Advice regarding brand new nanny and time off

[Anonymous]

Hi I'm hoping to get some perspective from MBs. I have an interview tomorrow. The position was advertised as starting April 4th, but the MB (a FTM) has just clarified with me via email that she is looking for part time help starting April 4th and the position starts full time when she goes back to work (after 3 mos maternity leave) May 1st.

I'm very nervous because I have already booked a "long weekend" trip May 6-10th (would need to be off that Friday, Monday and Tuesday). I didn't think it was going to be a big deal, but I also didn't previously realize that was going to be her first week back at work. I'm hoping that maybe DB would be able to cover or I don't know if they'd be able to find a different sitter to cover those days or perhaps a family member...

I realize this puts me at a big disadvantage going into the interview, but I'm trying to gauge just how big. Would you even consider a nanny with this kind of schedule conflict going in? I have a very impressive resume (bachelor's in ECD, 15 years full time nanny experience, impeccable references, speak Spanish fluently as well as sign language), so I feel like I have a good chance at landing the job otherwise. But if this would be an absolute deal breaker then maybe it's not even worth bothering with the interview and exhausting my references for nothing.

On paper, this job sounds perfect for me (within a mile of my home, great schedule, pay and benefits, and based on the job description and phone chat I had with MB I think I'm well suited for their needs), but I do want to actually meet them to make sure we are indeed as great of a fit as it seems on paper. If the interview goes well, I could consider trying to change the dates. But, then again I'm not sure if pushing my trip back a few weeks would really make that big of a difference for MB, and aside from an airline change fee there are other logistics I'd need to consider as well...

Any advice or input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Seeing how close they live, what's to lose? Just let her know.

[Anonymous]

It wouldn't bode well as a brand new hire to ask for time off from the get go.

However if she truly thinks your education + experience set you apart from the others she has met, she may be willing to accommodate you.

It won't hurt to ask, the worst she can do is say no.
I would let her know before wasting your time meeting her in person however. She may be busy herself and you wouldn't want to waste her time.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Plans you made before you ever knew this family existed and was looking to hire a nanny?

Intelligent people recognize that life doesn't slam to a halt while job hunting. Go wow them, and if they are as good in person as they are on paper, let them know you have long standing plans for those days. Ask to talk briefly about how they might choose to handle the issue, offer a suggestion or two of your own, and see what happens

[Anonymous]

I have a side question, which you may choose not to answer due to the general nanny pay arguments. What is your salary range? I am a nanny as well and I think you sound like a top notch nanny and wonder what average pay you command. I don't ask to start any debates or criticisms. I do not have a degree in ECE and I feel that your degree should command a higher pay than myself, so I was just curious.

As far as your question goes, I wouldn't mention anything right away. Let them get their heart set on you first, then see what you can all come up with together. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Go through your interview process. Make them want to hire you and then let them know that you have had a trip planned, booked and paid for for many months. If they want you, they'll work around it. It really shouldn't be a deal breaker and if it is, that would raise some red flags.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go through your interview process. Make them want to hire you and then let them know that you have had a trip planned, booked and paid for for many months. If they want you, they'll work around it. It really shouldn't be a deal breaker and if it is, that would raise some red flags.

Agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Plans you made before you ever knew this family existed and was looking to hire a nanny?

Intelligent people recognize that life doesn't slam to a halt while job hunting. Go wow them, and if they are as good in person as they are on paper, let them know you have long standing plans for those days. Ask to talk briefly about how they might choose to handle the issue, offer a suggestion or two of your own, and see what happens

I have had this happen a couple of times (MB here). It's part of life. It looks like you'd be missing 3 days. Yes, it's terrible timing, but if you tell them at the interview, I suspect it won't be a problem at all if they really like you. She's got 6 weeks to figure it out.

What she will worry about is that you might be the kind of person who takes lots of trips, so one thing to do is assure them that the amount of time off offered by the job is generally sufficient (if it is).

As this PP suggests, acknowledge the timing issue, promise them you will request time off well in advance in the future, and acknowledge that this would (obviously) be unpaid time off depending on how the PTO for this position works. They may come back and say "Oh no, of course you can use your vacation time."

[Anonymous]

I'm a nanny and this has happened to me twice. Both trips were planned in advance before I knew I'd be job hunting. The first trip wasn't a problem since I'd only be missing two days (long weekend kind of thing) and I had a nanny friend who only worked weekends and could cover me.

The second time was when that same family moved away but I had already saved and booked a trip to the UK. No way was I going to cancel that and lose my money. I had been frugal leading up to that time so when the trip made it difficult to find another job, I was OK financially. I did eventually find a job where the family had grandparents in town who could help out but I heard a lot of no before then.

I think it would be particularly hard for a family who is just coming back from maternity leave and may not have any more leave available for the year and doesn't have family around.

My two cents is not to mention anything in the interview, but to mention it if they call back. If you're placing ads on craigslist, be up front about it. That's how I ultimately found the job that was able to work around my trip.

[Anonymous]

It wouldn't be a deal breaker to me, but it would probably weigh on my decision if anyone else came close to your qualifications. When I was searching for a nanny the last time around, the best candidate had a few other commitments that meant she couldn't start until a month after we wanted her to. In our case she was so clearly the best choice that we made it work and managed with my parents and another babysitter filling in for that month and I'm very glad that we did.

I would be upfront about it with them, probably bringing it up in the interview. These are first time parents, so they are probably new to the whole hiring process, but as PPs have suggested if you can wow them with your qualifications and your professionalism you should have a good shot at the position.

[Anonymous]

MB here and I agree with most of the advice you've been given.

Go on the interview(s) - make sure it's a job you want and the chemistry/fit is good. Tell them you need to let them know that you have this trip planned and realize the timing may be a problem for them. Let them decide what to do.

I would not let something like this discourage me from hiring the right person for the job. I might decide to go back to work a couple of days earlier in return for taking those days off, or something like that, but I would view this as a quite minor issue to work around if you are my first choice for the job.

Don't overthink it. Do be upfront. Do focus on long-term fit with the position and let the rest work itself out.

[Anonymous]

I'm an MB and I agree with most of the PPs. Tell them at the interview and let them decide if that will work for them. If you were my favorite candidate I would find a way to make it work and would not let this affect my decision. If I was on the fence between 2 candidates it might sway my decision to the other candidate but I think that's a chance you have to take.

Please don't wait until any later than the interview to tell them. I'd be much more likely to appreciate your honesty and try to work with you if you tell me early on than if you wait until we decided to hire you and I feel like you were intentionally waiting to tell me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm an MB and I agree with most of the PPs. Tell them at the interview and let them decide if that will work for them. If you were my favorite candidate I would find a way to make it work and would not let this affect my decision. If I was on the fence between 2 candidates it might sway my decision to the other candidate but I think that's a chance you have to take.

Please don't wait until any later than the interview to tell them. I'd be much more likely to appreciate your honesty and try to work with you if you tell me early on than if you wait until we decided to hire you and I feel like you were intentionally waiting to tell me.

+1. I don't think you protect the job if you wait. You just risk losing it after you've invested a lot more time. Say something at the interview.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't hire you. By the time I was going back to work I'd used up all my leave, my husband had used up his, the grandparents had gone back home.

I think you should cancel your vacation. Or reschedule it for before the start date.

[Anonymous]

I went to an interview knowing I had a 1week vacation planned the week she went back to work. I was upfront st the interview, they hired me, mom extended her maternity leave a week. I'm still here 6 years later.