Is This Red Flag?
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Anonymous
| We are interviewing nannies for my infant. We really liked one nanny. She's very qualified with a degree in nursing. My husband finds it strange that she is a licensed nurse but works as a nanny. Most nannies I've seen are nanny whole pursuing a degree. She may just enjoy being a nanny but it is odd to go to school for a degree and never use it. She is also getting paid less as a nanny. Are we being too judgemental or is this a red flag? |
Anonymous
n No,be a nanny no need to have degree,but she's need to have love,patience and talent,some nannies looking just for money,some nannies love so much kids,degree is not important on nannies job. |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
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Hmmm...I am an MB who would be a little concerned. If you decide to hire her, I would probably want to run the most comprehensive background/criminal check I could.
However, did you ask why she's not a nurse? Maybe she decided it wasn't for her/didn't like it? Nursing, especially hospital nursing can be extremely stressful. You might also want to ask her to provide extra references. Can she provide references from non-employers too who might be able to tip you off if something is off. |
Anonymous
I agree with all of this (and am also an MB.) I would focus more on the conversation with her and with her references than I would on the background check, but I definitely would want to know more about her career trajectory, etc... She might be a very caring, nurturing soul whose family pushed her into a profession like nursing, but who actually preferred something else. I think a huge amount lies in the conversation you have with her. |
Anonymous
| OP here. My husband asked her that very question and she kind of skirted around it. She seemed eager to change the subject. She does have glowing references. It's just odd that stew never worked as a nurse ( only have been a nanny) but has a nursing degree. |
Anonymous
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I am a nanny with a Bachelor's degree (in education, so more closely related to the nanny field than a degree in nursing). I left the teaching profession because I was tired of the beuracratic nonsense and didn't want to spend the rest of my life administering tests, filling out paperwork, and attending meetings. I barely had time to teach! As a nanny, I still get to use my degree and I am paid significantly (almost 2.5 times) more than I was as a teacher.
A nanny with a nursing degree could be a wonderful match for a family with a child who has certain special needs, and could be compensated just as well as she was as a nurse. What kind of nurse is she? What if she's worked in a pediatrician's office or as a labor and delivery nurse? Having this person on your team would be a super bonus! Definitely do your research on her, just as you should with any potential candidate, but perhaps this nurse is just fed up with the politics of medicine and is looking to use her degree in a new and more personal way. |
Anonymous
| Ok, so she has the degree but has never actually been a nurse? Got it! (I'm the teacher from the previous post). I didn't read the original post correctly. My apologies! |
Anonymous
| Maybe she really wanted to be a career nanny but was either afraid or her parents pushed her to get a degree. She now has it as "backup." |
Anonymous
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I would also find it a bit odd that someone degree'd as a registered nurse would opt to make much less $$ as a nanny.
However there could be some good reasons for her doing so. Nurses can work long shifts. Mostly 12 hours at a time. The work can be very stressful both physically as well as mentally. Nurses are usually required to be on their feet a lot too. Perhaps she finds nanny care much less stressful, the hours work well w/her lifestyle for now & she really loves being around young children. Perhaps the nursing profession burned her out already. If it really bothers your husband, he can tactfully ask her about it. If she is upfront and honest w/nothing to hide, she will give a pretty straight-forward answer in return. I do agree that she should be asking for more per hour due to her education + experience no doubt. |
Anonymous
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As a new RN but former nanny, I'd be more concerned she's just biding her time until she can get a nursing job in an area she wants. I cannot imagine spending all the time and money I did to go back to nannying without working a little bit as a nurse.
Or I would be concerned that something happened that meant she couldnt get a job as an RN. Either way, unless she blew me away otherwise I would find someone else |
Anonymous
| Getting a job as a new grad is tough. I wouldn't be surprised if she was working on the weekends or picking up shifts here and there to get an "in" at a hospital so that she can eventually get a FT job there. |
Anonymous
| My first concern is that she can't find a job in nursing at the moment but still needs the income, so she'll stay with you however long it takes her to a find a job in her career path and then leave you. |
Anonymous
| I know a wealthy family who hired a nurse for their toddler just because that's what they wanted and could afford the $40/hr. |
Anonymous
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I would be concerned that she "skirted the question". It's a very reasonable, and predictable question that she should be prepared to answer.
Not answering it directly makes it significantly more of a possible red flag IMO. |