ready to make a decision.
What am I doing wrong? I am in a suburb of Boston. |
Anonymous
| My understanding is that Boston rates are high. If most nannies want to be paid illegally, then a competitive rate with taxes taken out probably isn't that competitive anymore. That's all I can think of. |
Anonymous
| Thanks. I am aiming for a younger nanny this time to keep up with my young kids, 5 and 1 which may be part of the flakiness issue. I am not against an older nanny but was hoping for a younger one this time around. |
Anonymous
| Do you have a listserv op? |
Anonymous
| There is a town mom facebook page and boston wide moms forum that I have posted on and read actively for candidates. I am not sure if it is time of year, or perhaps I am just not satisified with most of the care candidates. |
Anonymous
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OP if you're having this much difficulty, you're going to need to be honest with yourself. SOMETHING is obviously turning candidates off. It could be compensation, your job requirements, or your personality. I can't advise on the compensation, but I do know that Boston rates are higher than DC, and if many are paying under the table, you're going to have to do something to compete, financially or otherwise.
I will say that there are little things that will turn me off of a job that have nothing to do with compensation. Are you making the process all about you? Are you giving candidates the opportunity to schedule the interview at a time that works for them or are you telling them when it will be? Are you keeping compensation a secret? Are you coming across very picky and demanding? |
Anonymous
What is it that you aren't satisfied with? Are you looking for a particular experience level, or certain skills? If you're requiring candidates to speak a particular second language, especially if it is something other than French or Spanish, you are severely limiting your pool. |
Anonymous
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I owned actually percent of people paying legally with taxes to nannies in DC metro vs other places. There is so much Federal/clearance work here, that even if you are not in position requiring investigation now, you certainly don't want to rule out such position in the future... And therefore high percent of people obey the law.
I just had two friends visit, from NYC and upstate NY, and both have been hitting nannies for years. When I mention that we pay nanny taxes, both of them made very round eyes. Neither of them paid any, ever. They also claimed that none of their friends pay taxes... I know it is off topic, but maybe the legal/taxes requirement is turning off good candidates? |
Anonymous
| What's your pay range, OP? |
Anonymous
| It's the tax issue. If the rate is competitive to what others are paying, and then you're deducting a good 20% for taxes, it's no longer competitive. Rents are high there, 20% could mean the difference between making rent and having to rent a room somewhere w/ roommates. |
Anonymous
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OP, can you give us more information about your position and how you are wording your advertisement? Maybe we can help word it better and/or point out what is turning so many nannies off.
Yes, if you are looking specifically for young nannies, there's going to be a ton of flakiness. How many of them have chosen to do this as their career versus doing it for a few years until they're ready for something better? |
Anonymous
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18-20 per hour for 46 hours. It's two kids, but one in school so more like 1.5. Light housework only - we have a house cleaner 2x a month this is more unloading dishwasher, sweeping after kids and folding laundry during nap. Because of the tax thing - all of the former au pairs typically cannot do the position because they are on student visas. I am looking for someone ideally in their 20s, without kids, who speaks fluent English, drives and has some childcare background, could be anything from camp to babysitting, to working at the Y to nannying. I do not care about level of education. There is just so much to wade through from care.com
Ideally my candidate is in her youngish twenties who may have graduated college, or may not, or done some community college and wants an eventual career with children but not sure exactly what and wants to work as a nanny for 1-2 years. Is this unreasonable? |
Anonymous
Is the housework kid related only? If not, this could be a problem. Nannies usually are happy to do kid related cleaning but not housework, even "light". The pay is market rate for DC but if Boaton. Is higher it may be too low and requiring housework further keeps good nannies away (especially if they used to be paying under the table). Ask around in your area to have a better understanding of the market rate and adjust yours accordingly. I would take any housework that is not strictly kid related off your job offer (get the housekeeper more often if you need it) |
Anonymous
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You're going to have a hard time finding someone in the lower end of the pay range (18-20) in Boston who isn't flaky. You're even kind of describing flaky (1-2 years of not-sure-what-she-wants-to-be-when-she-grows-up).
I think you do actually want a professional nanny, just a younger one. You're going to need to pay more. |
Anonymous
| Get an Au Pair. That would work well for you. |