Reply to Advice to a soon to be mom seeking pt nanny in Alexandria

Forum Index » Employer Issues

Reply to "Advice to a soon to be mom seeking pt nanny in Alexandria"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=nannydebsays][quote]I live and work (mostly from home, though I do have several meetings in DC each week) in Alexandria. I am expecting a baby girl around Feb. 1, and will go back to work 20 hrs/ week minimum in April. I am interested in hiring a nanny for 20-25 hours a week in our home, and I would like her to do light housework and engage with my child in stimulating talk and play. ( I'm an education consultant for early childhood so my standards are high!)

Can any mommies weigh in?[/quote]

I'm a nanny, not a mom, but I wanted to share my thoughts with you.

[quote]1. What is the going rate in NoVA for what I described?[/quote]

Not sure of NoVa rates, but generally speaking, PT nannies charge slightly more per hour than FT nannies, simply because it's difficult to find 2 PT jobs that mesh perfectly so that nanny can have a FT income. Two thoughts for you here:

1) Try to find another mom who needs PT hours that work with your needs. If you need 2 full days per week, seek out someone who needs 3 full days, etc.

2) Do your best to establish a solid schedule. You say you will be working 20 hours /week minimum. What does that mean? does that mean you will need nanny for 20 - 30+ hours, depending on your workload? If so, plan to hire nanny for the [b]higher[/b] end of the hours you will need, because4 if she has a second job she's committed to, she won't be able to be flexible for you when needed.

[quote]2. How do I find someone good and qualified for this?[/quote]

Network, network, network. If you go to any classes (birthing, breastfeeding, baby care), seek out other moms who live near you and need PT childcare. Seek out neighbors who have older kids and may not need a FT nanny anymore, and see if you can find a gem with a neighbor's good reference. Ask at your site of worship, at your office, at local playgrounds. Use the on-line sites, but make sure to do a HUGE amount of screening and reference checking, because in general their "background screening" is crap

[quote]3. I would like to hire someone on a trial basis of 3-4 months before committing. [/quote]

Trial periods are generally 2 - 4 WEEKS. You'd have to find a very experienced nanny, who was aware of the issues new moms have with starting back to work and trusting their child to another for care, to have a chance at a nanny who'd agree to a 3 - 4 month trial. And frankly, you will KNOW within 2 - 4 weeks, or sooner, if you have the right person.

[quote]Any tips?[/quote]

If you are going to be sharing a nanny to give her FT hours, you will want to do the following with your "share partners":

Envision your perfect nanny. What characteristics does she have? Write a good ad to post on-line. Be concise, but not brusque in your ad. Make the job appealing while making your expectations clear.

Define your job very specifically. What does "light housework" mean to you? Be ready to use a work agreement/contract that spells out job duties, employer and employee expectations, pay, benefits, etc. Consider offering benefits such as PTO based on your weekly hourly schedule.

Interview candidates via phone after you screen through the websites. Then interview in-person, and once you've narrowed your choices down to 2 or 3, ask them to come in for a trial day or two.

Remember that there is no perfect nanny, there is just the perfect nanny for YOU and your family.

Best of luck!
[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics