Anonymous wrote:OP to PP, you got a lot of it, particularly the part about actively working with a child to teach them, not just watching and waiting, and juggling the interests of multiple children. It seems like a lot of nannies talk the talk but then don't perform. Obviously I haven't figured out how to screen for these qualities.

OP, 15.59 here. I'm actually a nanny, so you may or may not find my advice useful, but I'll give it a try.

Prior to your interview, how much information do you have for each candidate? The most prepared parents who interview me have a profile that they save and edit when needed. Some also send me questionnaires, and a few have the same questions asked in different ways. Some of the questionnaires are short, half a page to maybe a page long. Others have taken me more than 3 hours to finish. Every single family who interviewed me after receiving the questionnaire asked questions based on my answers, and I assume that they were looking for more information about some answers as well as checking to make sure that my verbal answers matched the written answers.

When you interview, how are you doing it? If the candidate can answer with yes/no, short phrases or even one sentence, it's not going to give you much insight. If you can get the candidate talking, you'll see more of who she is. Some interviews that have been successful were simply conversations, others were series of open-ended questions from the parents, followed by more questions from me.

How do you evaluate whether the nanny is a good fit? Some families do one shadow day, some do one week and then evaluate, some have a month-long trial period. The longer your trial period, the more likely it is that she won't be able to hide flaws from you. There will be small things about her that annoy you just like there will be small things about you that annoy her. Trust your gut to know whether it will work, and watch your child's involuntary actions. If the child likes the nanny, it should be obvious.

If you think that the issue is compensation, what can you do to sweeten it for a professional? Each nanny is different in what she will want to supplement average or sub-par pay, so be clear with what you are offering. Also, be clear about what you require (5 years experience or a second specific language) and what would be ideal but not required (degree, 10 years experience). Good luck, OP!

OP to PP, you got a lot of it, particularly the part about actively working with a child to teach them, not just watching and waiting, and juggling the interests of multiple children. It seems like a lot of nannies talk the talk but then don't perform. Obviously I haven't figured out how to screen for these qualities.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It never hurts to starts looking sooner rather than later, especially if you want a professional.

Why you say the nanny have to be professional?
You just have lots loves for kids the other's thing come naturally,nanny daesn't need a degree for take care of the kids...

Why does she want a professional? Perhaps she wants someone who doesn't need constant direction to care for children. Perhaps she wants to hire someone who is experienced, someone who can help her through the learning curve that is raising children. Perhaps she wants a nanny who can help with homework and teach them (anything from grammatically correct English to another language or early reading if the child is ready). Perhaps she wants someone who knows how to make healthy food for young children. Perhaps she wants someone who knows how to juggle schedules for multiple children without minimizing any child's interest. Perhaps she wants someone who understands child development and is actively working with the child to grow and learn, rather than having the childcare provider just watch and wait. Perhaps she wants the peace of mind that her nanny is a professional who is unlikely to be overwhelmed or confused by anything the child does. Perhaps she wants to hire someone who has proven experience handling minor and/or major emergenices. There are tons of reasons, all of which go far beyond just loving a child. Loving a child doesn't have a thing to do with safety, socialization, education or anything of the myriad issues that a professional nanny will handle.

Anonymous wrote:It never hurts to starts looking sooner rather than later, especially if you want a professional.

Why you say the nanny have to be professional?
You just have lots loves for kids the other's thing come naturally,nanny daesn't need a degree for take care of the kids...

It took me six weeks.

The last time around it took me a month to find a good fit and another month before she was available to start.

It never hurts to starts looking sooner rather than later, especially if you want a professional.

I've been through the nanny search twice with hard deadlines and ended up with nannies that work out long term. This time, I have flexibility but don't want to wait too long to start looking and don't want to wait too long while looking before adjusting what I am offering (if what I'm offering turns out to be the reason I'm not finding "the right" one). I'd be looking at a start date ranging from late September to late October.