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Original poster

The Curse of Boff strikes again - this nanny has decided after a fortnight in post that petrol is too expensive

212 replies

BoffinMum · 18/05/2012 12:10

New nanny started two weeks ago, all going well, but then she resigns out of the blue.

This time, the cost of petrol and her 50 mile commute is blamed. She said she hadn't thought about that before taking the job.

I had a 'WTF???' moment as she was specifically asked about this at interview and by the agency.

Agency is being super and they are cross with her for messing us about, and they think she is being wimpy. So do I. She works 47.5 hours a week, so it's not as though her hours are mental for a nanny, either.

Sad[cross]

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Blondeshavemorefun · 30/05/2012 19:59

in her defence on point 3, i like to go away early sept as cheaper for me and no kids as should all be back at school Grin

-shes given you over 2mths notice and sure if you liked her you would this holiday wouldnt be a sticking point

its just the other points Grin

redglow · 30/05/2012 19:39

At least children keep you young Boffin .

Original poster
BoffinMum · 30/05/2012 19:35

I guessed it might be something like that, bran. Grin

I wondered where the little blighters had been coming from. GrinGrin

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Original poster
BoffinMum · 30/05/2012 19:34

Just to clear this up, I think from an employer's point of view that if all the jobs are more or less similar, then the duration is less important if there's a verifiable reason for departure, such as the parents not needing you.

What rings an alarm bell is when you get nursery work - career change - financial services - nanny for 3 months - financial services for a bit again - strange gap - 2 days a week in a nursery - nanny for four months with mum at home - nanny for 2 months - bit of sales work - bit of nursery work again, and so on. If you've got a CV like that, you haven't built up the experience in home childcare and proper sole charge that employers with demanding jobs are looking for. Plus it looks like you are not committed to childcare as a career.

If your CV says something like Level 3 DCE - nursery 2 years - nanny job 9 months - nursery work 3 months - nanny job 2 years - nursery work 6 months - nanny job 3 months and so on, then it's clear your main interest is in caring for children.

Does that make sense?

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bran · 30/05/2012 19:28

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maples · 30/05/2012 19:21

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maples · 30/05/2012 19:21

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Original poster
BoffinMum · 30/05/2012 19:13

Youngest is 3, fox. I have just worked out that I will have had young children (i.e. primary school age or below) for 33 years of my adult life by the time the youngest is in secondary school. How the hell did that happen? Grin

But DC4 has just come up to me with his snotty nose and told me "You have luffly kids, mummy" and grinned. That may be why!

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redglow · 30/05/2012 18:59

Some nannies do have good reason to leave jobs. Nannies jobs are not as secure as they used to be.

Your poor dc Boffin hope you find a nice new nanny that will stay.

foxinsocks · 30/05/2012 18:54

how old are your kids now Boffin?

I realised today that I have about 13 months left of childcare. 13 months till both kids are in secondary school.

I could weep with the thought of the impact on my salary lol

happychappy · 30/05/2012 18:46

Not getting any better then.... Sorry

Original poster
BoffinMum · 30/05/2012 18:23

Redglow, my thoughts exactly. My current one will be leaving tomorrow after 4 weeks, and I have tried to explain this to DC4, who has been having his hair stroked daily by her while he has his afternoon nap. He doesn't believe me and will no doubt be bereft when he realises she has dumped him and the job. Sad Poor lamb.

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Original poster
BoffinMum · 30/05/2012 18:21

RubiRosa, that would not be a problem for us, it's when people have just been arsing about doing nothing that we question their ability to stick at a job.

I do think there's a case for all nannies being freelance, you know, given the current climate. Like Holland.

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Original poster
BoffinMum · 30/05/2012 18:20

Open letter to the local nanny who has just tried to apply for a job with us.

