Odd nanny candidate ---- or is it just me? All a bit suss...(long sorry)

def sounds as if she is trying to pull a fast

i would be looking elsewhere

18mths is a very long time to be out of work

i have been a temp, and i worked every week, though some weeks only 3 days - but that was my choice!!

there is always work about for a good, experienced nanny imo

I would just add to the general consensus that there is NO innocent explanation for this, she has clearly tried to deceive you and was not bright enough or on the ball enough not to trip over her own flimsy deception.

What you can't know is why she's done this, and there could be reasons for it that wouldn't bother you (she's actually brilliant at the job but has had a run of bad luck which means she knows she can't provide the kind of references that would give a mother enough confidences to hire her).

Or there could be far more troubling reasons - e.g. she's been sacked from previous jobs, or that she's not properly trained or experienced and is trying to hide the fact.

Either way, you can't possibly start of employing someone from such a wobbly position of distrust, so I'm afraid you're best of moving swiftly on from this candidate.

I would never accept a written reference directly from a prospective employee. I would only accept a written reference directly from the former or current employer.

For anyone working with children I'd check employment history going back 10 years and query any gaps in employment.

Haha juju... perhaps you had the same maternity nurse as us (I wrote a totally neutral reference but then had to tell it like it was on the telephone to these poor women who were thinking of hiring her....!)...!

patricia - the more the merrier. Clearly for some jobs done many years ago, the former employer may no longer be contactable (moved away for example). So written references are good for an overall picture - plus then having a couple of families to call.
I have written references dating back to early 90's. No point calling those parents now... their children are at Uni!

With regard to reference from the last employer - this may not always be possible at the recruitment stage, as the nanny may still be working for them and may not have told them that they are looking for another job. However in that situation, I would expect the nanny to tell prospective employers that information. Once they hand their notice in, then that employer can be contacted for a reference.

Agencies I've dealt with have always gone back through as many references as they possibly could trace. I applied for a job in 2008 and the agency concerned contacted a family I worked for in 2004. Not sure they managed to go back more than 4 years, though they did speak with a family for whom I have babysat for now over 10 years!

I always provided written references which the employers had written themselves so had their address on, as well as a phone number if they wished to speak to the referee which they often did - at least the most recent one.

The two excellent nannies I've been lucky enough to employ both had written references and provided a long list of phone numbers - landlines and mobiles so I could follow up.

A written ref is useful as giving you a first flavour - for a start it shows professionalism that the nanny has collected them. But talking to someone really is the only way to find out about a nanny. People are obviously reluctant to write a nasty reference and hand it out. I followed up some excellent written refs for a maternity nurse once. The employers had quite different things to say on the phone - it was a shocker!

She is odd (and desperate). Lock the doors.

On the reference topic, can I just check, as this will be relevant for me when I get to that stage - should they provide a) phone number (and address, ideally) of employers so you can check they exist and talk to them? or b) written references saying they are fab. Or both?

I have several candidates lined up now and while many have referees on their CVs, none has mentioned having a collection of written references they could show me - mind you, some of them are quite young. Should I expect them to have written references, and be worried if they don't (maybe they are waiting for me to ask), or is phoning their previous and current employers the standard approach?

I am thinking she has done this back to front.Trying to make out someone else wants the jobs isn't going to help her get it. What she should have done is let it slip someone else has offered her something!

Run like the wind from this one!

(Former nanny)

wannaBe - the one very posh, very expensive agency I am signed up with only checked my references by email! One was just a hotmail address too - I offered to give them landline numbers but she said email was quicker. You can't assume agencies have got legitimate references.

Sounds like lindsey and patricia are right - I would keep looking.

And NEVER rely on email references

Only phone references - preferably landlines

Oh it's so difficult. I know exactly when you've met someone you think is great, you just want everything to be right about them and it's incredibly difficult to challenge them about anything - because, of course, then you run the risk of putting them off, and losing a fabulous candidate through what you think is your own excess caution, and on and on.

The bottom line, though, is that someone without anything to hide will make it CLEAR that they don't have anything to hide. They will explain to you exactly where they've been for the last 18 months, they'll get you a reference from the last job they had - I can't stress how much it matters to have the last current reference. (Older ones can be OK, but the lack of the last current is just a Red Flag.) If they don't have written references they'll tell you why not in a way that makes sense - and it needs to be really convincing, because any serious candidate will know how important written references are. Phone numbers to follow up, of course - but written as a starting point.

All very dodgy

Don't go near

Definitely not. Try again I'm afraid...

''Where are all the good part-time nannies {sad}''

Wooo-Hooo I'm over here in Hertfordshire!

I personally would steer very clear as it sounds very suspicious and as said above why has she been out of work for so long.

Is she not registered with an agency? I've never employed a nanny but if I was going too I wouldn't employ one that wasn't registered with an agency who could vouch for her/could get legitimate references etc.

I would hazzard a guess that she has in fact been working for the past 18 months, but that her employers would not provide her with a reference (which in itself would point to her not being a good candidate). Giving a false reference is in itself perfectly legitimate grounds to not employ her, so I would just go with that and say that you've decided not to employ her.

Run a mile.

I think lindseyfox is right - she's set up several yahoo accounts so she can give herself references. She probably didn't mean to apply twice for the same job using an email address she'd already given you as a reference - probably she applies for every single nanny job advertised and does it in haste, so failed to notice she had already done yours.

Therefore NOT someone you can trust/employ.

I do feel for you - such a disappointment/worry when you have already bonded with someone. I'm also in the early stages of nanny recruitment and know how worrying it is.

Let us know how it is going.

x

I always give a phone number for a reference to parents and if they needed an address i can give them that as well. I have to say have never given an email address for a reference.

This def sounds dodgy and like she herself has set up a number of yahoo accounts and more than likely if you email for a reference it will be her, herself doing the reference as its a fake email address.

go with gut instinct as you would never feel 100% sure about her now.

there are plenty of good nannies out there just keep searching.

Message withdrawn

Very odd. I wouldn't have been overly happy with just telephone numbers and an email address anyway. You should have home addresses and landline numbers for references.

sounds very suspicious

If i were you, I'd keep looking

I am a part time, temp nanny and have never been without work for 18 months.

Personally, I wouldn't touch with a barge pole.

The reference issue sounds very dodgy. Go with your gut instinct on this. Could you really trust her with your children?