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[quote=Anonymous]I'm trying to hire a nanny for the first time and have two candidates on my shortlist who have lots of experience and interviewed well, BUT:

Nanny #1: had one reference letter from a family from a few years ago (where she worked FT for half a year) that was rather curt but mentioned several positive traits. When I called the MB to verify employment details, she said she "let the nanny go" but did not want to say why, saying I should ask Nanny #1 directly and pretty much hung up on me.

Nanny #2: most recent job was 2 years with a "private family." She told me the decision to end it was mutual due to poor fit and went into quite a bit of detail about the issues she experienced on the job. When I asked if I could speak to the family to hear their side or at least verify her employment there, Nanny #2 said she signed an NDA so she could not disclose who it was. She offered to let me talk to her nanny friend who first told her about the job.

Both nannies do have other great references, and I plan to ask Nanny #1 about the situation in more detail and to speak with Nanny #2's friend. But it does concern me that I won't be able to verify anything they say with the former employers. I recognize even good nannies can sometimes have bad luck. However, I want to make sure I'm not missing a huge red flag for some serious issue here.

My questions:
1) For MBs: In what situation would you let a nanny go, write her a mildly positive reference letter, but not be comfortable talking to future potential employers about why the relationship ended? What might be going on here?
2) Does this NDA sound like a real thing? I've only heard of nanny NDAs covering personal info (like finances, medical issues, etc.), but the actual identity of the employer seems really odd. And why would a nanny agree to this, since it sounds like there'd be no chance of a reference even if the nanny does a great job?

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance![/quote]

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