How to Spot Warning signs of a Bad Nanny

There are warning signs, bad signs of nannies you can notice. By recognizing these signs it can be very helpful to pick your perfect nanny. If you spot these signs from your nanny, it does not mean she is going to harm your child by any means. But in order to keep your child happy and safe you need to make sure that the nanny does not show any of these signs.

If the nanny talks more about discipline she may not has a good understanding on children's psychology. This type of nannies are probably uninterested to play and less enthusiastic. A nanny should not treat the child as prisoner. A nanny who do not interact with your child or not move on quickly with your child should not be hired. Good nanny always have things to talk/tell about children, past experiences and all. Specially if your nanny is young, check the computer. You do not need your nanny spending her time on Facebook, Youtube and other messengers rather than looking after your child. A lazy nanny would not keep your home clean even your child's room, while an active nanny cleans the child's room even if she is not supposed to do it. Count how many diapers and notice child's cloths. You should not find your child wearing pajama or same dress when you come home in the evening. Even few months old babies show their anxiety towards persons they do not like. Your nanny should not be the one. Also you should not have a nanny that leaves as soon as you arrived home. If your child is sick, a real caring nanny would call you in the night or in weekends to check whether everything is fine.

Hiring a person to take care of your child is a serious responsibility. So as a parent you should do your home work in properly manner to hire the right nanny by checking her background, arranging interviews, giving trial run etc. Hope this tips will help you on giving best care giver for your child. To get nanny services Toronto check out WeNeedANanny.ca. I can recommend that site to find a nanny where I found nanny for my children and their services are good.

Few Ideas to the Best Nanny for your Child in Toronto

A nanny plays an important role in your child's life. So it is important to find the perfect nanny for your child. For many parents nanny is a part of their life, so they spend so much time finding out the right nanny to look after their child. Choosing a nanny can be a very hard and an exhausting process. It is very important to select the best nanny for your child. You can choose a nanny by internet. There a lot of child caregivers in Toronto, Canada. You can find websites that link parents and nannies in Toronto. On such websites you can find list of nannies by state or city like nanny Toronto, nanny Vancouver  and so on.  Here both parents and nannies can register in the website. Parents can check the profiles of nannies and list down few candidates who are suitable for them and who met their requirements.

After selecting few candidates, you must interview them. You have to create few set of questions and ask the same set of questions from all the selected candidates. Once you select few nannies after going through their profiles, you have to do a phone interview first. The main idea of phone interview is to narrow down the list. When the phone interview is done, you have to do an in-person interview with the remaining number of candidates. Make sure that you select nannies around Toronto, Canada. If she is a nanny from any other area, it is really hard for her to visit daily and it will cause so many problems. You have to select at least two nannies after the in-person interviews. After selecting parents should ask for references of previous jobs. This is really important some lazy parents do not verify the references, they just stick to the word. It is very important to go in-person and verify them. You can ask questions about the nanny from those referees and clear your further doubts. Once you select a particular nanny, ask her to come for a working interview and evaluate her. If she is successful then hire her.

After hiring the suitable nanny you have to introduce her to your household and daily routines. You must explain her about the household work and you should give a tour of your home. She should know each and every corner of your home, since she is the person who is going to be there with your child when you are away. You should clearly explain her the boundaries. A nanny should have certain limits. So it is your duty to explain her those limits. You should always enlighten her about the emergency situations, how often she should call you and all the emergency contacts. Therefore as a parent it is you job to educate the newly hired nanny about her responsibilities and her duties.

Ten common mistakes when hiring a nanny

Source : http://www.nurturingnannies.co.uk/ten-common-mistakes-when-hiring-a-nanny/

We speak to nanny employer’s on a daily basis, often when they are hiring or firing a nanny. What common mistakes do we find that families make when hiring a nanny?

