Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:.
I hope you realize that you are paying your high schooler $10 an hour to babysit on the side yet your nanny with a masters degree who does this as her full-time job only $15. Do you think that is fair? You expect her to go to school for 6 years and bring nearly a decade of experience and glowing references to you for only $5 an hour more than your high schooler? And then do a amazing job to boot with no mistakes and never using her phone and helping out around the house? Something has to give, and in your case it's her commitment and attention while on the job.
I think you misunderstood my post.
Our date night/part-time nanny is NOT a high schooler. She is 42 yrs old, has 2 grown children, a high school degree, great references, and works full-time at the hospital, and readily admitted during our interview that she has not had any experience with babies other than her own children. But she is wonderful with our baby! She is loving, a very hard worker, energetic, and just seems to have good judgement when it comes to safety. Incidentally, she also does not have a smart phone. She only charges $10 per hour but since she does such a good job we often give her a bonus.
Our other nanny that I described is also in her 40's. She has one grown child, a masters degree, great references, and nanny experience with babies. She works about 8-10 hours a week for us. She is loving, but not energetic and arrives to work every day with her Iphone AND Ipad. Frankly, I think other posters are right that she is lazy. And because she does have a masters degree she may feel she is too above reading to or interacting with a baby.
My point was that I'm beginning to think that work ethic, good judgement, and a sincere interest in the child is more important than education or professional experience. I don't mean to insult any professional or highly trained nannies here. Im sure there are many of you who are wonderful and some who are not. I'm just saying that I don't always think "you get what you pay for" or that experience means they will be a good nanny. I also don't know how to tell from an interview who is a hard worker vs lazy. I think its very easy for every nanny or baby sitter to have all glowing references - they just don't give the names of prior employers/families that would have anything negative to say.