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[quote=Anonymous]It’s not about where you find your nanny; it’s about your advertising and screening process.

If you post a job online with a $15 rate, you will attract $15 nannies, but you are telling us you want something better.  As a nanny, if someone contacts me and their job posting says $15, even if they say in their message that they are willing to go higher, I am not interested because I want to work with someone who can comfortably afford my rate not someone who can only manage to scrimp together enough and feels that I am a luxury and will fire me if they hit a financial snag.

Second, if you are posting adds like your OP where you talk at length about how easy the job is, that’s a red flag to me as a nanny.  “My kid is so cute/easy” is typically a sign of someone who won’t be appreciative of good work, because they think the nanny is just lucky to have their easy job.

So first off, instead of making an add that sounds like you think the job is easy enough that anybody could do it (and paying accordingly), post an add describing what you want that lists a professional compensation package and lists professional job expectations.

Then, assume two things: you will need to spend about 45 minutes at least every other day searching available nannies and messaging them (not just waiting for them to contact you), and even WITH that, about 80% of the people you interact with will be unacceptable for one reason or another.  This means checking messages and doing a daily search for new candidates on sittercity.com and care.com and checking local parenting sites like this one and local mom’s clubs and listserves.  <—and anyone who wonders what agencies do, a lot of it is that right there.  It is a lot of work.

From that point, your screening breaks down to 4 steps:

1. Written correspondance (email or messaging through a site): you are mostly ruling out people who are functionally illiterate in English, who cannot or will not respond to your actual questions and those who are not a fit for the basic logistical profile of the job (e.g., they want part time, they want to bring their kid along, etc.) You will do these initial exchanges with 50-100 people

2. Phone interview: You are looking to get a sense of the person (lots of open-ended background questions, lots of specific “what would you do in hypothetical scenario” types of questions. And make sure to double check nuts and bolts (hours , pays, duties, location) are at least ballpark.  If you have any specific dealbreakers, bring then up now. You should be doing phone interviews with about a dozen people.

3. In-person interview: This is where I get into more about childcare philosophy, how nanny fits into the family, etc.  Listen more than talk, have another conversation confirming the same basic nuts and bolts.  Ask a lot of questions about her previous employers and take notes so that you can have more productive reference checks.  You should be meeting 4-8 people in-person.

4. Reference Checks: Ask for written proof of CPR/First Aid and other certifications.  Google each candidate.  Run a criminal background check or ask to see one from a reputable company.  Ask for her DMV records if applicable.  Go in deep with each reference.  Ask what they would change about her.  If they praise a positive attribute, ask for a specific example.  Make sure their details match up with nanny’s stories about them.  At least 4 references.

If you do all that and still can’t find a good candidate then you need to work with an agency or a consultant to figure out why your position is undesirable.
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