1. Inadequate checking of references and background: Failure to speak candidly to a candidate’s references about your job and their experiences with the candidate has led many a family to make a hiring mistake. This takes time, and in their hurry to staff the position, many families take, and then regret, this shortcut.
2. Not offering the local nanny rate: Hiring a nanny is expensive. Offering below the market rate not only makes it harder to staff the position, but it also leads to frequent turnover as the nanny leaves for a better paying position.
3. Unrealistic Expectations for Housekeeping Help: Parents often have to higher expectations of their nanny. They reason that their child naps a few hours every afternoon and the nanny should be able to use this down time to take care of all of the housekeeping chores. It IS realistic to expect that a nanny will leave your house in the condition you left it. Unloading the dishwasher, emptying the full kitchen trash, and cleaning up around the high chair are all realistic expectations. It IS NOT realistic to expect the nanny to spend the hour or two that your child is napping cleaning bathrooms, doing the parent’s laundry, mopping floors, etc. A nanny typically works in a very isolated situation, with little adult interaction and no meaningful breaks away from work. She needs some time in her 9 or 10 hour day to sit down, have a cup of tea, phone a friend, or in some manner take a break before resuming full childcare responsibilites.
4. Poor Communication about Wages and Taxes: You might believe that the nanny should expect that you will deduct taxes, and when you offer her £500 per week, she will only clear £425 after taxes. Wrong! Many nannies (and domestics in general) hear and understand the salary offer as a take home pay. You need to clearly communicate all wage issues, including overtime, up front when hiring. Miscommunication on wages had torpedoed many a nanny:family relationship.
5. Hiring without a written Contract: Don’t do it! A well crafted work agreement will spell out all the terms and conditions of the employment relationship, including hours, duties, benefits, and wages.
6. Disagreement on Childcare Style: The family is very permissive, the nanny believes in boundaries. The nanny believes in disciplining with time out, the family believes in taking away privileges. Talk about this up front. Ask the nanny about how she disciplines. Articulate your philosophy and ask her for feedback. Inconsistency in discipline and childrearing philosophies is not good for your children, and you will not be happy with the relationship long term.
7. Failure to Provide Training and Orientation: The new nanny does not know exactly how your family operates. A family needs to spend adequate time – from several hours, to several days, acclimating the new nanny.
8. Micromanagement: This is common with families with new babies, and families hiring their first nanny. It is perfectly legitimate to articulate your expectations to the nanny, and to request that she maintain a nanny diary. It is unreasonable to expect her to have your baby napping from exactly 9:00 – 9:45 and 1:00 – 2:15. Tell her what you need done, and if necessary how you like it done, and then give her the lattitude and flexibility to order her day to accomplish what you expect.
9. Failure to Pay for Holidays and Days the Family is on holiday: A full time nanny should expect to receive her guaranteed base weekly pay all 52 weeks of a year, whether you need her for all or part of a week or not. Nanny should only be docked for days when she is absent (sick, car trouble, whatever the reason) and there is no flexible leave time (paid time off) available. And remember, pay day should never be delayed – if you will be gone on your nanny’s pay date please provide her pay in advance.
10. Issues Transporting Your Children: If the nanny is required to use her personal vehicle for work purposes, you need to reimburse her. The nanny may be reluctant to use her vehicle; we always recommend that families provide a vehicle for their child’s transport, including age appropriate safety seats.

As soon as you decide you would like the help of Nurturing Nannies to help you find that perfect nanny, we will help and advise you through the interview process and once you decide on a nanny, we will work with you and your nanny on a contract you are both happy with.

Hiring a Nanny – 7 Tips on Finding the Right Fit for your Family when Hiring a Nanny

Source : http://www.momeomagazine.com/hiring-a-nanny-7-tips-on-finding-the-right-fit-for-your-family-when-hiring-a-nanny/

Hiring a nanny is perhaps the single most important task you will do as a parent because whoever you hire is not only responsible for the health and safety of your child, but their social and emotional development as well.

Too often parents rush through the task of hiring a nanny, eager to find an extra helping hand or driven by a looming back-to-work deadline. Don’t give in to the temptation. Rushing to hire a nanny often results in the bad hires you see on the news or hear about at Mommy and Me groups.

Shift your thinking from “Hiring a Nanny” to “Attracting a Nanny”

Hiring a nanny is no different from any other hiring situation, except that most parents don’t have a background in human resources like corporate hiring managers. That’s why I mapped out a step-by-step process for hiring a nanny.