  1. No, you are not worth £32,500 gross FTE. Frankly, I could get a locum GP for about that money these days, or a senior paediatric nurse, or a lecturer in Early Years Foundation Stage. (Maybe I should be considering that?)
  2. No, I am not prepared to go part-time to fit in with your desire to have every Friday off.
  3. No, I am not prepared to run myself ragged because you were daft enough to book a holiday for right at the beginning of the school term in September, when just about every child-related household in Britain is at their busiest (unless you have just one baby to look after, and parents who don't need to be in work in September).

I am sure there are no end of families who will bow to your demands, because you are presumably, as you say, 'worth it', but not us.

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Rubirosa · 30/05/2012 15:24

My last few nanny jobs were less than a year - one the parents moved out of the city, one the mum's job was temporary/hours reduced (did not know this when I took the job!) and one was a temporary position (9 months - but I did know this when I started). Now working in a nursery for some stability Grin

redglow · 30/05/2012 15:14

I think most younger nannies I know take a job on even though it's not ideal, but their attitude is it will do for now.

I have turned down nanny jobs because it wasn't quite right for me.

I think it's wrong to take a job that will do as it is the poor children that suffer,I always think it must be awful for a child to get used to you and then just up and leave because something better comes along.

Original poster
BoffinMum · 30/05/2012 10:25

Also Sunshine, we are talking about younger nannies here, pre NNEB, and possibly trained more to look at any job as a kind of substitute for a nursery job, with employees being more or less interchangeable, whereas a home childcare job demands more personal involvement, otherwise you are tramping on other people's lives.

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Original poster
BoffinMum · 30/05/2012 10:22

No, Sunshine, I would have looked at the 7 year thing and snapped you up for an interview.

If someone has only ever done 8-12 weeks for 2-3 days a week for their whole working life, then that's different, obv.

The reality is that many nannies flounce off for the most trivial of reasons, or demand terms that are unrealistic (my favourite is when they more or less tell me to give up working full time so my career fits around their schedule Hmm). This gives the rest of the profession a bad reputation.

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sunshinenanny · 29/05/2012 22:50

That's different, I lost one job because 9 weeks after the mums return to work she was edged out of her job and therefore didn't need childcare. Would you have looked at my CV and said "only 9 weeks in last job! lets not bother with this one."
My longest job was 7 years and I still have a good relationship with the children (now grown up) but so many people do not want long term nannies now. and it's sad if judgements are made on no more than them having done a few two year stints or temporary jobs when recession has meant full time long term work wasn't available.I have 30 years experience and can assure you I am both reliable and proffessional in my approach and would need a very good reason to walk out on any job I had taken on.

Original poster
BoffinMum · 29/05/2012 22:30

sunshine, sometimes all the jobs are bitty and fragmented, no longer term stuff at all.

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Original poster
BoffinMum · 29/05/2012 22:27

I actually think if you take a job with a baby, then you should probably expect to stay until the baby is old enough to start school, unless there are dramatic events taking place in your life (family relocate, spouse relocates, family runs out of money, that kind of thing). But I know that's an old fashioned view.

Nearly all of my education jobs involved me being there at least 4-5 years.

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sunshinenanny · 29/05/2012 22:26

Most nannies are asked to leave when the youngest child is in full time school. I have had some long term jobs and prefer to work that way. but there are so many reasons we are made redundant. Shorter term jobs are not always the nannies fault.

Blondeshavemorefun · 29/05/2012 21:41

disagree that 2 years is a long time to stay in a job

my last 3 i have been in for 5yrs and over - left as 1st family moved and 2nd and 3rd the youngest at school so made redundant

and yes boffy is lovely :)

stealthsquiggle · 29/05/2012 16:20

Definitely go for the bloke - as you say, if it doesn't work out over the summer, you can think again. Do you have anyone in mind for the cleaning/housekeeping side. If you can do a video Skype interview that would help, I guess?

Original poster
BoffinMum · 29/05/2012 16:02

Blush at Happychappy's appreciation of Maison de Boff. Grin

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