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Original poster

The curse of Boff. Again.

281 replies

BoffinMum · 13/01/2010 17:23

You are not going to believe this, guys. The lovely temp (and she really is lovely) who came today has had to leave because her mum was rushed into hospital. We don't know if/when she'll be coming back. So we are without childcare again! I am currently in Paris and DH was supposed to be going into work tomorrow because he hasn't been able to get in all week. He has no leave left either. Crikey! Anybody want three lovely children, two with diarrhoea?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
iluvkids · 18/01/2010 08:21

Hi,

Would you consider a temp?

I'm looking for approx 8 weeks temp work, from Ja 27th

How many/what age children?

I have sole charge, live in, twin, proxy parent, shared charge exp

CRB checked, city and guilds certified...

frakkinaround · 18/01/2010 08:09

My flights: 900euros
My salary: peanuts because I would be thankful that I had something to do at last! AP pocket money rates?

Deal?

(might need to convince DH)

I really, really hope you find someone soon.

K75 · 17/01/2010 21:51

Agree childcare vouchers last at least a year; you will be able to use them eventually!

MollieO · 17/01/2010 21:47

You really don't have much luck. Why are the childcare vouchers unusable? Can't you just use them when you eventually find a nanny who stays around long enough to be paid?

Won't you get some of the agency fees back or a substantial discount?

Really hope you get sorted soon.

K75 · 17/01/2010 21:38

Agree on agency fees; would expect a significant discount for any further hires.

Sounds like a lot but I reckon I interviewed over 20 each time I have hired and could tell you all sorts of horrors of folk!

Appreciate London hiring probably easier; although we are in Zone 4 and sometimes folk think we are too far out. Follow up refs (at least 2) and really probe. Don't hire a perm until you have done this.

Are you paying top quartile? I do. My rationale being this is better in the long run than folk leaving and additional agency fees. Seems to be working for us. i.e. I prob pay £50 a week net so about £75 gross more than I could get away with i.e. £3900 a year; for a very happy nanny who bends over backwards and no more fees. Note this is for live out would be a lot less for you for live in.

Seriously hope it improves soon.

HarrietTheSpy · 17/01/2010 21:22

Okay - can you not consider a nursery/au pair option? It CAN'T be any worse than this.

Summersoon · 17/01/2010 21:15

No wonder you are fed up! I don't even know what to say - except: is there no way you can get at least some money back from the agencies who have not exactly done what you hired them to do, have they?

Commiserations and I hope that your luck turns better very soon.

Original poster
BoffinMum · 17/01/2010 20:53

I have to say we get pretty awful candidates to interview.

  1. Looked very nice but then when we asked the agency if she could do a trial day, she said she didn't really want a job. WTF?
  2. Had booked 6 weeks holiday in term time in the first four months of when she would be working for us, so would have been unavailable a lot of the time we would have needed her. Also slagged off current employers during the interview.
  3. Seemed nice, offered her the job, she meesed us about all summer, finally signed the contract and then rang us up four days before she was due to start saying she had got another job somewhere else.
  4. Clearly had some sort of eating disorder.
  5. Seemed nice, did a good trial day, lasted ten weeks and the whole thing was a misadventure as you know.
  6. Bonkers, unqualified, exhausting.
  7. Seemed nice, offered her a trial day, was not prepared to free up enough time for a proper trial day, so only agreed to do three hours, actually got in the way during this trial period rather than helped. Had also booked lots of holidays in term time.
  8. Lasted three hours, left because she said she had got a call saying her mother had been taken to hospital with chest pains, then got agency to ring us to say she was too tired to work as she had done twelve days in a row, but that she might be available in February.

Total spent on agency fees since September:

£2220

Total spent on unusable childcare vouchers since September:

£1944

Total spent on nannies since September:

£3428.66

Total cost of all this to us for a total of 13 weeks childcare and associated trauma:

£7592.66

OP posts:
Original poster
BoffinMum · 17/01/2010 20:24

My mum offered to come over and sort me out as well, but I reckon she'd scare them off!

OP posts:
K75 · 16/01/2010 19:12

Oh dear! You have had a bad run. Are you just not getting good candidates to interview? Feels like you might be missing something. My mother has my style and is near you, I should send her over to sort the wheat from the chaff for you!!!

Blondeshavemorefun · 16/01/2010 18:11

as i have said many times if i could clone myself i would,and i would work for nothing - well my clone self would

Original poster
BoffinMum · 16/01/2010 16:59

Wine will not do it, Blondes. It is a conspiracy to stop women having a say and influencing the public arena, childcare hassle is. It wears us out and grinds us down so we don't cause trouble or ask difficult questions of our leaders.

OP posts:
Blondeshavemorefun · 16/01/2010 12:33
Original poster
BoffinMum · 15/01/2010 23:40

I agree. I am just back from Paris where I worked or networked every bloody hour I was awake, including at breakfast time even, and I am up at this time having just finished printing off a couple of lectures for next week.

Seriously, I do wonder about some people. I have now been looking after 3 kids (and their big sister who also requires adult type mothering) for a goddamm month pretty much on my own, and between wipings and feedings I have been running a flipping university course, writing half an academic paper and also presenting at an overseas conference.

OP posts:
Blondeshavemorefun · 15/01/2010 11:59

too tired?

try working 13hr days so 65hr weeks and then you can moan that you are tired

glad you went to a nice resturant

did it have seperate booths/peep holes rofl x

frakkinaround · 15/01/2010 09:08

And I trust you are informing temp who is not so lovely after all via the agency that you are tired of people not showing up and are looking for someone else.

Fingers crossed you find someone soon. How are the MiniBoffs?

kazkiss · 15/01/2010 08:58

ohh boff, have nothing really to say of help but wanted to give [hugs]

thenewbornnanny · 15/01/2010 08:54

Oops

thenewbornnanny · 15/01/2010 08:53

Too tired to work for you for a bit??!!??!!

Bloody hell. Pardon my french.

I wish she could have been in my shoes this week. 3 day hospital stay and straight back to work as I HAD to. She would know about being tired then!

I have a lot of sympathy if her mum is seriously ill. But really she should have worded her reasons for not coming back a little better.

thenewbornnanny · 15/01/2010 08:53

Too tired to work for you for a bit??!!??!!

Bloody hell. Pardon my french.

I wish she could have been in my shoes this week. 3 day hospital stay and straight back to work as I HAD to. She would know about being tired then!

I have a lot of sympathy if her mum is seriously ill. But really she should have worded her reasons for not coming back a little better.

Original poster
BoffinMum · 14/01/2010 23:39

Not a strip club, a nice French restaurant ACTUALLY!

LovelyTemp has now informed us via agency that she is too tired to work for us for a bit.

WTF?!!!!!

OP posts:
Blondeshavemorefun · 14/01/2010 13:48

great mind beth - thats who i meant boffy

did you go into that strip club last night .......

frakkinaround · 14/01/2010 08:55

Oh Boff

But you have lots of nice offers! I would but I'm even further away than Paris...

Hope the miniBoffs get well soon.

Starberries · 14/01/2010 07:48

Eek wrong address

[at] live (dot) com, not hotmail.

Starberries · 14/01/2010 07:47

I can also help - nanny in between jobs at the moment, looking for something permanent but won't mind something temp. Need to live-in though as I live in London.

nanny . sarah (at) hotmail [dot] com

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