Instead of thinking of it as you hiring a nanny, think of your job as attracting a nanny. The objective is to clearly identify what you want in a nanny and build a hiring process that attracts the best nanny candidates and repels the nannies that aren’t a fit for your family.

Often parents assume that salary is the only tool at their disposal for attracting the quality and level of candidates that they would like. This is not necessarily the case, which is why your hiring strategy needs to include a bit of a sales pitch on why the best nanny candidates would want to work for you!

7 Tips on Finding the Right Fit for your Family when Hiring a Nanny

Hiring a Nanny Tip #1: Create a wish list that reflects your family values
Sit down and decide what is important to your family. Do you want a nanny who is going to get down on the floor with your child and play or one who doubles as a housekeeper/maid to help out around the house? Get very specific about your wish list and then prioritize it.

Hiring a Nanny Tip #2: Write an ad to attract the right nanny for your family
Writing an ad to hire a nanny is where many parents go wrong. Don’t start your ad by listing the qualities you want in a nanny; start by selling potential nanny candidates on WHY they would want to work for you.
Describe what type of environment the nanny will be working in, share your parenting philosophy, include your values in the description, and talk about what makes your family special (and be honest).

Next build your wish list into the description of what you are looking for in a nanny. Be clear and upfront about your priorities. If you want to hire a nanny who takes your kids to the park everyday, include loves the outdoors as a descriptor.

Close your ad by listing the benefits you offer, a salary range and how you would like them to apply, by mail or email, etc. Ask all candidates to include a resume AND a cover letter to allow you to assess their English language skills.

Hiring a Nanny Tip #3: Create a short list of potential nannies that match your wish list
Chances are you will receive a lot of resumes (good ads tend to do that). Compare your list of must-have’s to both the experience and attitude of the nanny candidates. Create a short list to invite for interviews, making note of any red flags such as gaps in employment history or anything else that makes you feel uncomfortable.

Hiring a Nanny Tip #4: Prepare for interviews with values-based questions
Create a standard set of behavioral interview questions that reflect your family values and priority list, leaving space to take notes. A standard list will better enable you to compare nanny to nanny, but also include specific questions based on their resume or anything that popped up as a red flag.

Behavioral interviews include open-ended questions that allow candidates to describe their experience or demonstrate their problem-solving abilities. Ask questions like “Share with us your philosophy of play”, “How do you discipline a child who is misbehaving?” or “What would you do in an emergency?”

Hiring a Nanny Tip #5: Conduct dual interviews with yourself and then the child
Interview all the nanny candidates separately from your child to avoid the distraction of trying to deal with a bored or fussy child. Watch for candidates who waffle on their answers or give non-answers.
For example, if a nanny candidate answers the question on their discipline style with something like “I would do whatever the parents want me to do”, consider it a red flag. The candidate is only telling you what you want to hear and in heightened situations, they will go back to their methodology so you want to know if that includes spanking or hitting if that is not your preference.

Create a short list of your short list and introduce them to your child. Watch how the nanny interacts with your child and more importantly, how your child responds to the nanny. Does your child connect with the nanny? Does your child feel comfortable with the nanny?

Hiring a Nanny Tip #6: Check background and call employment references
Do a background check and call both the references provided and past employers, if you can find their contact information. If your nanny is unwilling to have you contact past employers, consider it a red flag. Do not, however, contact the nanny’s current employer as that may result in a bidding war or the nanny being fired from her current position.

Hiring a Nanny Tip #7: Make an offer and write a contract
Now you are ready to make an offer! Write up a contract that includes details such as specific expectations, hours of work, what happens if the nanny is late, what happens if you are late and so on.
Even though most jurisdictions have a standard 3-month probationary period, it’s best to include that in the contract with a termination clause that enables you to let the nanny go without cause or without fault within that 3-month period.

Remember, the key to hiring a nanny is being clear and upfront with what you are looking for and using that to both attract and assess potential candidates.

Nannies On Call: Helping you find your Extraordinary Nanny!

Why check background of your Nanny?

