Nannies ATTENTION

[Anonymous]

This is going to ruffle some feathers but I don't care. Nannies please, when interviewing for a position with a new family if the family had more than one nanny in a short period of time PLEASE ask for references. Families ask us for references so we should be allowed to do the same thing. Some of these families portray themselves to be kind and easy going when they interview you and they give these weird stories as to why they had to change nannies frequently of course blaming the nannies and not taking accountability. Until you actually start and then notice a bunch of red flags. The same in depth research they do on you please do on them it will save you from a lot of headaches in the long run.

[Anonymous]

Former nanny here and trust me I have asked to speak to two. One gave rave reviews and the job was great the other made me run for the hills. I did a week trial just to give it the
Benefit of doubt but she was right.

[Anonymous]

I think this should be something that ALL Nannies should do.

After all, we will be working in a private home of complete strangers…..
It’s not like we will be working for a corporation that we can research + gather intel from first.
We must not only practice common sense - we also have a right to hear from other previous Nannies how they were treated by the parents, etc.

Thx for the Nanny PSA OP!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think this should be something that ALL Nannies should do.

After all, we will be working in a private home of complete strangers…..
It’s not like we will be working for a corporation that we can research + gather intel from first.
We must not only practice common sense - we also have a right to hear from other previous Nannies how they were treated by the parents, etc.

Thx for the Nanny PSA OP!

I totally agree! I accepted a position with a family and thought they were nice. They told me they fired their previous nanny because it just wasn’t working anymore and they let her go with a a bonus and promised to give her a good reference. I went to the park the other day with the kids and the Nannie’s there immediately approached me and asked if I was the new nanny I responded yes. They then gave me the full run down of the family saying they were terrible people and I should start looking for a new family ALSO that I was the third nanny the kids had. They fired the nanny because she asked for a $1 raise. I was in shock. So like OP said we need to ask for references as well and follow through

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this should be something that ALL Nannies should do.

After all, we will be working in a private home of complete strangers…..
It’s not like we will be working for a corporation that we can research + gather intel from first.
We must not only practice common sense - we also have a right to hear from other previous Nannies how they were treated by the parents, etc.

Thx for the Nanny PSA OP!

I totally agree! I accepted a position with a family and thought they were nice. They told me they fired their previous nanny because it just wasn’t working anymore and they let her go with a a bonus and promised to give her a good reference. I went to the park the other day with the kids and the Nannie’s there immediately approached me and asked if I was the new nanny I responded yes. They then gave me the full run down of the family saying they were terrible people and I should start looking for a new family ALSO that I was the third nanny the kids had. They fired the nanny because she asked for a $1 raise. I was in shock. So like OP said we need to ask for references as well and follow through

Wow, good thing you got to speak to the other Nannies!

That family sounds shameless!!

[Anonymous]

Interesting. About to hire a nanny after a few years off from using paid childcare and have thought about offering references of prior sitters/baby nanny to try to entice candidates we really want but… thought that might be weird.

[Anonymous]

Nannies should(and must)interview families as much as families do! I asked for references from previous caregivers before I even agreed to sign a contract. It’s only fair to both parties to verified references and ask reason of leaving the position.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is going to ruffle some feathers but I don't care. Nannies please, when interviewing for a position with a new family if the family had more than one nanny in a short period of time PLEASE ask for references. Families ask us for references so we should be allowed to do the same thing. Some of these families portray themselves to be kind and easy going when they interview you and they give these weird stories as to why they had to change nannies frequently of course blaming the nannies and not taking accountability. Until you actually start and then notice a bunch of red flags. The same in depth research they do on you please do on them it will save you from a lot of headaches in the long run.

You should also ask for a credit and police report. Nannies are working in a private home and there and you don't know what kind of craziness you might find.

[Anonymous]

The bad families won’t go be out references or Nannie’s won’t always be honest. Some of the worst families are first time parents.

[Anonymous]

I have learned in my 23 years of experience and I have interviewed with a lot of families, if a family refuses to provide past nanny references something is wrong and I walk away from the position. When caring for children it is important to FIRST love what you're doing and second make sure your environment is mentally a safe space so you can be great at what you do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. About to hire a nanny after a few years off from using paid childcare and have thought about offering references of prior sitters/baby nanny to try to entice candidates we really want but… thought that might be weird.

It's not weird, we live in different times now and working in someone's home means that a nanny should feel safe not just physically but mentally as well. It's good for a nanny to hear from other nannies that may have provided care for a family in the past. Maybe the past caregivers can also give good advice on the way the parents might like things done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is going to ruffle some feathers but I don't care. Nannies please, when interviewing for a position with a new family if the family had more than one nanny in a short period of time PLEASE ask for references. Families ask us for references so we should be allowed to do the same thing. Some of these families portray themselves to be kind and easy going when they interview you and they give these weird stories as to why they had to change nannies frequently of course blaming the nannies and not taking accountability. Until you actually start and then notice a bunch of red flags. The same in depth research they do on you please do on them it will save you from a lot of headaches in the long run.

You should also ask for a credit and police report. Nannies are working in a private home and there and you don't know what kind of craziness you might find.

A police report and credit report is not needed but my husband is in law enforcement and when I accept a nanny position he always runs a check on the address and one time a job I accepted the address came back with 8 domestic violence disputes one leading to an arrest. You just never know what goes on in some of these homes, as private caregivers we have to be more diligent in checking out these families that we work for. They run background checks on us it shouldn't cause any harm if you ask for something simple as references.

[Anonymous]

I think it’s strange and a huge red flag that a family wouldn’t offer references without even being asked. If you’ve had a wonderful (or even good) relationship and experience with your nanny/nannies why wouldn’t you? It just adds to credibility, imo. I would never hire a nanny with no references, so I don’t expect them to work for me (in my home!) without references the other way.