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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Op here.  Her prior childcare experience was mostly while she was in school and she just graduated from college.   We couldn't find a career nanny who wanted to work for just the summer.  I get the impression, though, that she's thinking about nannying longer-term like maybe a year or two as related to her future profession.

I do think she would be better with infants, but as you mentioned, her getting sick so frequently is an issue.  Or an older child who is generally well-behaved.  I don't think she has good strategies for dealing with difficult behavior.

I'm thinking I'll write her a reference letter that focuses on her positives without being so glowing as to be misleading.  If anyone wants to contact me after reading the letter, they can, and I'm guessing some employers will, others won't.

Aside from being honest with potential employers, I think I will be honest with her about her frequent illnesses.  She has never seemed so much as apologetic about the frequent absences or concerned about their impact on us.  I mentioned several times to nanny how important it was for her to be there during DC's first couple weeks of preschool (first separation experience) and she texted me the morning of DC's first day to tell me she would be out sick.  Bad timing, but okay, it happens, but after coming back to work, nanny never asked how DC was doing or expressed any regret for not being there when we really needed her.  I don't see how she'll be able to hold down any job, let alone one in childcare, if she is going to be sick this often.  I think she should know that we noticed and that it impacted her job; I could have her work for us a little longer (which would be good for her), but her unreliability spurred me to prioritize our new nanny search.[/quote]

I would stick with honest but positive in the reference letter.  She's new, and it's possible that she will develop better skills.  I wouldn't make a big deal about her not being sufficiently apologetic, but you might tell her that her frequent illnesses were an issue, and that you suggest she think about how she can be an effective nanny given that germs are part of the package.  [/quote]

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