The mistake that many families do is hiring a nanny without checking her background. Those families have put their kids in a risk. How do you know that your nanny is a good person without checking her background?. You do not want to make same mistake as many families do. Because hiring a wrong person as a nanny is a potential threat to your family. Many people who are hiring a nanny without checking their criminal history does not know there are significant number of problems with child abuse cases and stealing caused by nannies. In fact the percentage may be low, But if you are not performing a criminal background check on your prospective nannies there is a possibility that you will be paying for a criminal to come into your home and look after your kids. Doing criminal background will not only help you to have a peace of mind but you can be confident that you are out of risk as well.

It may cost bit, but it is for your family's safety. If you can, hire a professional private investigator. Do not rely on $99 background checks that offered by internet sites. Often all they do is check databases, not actually criminal histories and also do not rely on references. Nanny may give phone number of someone who might not be her previous employer, but that person may act like her previous employer and give good reference to her. If someone else have done the background check for you, always ask for actual report. When in the process of choosing your nanny, you can ask from prospective nannies to bring their police report. Instantly you can Google your nanny's name and check that name on the social media sites also. If your nanny has worked before ask for the details of those families and contact them. Consider a nanny cam if you want to keep an eye on your kids from your work computer.

Summary is there are many good nannies that want to and enjoy looking after kids. They really love the nanny job and that is their occupation. Hire a nanny is a very good option to keep your child safe while you are not at home and balance your work schedule. Just keep in mind that, there can be very few people who are not suitable to take care of your kids, so make sure you are not hiring one without doing a proper background check.

Help guide to prepare nanny interview questions

When you make a shortlist of prospective nannies, next step would be calling them for an interview. Making a list of questions and important points that you want to ask from each nanny will be very helpful at the interview.

You can categorize your questions in to sections such as nanny's Experience, Qualifications, Philosophy about Child caring, Daily routines, On being a nanny, On dealing with children, Salary etc. You should make clear in those categories. Under the experience section you can ask how long you been been a nanny? Have you taken care same age kids as my kids before? Where you have worked before? etc. About qualifications – Did you had any formal childcare training or education? Do you have training in first-aid and CPR? Here you should ask for proofs. Next category is Philosophy about child caring - You should know why this person become a nanny. Why this candidate is looking for a new position. Under the category of daily routine, ask your candidate to describe how they plan to care you child? On being a nanny – Ask about her expectations on her ideal family/employer.  On dealing with children – How you plan to keep my child happy? How you intend to discipline children? Salary – Ask for the nanny's expectation on salary.

At the interview find out the nanny who is matching with your needs. Maybe you want your nanny to pick your children after school, so therefore check her driving license etc. Ask about her future plans and discuss availability on short notice. At the end of the interview give her chance to ask questions about the position.

If you have any specific areas you like to address at the interview, prepare questions for that as well. Be clear and specific. You do not want sound hard but be professional. Because you are in a process of that choosing a nanny for your child, do not hesitate to ask questions on issues that are not clear. Even if the questions are tough.

Finding a Nanny : Nanny Job Description

Find your Nanny by Online

Online nanny  referral services offer you the chance of finding perfect nanny for your child and your family. If you get help from these online services it will reduce waiting time that occurs in other options such as posting/publishing advertisements, notices etc. Also you will have to pay less fee for online nanny referral service than a normal nanny agency. As soon as you registered you can find every job posts and job seekers. You can find the nannies that suit you by just browsing. You do not have to contact each and everyone whom you feel that match with your requirement.

Getting help from an online nanny referral service to find a nanny has proven to be far better way than advertisements and all,  but still some people do not trust these services yet. Considering this let's look at security issues related to  online nanny referral services. A good  online nanny referral services take their registered user's privacy seriously. and let their users know which information goes public and which are not. For and example if you are registered with online nanny referral service and you may willing to contact job seekers/job offerings only through phone. But probably you have given your e-mail address to the  online nanny referral service and you may do not want that to go public or show in your profile or details. There are many  online nanny referral services who earned their reputation by respecting their clients and offering a great services. www.weneedananny.ca is such a nanny directory that connects nannies, babysitters & other child caregivers and parents in Canada.

A good online nanny referral service will make the nanny hiring process easy for you. Tools and resources may be provided that are useful to your interview. Quick filling form will cover the all the requirements you need to mention and if you have anything extra you can easily add them as well. So by having a quick look at your job post other people may easily have a better idea on what are  your requirements. Good luck finding your perfect nanny!