Agree with nanny deb.

The prior posters attack of career nannies in no way represents the large majority of then that I know. Most of us would in fact consider anything child related to be within our realm of duties (including sorting through clothing and even buying it if the parents wish.)

We are not so set in our ways that we cannot work well with parents- the opposite is definitely true for me. I have worked with so many different families that I know there's more than one "right" way to do it, and feel its important parents have a say in that and how they want it done. I can offer guidance and insight if desired, but the parents make the decisions unless their decision is to relegate it to me.

An agency isn't a guarantee, and many career nannies do spear head their own searches opting not to work through an agency. I would rather parents save $ on the fee if possible. Many of my jobs do come via word of mouth but not all of them.

Good luck in your search- don't let the posters on these boards (either the bitter parents or the negative nannies) get to you. The real world (even posting to find a nanny on DCUM) is much different than this board.

What you want is a professional nanny who is capable of flexibility in her job duties (although she'll want said duties spelled out in a contact), and who may very well consider herself a "career nanny" (but isn't too full of her own self-importance to work as your employee), who has a lot of experience (but isn't unwilling to listen to your needs/desires and follow your lead, although she'll want you to listen to her ideas) and has stayed with families long-term (and has the glowing references to prove it) while still continuing to expand her knowledge base (so that her theories on infant care aren't 5 years old) and who fits your specific childcare budget.

This mythical creature may call herself a sitter, a nanny, a professional nanny, a career nanny, or the Queen of All Things Kid. The title doesn't matter, the attitude, and the fit with your family, and the way she relates to your kid(s) is what matters.

Don't listen to the bitter PP's. They got burned. That doesn't mean you will.

pp here. But if you wanted to find a career nanny, I would post in the ad "X years of experience needed.." "prefer someone who has been with previous family for at least __ years"

I don't know why you want a career nanny. You want someone who is professional and good with kids. That is different from a career nanny who I define as someone who's made a career out of being a nanny for at least 10 years and doesn't have plans to get into a different career field.

1. They are way too savvy at being an employee and you as an employer is a "beginner" and there is a risk of being railroaded. For instance a good professional nanny will be open to putting away off season kids' clothes. A career nanny will say "that's not in the job description." It may not come to a face to face confrontation like that but small things will happen each day where a career nanny makes a decision that ___ is not part of her job. You won't even know about it. You'll only care that the kids are safe and do well with her but you could be getting a lot more from another good but not "career" nanny.

2. A good nanny can be paid less. A career nanny will want to be paid significantly more but whether she is actually better than a "good" nanny is a luck of the draw. I've seen many career nannies be no better than more motivated non-career nannies.

3. Similar to #1 but career nannies will manage you. They've been playing the game for 20 years. They know what to say if they don't want to do something or how they do potty training for the past 20 years is different from how you do it. They have made a career out of knowing how to push back, set expectations, and ultimately do things the way they want to do it. If they kept "losing" they would not be happy campers and would not have made a career out of it.

I would not recommend a career nanny. A career nanny is better than a "just out of school kid with no other options" or "immigrant with no other options and bad english" type nanny. But there are other good nannies out there, not career, who are better.

OP you need to ditch the idea of finding a "career nanny". Any nanny can declare that they are a career nanny even though they are no more qualified than the next person off the street.

We had the best luck finding good candidates by posting ads on several sources including on-line and print. We also did a lot of phone screening interviews. The best candidates were ones who had longer term experience with previous employers, a consistent job history with real and glowing references from previous employers (more than just the last one) that spoke toward their work ethic and abilities and of course full time nanny experience with infants and preschoolers.

The worst ones were just out of college or former preschool teachers who had no real full time nanny experience but believed they knew everything even though they couldn't answer basic questions about infant care. The second worst bunch were the ones who clearly did not read the ad and ignored the you must be legal statement. Once you dig through these groups, you will find many great candidates it just takes weeding through at least a hundred applicants.

I am a career nanny not a career writer anyone who use a keyboard for typing made a mistake once in while especially when you have bigfingers like i do.

How are you a career nanny if you can't even use proper grammar? By the way, I'm a nanny with over 12 years experience and have never used an agency to find a family. Being a nanny is my passion and that's what makes being a nanny my "career".

My rate starts @ $20.00 an hour but you have one child so that could be too high for you to pay for one child.but with
my experience i use this rate because i know to handle any situation when it come sto kids.

what is career about that? its the norm for a dedicated nanny

Anonymous wrote:If you send me your email I will send you my information
I am a career nanny I have work with most of the top
agences in this area. I have been a nanny for more than twenty years I have work with new born twins to kids with
autism too so please provide your email for more infor.

Great. Can you tell me what your expected rate is for a 7 month old, mostly sleep-trained baby. Additional responsibilities would involve driving to play dates, gymboree, parks and once a week lunch with us to downtown DC. 50 hrs per week guaranteed during the week + chances for 4 hr blocks of babysitting during the weekend at least once a month (optional).

Anonymous wrote:How do I find them?

Through an agency. Career nannies are typically represented by an agency when they aren't passed on to a new family via word of mouth.

If you send me your email I will send you my information
I am a career nanny I have work with most of the top
agences in this area. I have been a nanny for more than twenty years I have work with new born twins to kids with
autism too so please provide your email for more infor.

What do you mean by career nannies? do you mean a nanny with many years of nanny experience?

How do I find them?