Being a hands-on parent could be a great experience since you get to raise your children and see them grow. But as you juggle work, your household and supervising your children all at the same time, there are times that you would really consider an extra hand. Hiring a nanny will be the perfect help you’ll need to ensure the safety and comfort of your little ones whilst you are not around.
However, finding the perfect nanny is no picnic. It is easy to get childcare help but the question will always be the nanny’s capabilities and qualifications. Of course all parents would agree that they will want someone who has great personality and character traits because the nanny will be around the children more often.
When finding the perfect nanny, the parents will have to take into account many factors that may affect the hiring process. This includes budget, work schedule, their experience and if they share the same values or childcare perspectives. So here are the top 10 tips to find the right nanny for your children:
A famous author says “preparation is rightly two-thirds of any venture.” Hiring a nanny is somehow a risk and preparing everything — from your budget to the questions that you’re going to ask the applicants — will minimize your worries. Planning ahead involves the information about the nanny that matters to you.
Composing your plan includes making a checklist of all the requirements, qualifications and skills that you’ll need from your nanny. It is also important to think about what type of nanny you’d like to have for your children. Do you prefer bilingual nannies? Would you need someone who can cook or do light housekeeping? Is it important that the nanny has qualifications like Paediatric First Aid training or Infant Care education? Would you desire someone firm and authoritative or someone loose and playful?
Aside from your preferences, it is ideal to write a job description that will tell the days and total hours that you’ll need from your nanny, the expected responsibilities, and the requirements you will need from them. This will serve as your guide throughout your search. The nanny you will employ solely depends on you so make sure to outline everything that you will consider from your applicants.
Mums, make use of your social networks and you’ll find dozens of referrals in no time. Fellow mothers will be happy to share their experience with their previous nannies and getting your family or friend’s nanny recommendation can make you feel at ease since they could testify about the capabilities and qualities of the applicant. So ask around and check your network for suitable nanny candidates.
Upon getting applicants, it is essential to tap on your computer and do a thorough research on the nannies. You can start with Facebook or Instagram. It is a common practice today to get to know your employees through their social media since, let’s face it, you can dig more in there, apart from your one on one interview. Second, you may want to reach out to their references and get additional information. Specifically, you could find out if your nanny is in debt which is also important as you don’t want to hire someone that begins asking for credits or loans as soon as they signed the contract. You can also check if the nanny is COVID conscious and if you both share the same principles when it comes to health and hygiene. Things like these are only obtainable with the proper and thorough research.
Of course, a DBS check can officially claim your candidate’s background check and criminal records.
Whilst we consider nannies to be strong and hard workers, we can expect that once in a while they will get sick or may get exhausted. It is important to know though, that this will not be a serious thing and nannies must be reliable especially through times that you need them the most. Considering your nanny’s health condition is also a practical way to make sure that you don’t expose your children to unknown disease or virus.
Moreover, today is the most crucial time to be cautious. With the threat of the pandemic, you will want to be certain of the activities of your nannies, inside and outside your home, to secure your family and household against the virus.
One way to find the perfect nanny is to schedule a face to face interview with them. Yes, research and checking references are imperative but it is still necessary to see them in person. This way, you’ll see how you truly feel about the candidate and if they are easy to get along with. Your children must also have the opportunity to realize if they are comfortable with your chosen nanny or not. Even though they might be distant at first, the right fit will always have a quick way to win their hearts.
Even when you have the check list of everything you need from a candidate, you have let out what really matters to you. This is a type of conversation that will matter in the long run. Would you like someone intuitive or confident? Someone with their own offspring so that he or she can relate to your children’s needs? Are you looking for a candidate who loves taking care of children as much as spending time with them? Or maybe a nanny who will focus and has a full knowledge on the children’s milestones and development?
Parents will want their nannies to treat the children like their own so that they may get the best care that they deserve. Loving one’s own may mean putting the children’s interest first or even giving their time and effort to make them feel loved and cherished.
At this point, you might already have someone in mind. The candidate that you chose is of course entitled to decide whether they will settle with your family or not. This is why you have to present yourself in a way that would attract the candidate that you’d like to work for you.
Parents could make themselves seem warm and friendly, organised, and above all, respectful of the candidate’s time, culture and needs.
Indeed, the first meeting could be different for when your nanny is already looking after your children. A trial run will allow you to observe your nanny’s style, personality, intuition and ability to follow orders, rules and regulations. Don’t expect your nanny to be perfect but you can at least give her time to adjust as well. The trial period is also the time to teach the nanny your way of handling things or to give the nanny basic training needed to reach absolute satisfaction.
Reputable agencies could be the easiest way to meet the most suitable nanny for you. They have a professional method in finding someone that would fit your criteria and they will also be happy to verify the candidate’s written and verbal references and offer you their previous employer’s contact details.
Little Ones UK, for example, has thorough vetting and screening procedures for hopeful applicants to determine the most committed and competent ones throughout the UK. They have a qualified team that handles all mandatory requirements in finding and hiring a nanny to avoid all the trouble of doing so. The initial process includes a face to face interview which tackles thorough assessment on the nanny’s personal history, experience, work values and ethics. Identity and work visa checks are also recorded for all nanny and childcare candidates which means that the agency will recommend candidates that you can fully trust. Moreover, they require the following documents:
Little Ones can provide any particular type of nanny as they are open to full-time or part-time, live-in or live-out, and temporary or permanent positions. The company also requires Paediatric First Aid certification from all nanny and childcare candidates so that they will have first knowledge and training to deal with any kind of emergency that might affect a child. If the nanny doesn’t have one, we offer courses which are certified by the First Aid Industry Body in a much affordable fee to make sure that all nannies working from Little Ones nanny agency are able to fund the class.
If you wish to try out Little Ones Nannies and other services, you can check out our website at https://www.littleoneslondon.co.uk or call us on 0207 183 0309 for more information. You can also send us your enquiry at enquiries@littleoneslondon.co.uk. For updates, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn.
