Subject:  Re: family has questions, not ... |
Author:
Joy
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Date Posted: 15:27:02 06/28/04 Mon
This is a great question to ask. I've been a nanny myself for 8 years. One of the things agencies always ask when I interview with them is what age children I'm comfortable with. What are my favorite ages? Some nannies are amazing with infants and clueless about pre-teens and vice versa. You might also want to find out things like the following: What kinds of activities they like to do with children. You want to make sure the person you're looking at has a real love and interest in children and is not just looking for a 'job'. This is all stuff you've probably thought of already. But I'll keep going anyway. You'll want to watch carefully how they interact with your kids on the interview, that sort of thing.
As nanny, I like it when a family is clear about there expectations and their requirements from the beginning. It is no fun, to have one's job description revised two or three weeks into the job, let me tell you. Also, it is important to meet with your nanny on a fairly regular basis. I'd say, once a week for the first month or so and then monthly afterward. Nannies as group tend to be kind of shy about putting forward their needs if they are having a problem, so you may have to do a little fishing. This is also a great time to touch base and make sure that each person's expectations are being met.
Praise is very important. Remember being a nanny is not like a regular job, we don't often enjoy the admiration of our peers or supervisors, or officemates. We spend most of our time with people under five feet tall. It's can be fairly isolating. And while it's true, that as a parent you pay us for our time, you can't possibly begin to compensate (monetarily) a good nanny for the amount of intellectual and emotional energy she'll pour focus on your child on a daily basis. So if you appreciate her efforts, please tell her so.
If you have a problem with the way she's doing something, tell her that as well. The sensitivity that makes her great with your child, often gives her the ability to know when something is troubling you as well. If it remains unresolved, it will cause unneccessary stress all around.
I have no idea if any of this will help. But I hope so.
>I may be starting a job in the next month and am
>interested in finding a nanny. We have never done this
>before. As nannies, what should we be looking for,
>what do nannies find important in a job situation. Any
>advice you can give me will benefit the nanny, us and
>our children.
>Jess
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