Agencies provide recommendation letters prior to interviews. Go that route.

OP just ignore the snarky posts, really can't people just offer some answers. You sound like a new mom and nervous about who to hire. Where are you looking for candidates? You can ask for a resume from a person you have an interest in. Before you interview read the areas where experience is listed, the position they had and how long. When you interview that is the time you can ask for references/ letters of recomend and let the candidate know you have an interest but want to check the references and do a background check. Any candidate should not object to this, you need to check the reference to the experience listed on the resume. If the candidate is still employed they may want to hold that reference until they are hired, this is a safety measure for them but they should have prior references you can contact.

I have been a nanny for 9 years, but I only have 4 references because I tend to be with families long-term. I have never bothered to get LOR because all of my nanny references would be happy to discuss my work in detail via phone or email, so I just never saw the need.

I usually do an in-depth phone interview discussing logistics (location, salary, benefits, hours, duties, kids' personalities and unique needs, etc.) and getting a good feel for overall fit. If I am seriously considerinf the family after that then I send them my references before meeting in person.

References are only asked for IF AND WHEN a Job is offered
They should ask for a reference from your shrink.

Anonymous wrote:

doodlebug wrote:Most people don't even have recommendation letters. If you asked for one, I could type one up and email it to you... see where I'm going with that?

I don't give out references until we've met in person and are both sure we want to move forward. I'm leery of people who ask for them before we meet because it means you don't have experience working with people/managing and you'll probably ask me for other inappropriate things later on.

Many nannies have recommendation letters. You can't actually just type one up. A REAL recommendation letter will be signed and dated by both parents. I have 3 recommendation letters, all signed. It would be odd not having it's signed.

oh please. Anyone can sign any name to anything. That doesn't make it legitimate.

I only share my references once I've met the family and am fairly sure I want to work with them. I assume you wouldn't want to have to talk to dozens of potential employers once your nanny finishes with you and is looking for another job, and neither do my references.

OP, this is borderline rude, and at the very least is off-putting to many nannies. I never asked for references before meeting a candidate.

1) Why would I want to waste my time before interviewing the candidate to see if we are a fit?

2) Why would I want to waste my time before the candidate figures out if she is interested in working for me?

3) Why would I waste the time of her past employers, who are very likely busy parents just like the rest of us? Can you imagine if she included their phone numbers with every single position she applied for, before even having an interview?

My biggest question, though, is why do you want to spend your time checking their references before you even meet them?

doodlebug wrote:Most people don't even have recommendation letters. If you asked for one, I could type one up and email it to you... see where I'm going with that?

I don't give out references until we've met in person and are both sure we want to move forward. I'm leery of people who ask for them before we meet because it means you don't have experience working with people/managing and you'll probably ask me for other inappropriate things later on.

Yes!! The people who ask for these before meeting tend to be the ones who view nannies as housekeepers. This is my experience, at least.

doodlebug wrote:Most people don't even have recommendation letters. If you asked for one, I could type one up and email it to you... see where I'm going with that?

I don't give out references until we've met in person and are both sure we want to move forward. I'm leery of people who ask for them before we meet because it means you don't have experience working with people/managing and you'll probably ask me for other inappropriate things later on.

Many nannies have recommendation letters. You can't actually just type one up. A REAL recommendation letter will be signed and dated by both parents. I have 3 recommendation letters, all signed. It would be odd not having it's signed.

Most people don't even have recommendation letters. If you asked for one, I could type one up and email it to you... see where I'm going with that?

I don't give out references until we've met in person and are both sure we want to move forward. I'm leery of people who ask for them before we meet because it means you don't have experience working with people/managing and you'll probably ask me for other inappropriate things later on.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are looking for a nanny for our infant son. We would like to check references prior to candidates coming to our home. A couple candidates seemed fine with it, but a number of nannies said no. Is it a red flag that maybe their references are bad?

It is customary to offer a reference AFTER meeting in person. I'd be more worried about the nannies who offered their references before meeting. They seem more likely to be more desperate for a job or have less experience. Any nanny who waits to offer references until after the in-person meeting is someone you want to consider more seriously. Would you want someone offering your contact information up to a stranger? I treat my references like gold. I only allow people I'm EXTREMELY interested in working for have access to them.

Op here. What about sharing recommendation letters?

No.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are looking for a nanny for our infant son. We would like to check references prior to candidates coming to our home. A couple candidates seemed fine with it, but a number of nannies said no. Is it a red flag that maybe their references are bad?

It is customary to offer a reference AFTER meeting in person. I'd be more worried about the nannies who offered their references before meeting. They seem more likely to be more desperate for a job or have less experience. Any nanny who waits to offer references until after the in-person meeting is someone you want to consider more seriously. Would you want someone offering your contact information up to a stranger? I treat my references like gold. I only allow people I'm EXTREMELY interested in working for have access to them.

Op here. What about sharing recommendation letters?

I would hesitate to give out references until I was fairly certain I wanted the job. If I'm interviewing a lot of families, I don't want my references bombarded with phone calls.

Also, if rates and job specifics aren't discussed beforehand, I wouldn't want to waste anyone's time if the family and I aren't a good match.

Anonymous wrote:We are looking for a nanny for our infant son. We would like to check references prior to candidates coming to our home. A couple candidates seemed fine with it, but a number of nannies said no. Is it a red flag that maybe their references are bad?

It is customary to offer a reference AFTER meeting in person. I'd be more worried about the nannies who offered their references before meeting. They seem more likely to be more desperate for a job or have less experience. Any nanny who waits to offer references until after the in-person meeting is someone you want to consider more seriously. Would you want someone offering your contact information up to a stranger? I treat my references like gold. I only allow people I'm EXTREMELY interested in working for have access to them.

We are looking for a nanny for our infant son. We would like to check references prior to candidates coming to our home. A couple candidates seemed fine with it, but a number of nannies said no. Is it a red flag that maybe their references are bad?