9:37 here. Glad it was helpful. I am a nanny myself but I typically work with HNW families that need LOTS of coverage so I have hired part time or weekend only nannies many times and this is my system.

I wanted to clarify that 30-60 min per day for two weeks is the time I spend actively winnowing down the pool to my priority candidates but it actually tends to take more like 6 weeks from when I start the search to when a candidate is ready to start. I was trying to answrr your question about what the time commitment looks like. For me there is usually a 2-week period where it takes lota of time because I am posting, searching and replying to messages at least once or twice a day every single day. By the two week point I am usually done with the phone interview stage and so I only have to do in-person interviews, which takes less time. Although reference checks can be somewhat time consuming as well.

Anonymous wrote:Some of the questions asked are so stupid they defy the imagination! You use your head and common sense, the same way you find a job, car, house. Unfortunately, choosing to have a baby and the questions that need answers, never occurred to OP!

Oh, aren’t you delightful. Here’s a tip, if you are new to something or not as experienced, it is okay to ask questions. Remember that when you are new to something.

Depends on whether you are using a crap site like Care.com or using an agency.

Anonymous wrote:I'm new to this having SAH and used a daycare center in the past. When you don't find a nanny via friends, how time consuming is finding a nanny and how do most people structure the initial contact/subsequent interview(s?)?

-How many candidates do you usually end up interviewing?
-Do you do a phone interview first? Do you have an initial interview at a coffee shop and then another at your home once you have it narrowed down? At what point do they meet your children?

It took us about a month to find the right person.
We interviewed 6 or 7. We did a VERY brief phone interview if we liked their resume basically confirming the pay rate, hours, nature of job, etc. Like 2 or 3 minutes of that and then "Let's meet up." We just did interviews at our house. They met the baby during the interview.

Some of the questions asked are so stupid they defy the imagination! You use your head and common sense, the same way you find a job, car, house. Unfortunately, choosing to have a baby and the questions that need answers, never occurred to OP!

A+ answer above!
The only thing I will add is that 2 weeks is a good amount of time if you know what you want and prompt with candidates (which you should be) to figure out who you want to hire, but nannies may need to give notice at their current job, you may want to do additional training/trial days, or if you're hiring for the first time you may be figuring some things out about your needs and the nanny candidate pool as you interview and need slightly more time. If you have a hard deadline for when the nanny needs to be "up and running" with your kids, better to give yourself 4-6 weeks for the whole process.

OP here...PP, this is seriously the most helpful response I have ever seen on DCUM. THANK YOU! You brought up some tips I would have not thought of on my own.

PP is a machine - god bless him/her! It's all excellent advice.

My process is similar. I do, however, also have a trial day where the prospective nanny spends some time w/ my kids. That allows me to observe how she interacts w/ them, whether she gets down on the floor/is animated/handles both kids simultaneously well/etc...

30-60 minutes a day for around 2 weeks.

Stage 1: post an ad on assorted websites and listserves. Be detailed and don’t try to sugar-coat anything but keep it mostly upbeat. Avoid: “light housekeeping,” “adorable/sweet/delightful children,” “competitive rate.”

Stage 2: start searching through the site you are using for candidates that match your needs. Link them to your job posting and ask several specific questions (e.g., does a commute to X work for you?). If they reply AND answered all of your specific questions on the first try AND their answers are in line with what you need, then they move on to a phone interview. For those who contact you about your ad it is the same thing. You reply with the same list of specific follow-up questions. If their profile or initial email look good AND they answered the questions on the first try AND their answers work: phone interview.

Stage 3: I usually do 10-20 phone interviews. During the phone interview, first ask some basic questions that rule out any dealbreakers (Are you able to be paid legally and on the books? Are you CPR/First Aid trained? Have you had your TDAP vaccination?). If that all checks out, describe the job in detail (hours, duties, your vibe as a family) and ask 1) what they would charge for the job as described and 2) Whether they think they’d be a good fit. Follow up by asking a few open-ended questions about their experience with kids and some questions about how they would handle a few hypothetical scenarios.

Stage 4: If they seem like a good fit logistically and emotionally, they move on to an in-person interview (I typically do 3-8 in-persons interviews). which can include meeting the kids but should definitely include some time to talk with just adults as well. This is where you get into the weeds on how she handles discipline, communication, etc. At the end of the interview, if she is a real contender, you ask for references and a background check.

Stage 5: Go through references as quickly as possible (take your time talking to them but don’t sit on references for 3 days before calling or emailing, or your nanny may not be available by the time you decide you want to hire her). Ask lots of questions, include some “wrong” details (“nanny said she cared for your two boys” when she actually said girls) to weed out fake references.

Stage 6: If references check out, make a job offer and set a meeting to come up with a written contract. There may be some back and forth pn the details of this but once you can agree you have a nanny!

I'm new to this having SAH and used a daycare center in the past. When you don't find a nanny via friends, how time consuming is finding a nanny and how do most people structure the initial contact/subsequent interview(s?)?

-How many candidates do you usually end up interviewing?
-Do you do a phone interview first? Do you have an initial interview at a coffee shop and then another at your home once you have it narrowed down? At what point do they meet your children?