How to find a job as a nanny after having my own child

[tanyatais]

Hello there,
After being a nanny for almost 9 years and having all sorts of qualifications and vast experience and having our own child 2 and a half years ago I find it really difficult and stressful trying to find a job. Years ago it took me no mere than 2 weeks to get a placement as a sole-charge live-out nanny in SW London, but despite all my efforts in registering and applying for jobs in all possible and well known sites ?Gumtree ,Mumsnet, Nannyjob, and Netmums for over a month now I have no offers or replies. I find that very peculiar and think that I have lost my touch with the job searches. Any ideas how to get going? ??

hi there

sorry to hear about your bad luck!I too am a nanny that is struggling after 15yrs in the business to find that role and all because I am a mummy now...doesnt seem fair does it!

We could open up a hole can of worms here about nanny with own child should earn less as they cant provide the same attention blah blah blah.

However as a nanny with own child, my child doesnt get to go to playgroups (currently looking after school age kids, not allowed out when they at schoool!), monkey music, tumble tots, socca tots, swimming, sleep in his own bed when he wants, eat when he wants, have many friends his own age.....need I go on...basically, he misses out!
Many families don`t see this, all they see is they cant cope with 1 more kid, so how can I?
Having 1 more child in the house doesnt require extra heating,its already on mostly,doesnt require extra food, I provide my own, I provide my own buggy, own highchair, own carseat.....

Oh and all on a reduced pay by upto 20% because apparently its a share now!! Would it be a share if they had another child, would they reduce my wages accordingly, even though my work load has gone up?

Anyway, I sympathise! Its tough out there, bizarly I cant even get night nanny work, apparently being a mum isnt enough experience...I need a piece of expensive paper....lol, lets not go there either!!

good luck!
x

I was looking for a nanny and considered one with a child. We interviewed someone and came close to hiring her (I would have but DH was reluctant). Her daughter was a similar age to my DS and would have been nice to have a playmate.

We were told to expect to pay a slightly lower rate. The reason was that we wanted a nanny for the one to one care. If they have a child, then the care isn't one to one, a bit like a childminder. So pay wise - the nanny with DC was £1 more an hour than an inexperienced nanny with childcare experience (not nanny experience).

If I were you, I'd consider going through a nanny agency that specialises in placing nannies with kids. Also can you consider working part time?

Stress the positives - playmate for social aspect, that you will focus on the charge (I was worried that DS would be left out in favour of nanny's DC), you will provide everything, that your DC is easy going (e.g. naps, feeding etc). You could also consider becoming a childminder instead?

I have been on here before raving about my previous nanny who had her own child.

Honestly, just keep looking, because it depends on who you speak to. I was more than happy to employ her, she was fabulous, and I paid her exactly the same rate as a nanny without a child.

I wouldn't hesitate to employ another nanny with her own child, for me it was more important to have the right nanny who I clicked with, we never had any problems, she was just so fab, I can't tell you!

Keep looking, you will find a nice family who will value you for your experience.

Hi Iggly

All good points...there are no agencies specialising in nannies with own child.
Part time - I would love to but that is not going to pay the bills!

I always stress the positives, if I get the chance to be interviewed! I dont feel a lot of the time, I really get my CV put forward, even if they say they have!
More recently after over 10 yrs on one of the big agencies books, they no longer will "work" for me. Last time I rang, the guy that answered the phone told me they never place nannies with own child and refused to let me speak to the daily consultant!!
This company is now refusing to place me in a role even though I am registered with them until I re register, they have seen all my paperwork, had all my references verified, known me for over 10 yrs....and all because I am married now!! Apparently I am a different person.
I agreed to going back in but as I currently work FT and they wont interview evenings or w/ends..its kinda hard!
I don`t currently have a car to drive to them when kids are at school, public transport to get me there would take an age, plus I have no childcare for my DC, so they wont see me anyway!!
Still waiting for this reputable agency to get back to me with interview time - that was 5 wks ago!

Breath...sorry to highjack...

As for CM, I dont have enough room to store toys for my 2 yr old let alone every age, all neatly stacked in boxes and labelled, all that paperwork...my DH doesnt want signs everywhere, stair gates..he cant cope with just our 2yr old!
Plus I cant bear the thought of not being able to be spontaneous..oh its a nice day, lets go to the beach - oh wait a min, I have RA the venue...sorry chaps cant go, cue crying upset kids!
Writing all those observations, menu planning..it would drive me nuts!
Having 15 yrs of freedom to your every move having to be recorded and justified...!!

Plus I have an open hot tub in the garden and a large dog...

phew...think I got that off my chest!!

Cheers!!

funky your agency sounds rubbish. As for you being married - legally you can still use your maiden name so they're talking out of their backsides.

Sorry when I say specialise - I meant ones that place nannies with kids. Ours did (SE London/Kent)

There might be a slow down in the nanny job market which doesn't help things.

Iggly
thanks, I too think they are rubbish and I would love to name and shame but whats the point....little old me isnt going to make them change...sigh!

Well I am with 10 agencies in my area, Surrey. Again most for years.(playtime,bright eyes, tigerlilly, select,cherry blossom, tinies, independence childcare, surrey childcare,harmony at home, wentworth nannies, nightnannies..think thats it)

Nope job market is tough...I have revamped my CV, offered to work longer hours (even though I have DC), Babysit, happy to be Nanny/HK, walk the dogs, family washing...anything for the right family!

Thanks again Iggle and if you ever move to surrey..lol
x

Just a word of encouragement. Our last nanny had her own child and I cannot imagine a better nanny. She was not only well trained and experienced, she had that real mother's instinct, and our children had a wonderful little playmate who has become like family.

We are nanny-less at the moment due to finances, but in future, I would definitely look at recruiting a nanny with her own child/children.

So don't give up!

Sarah, are you near Berkshire border? If so, have you had a chat with Rachel at Lollipop... I find her to be very helpful and may be able to work out why you are not getting jobs.

Looking at what you have written... you say you don't have a car... that I feel is a big issue in the West Surrey area. Public transport here is too unreliable and non-existent in many villages.

Thanx for all positive replies,
I spoke to my last employer who offered me the job back in 2009, but nowadays she told me that since her job failed last year and nearly all of her friends are made redundant in the crisis situation, she said it is unlikely to get a job fast. Well, DH thinks I don?t need to work because we are well off with his earnings, but I do want to contribute and invest in future and feel that I was part of that investment. I never thought that I will bring our daughter along (she will attend a nursery those days I will be at work) and hope to get something soon ,because otherwise I will be going back to Bulgaria and look after the rentals villas we have and offer to tourists while my DH is in London ,and I don?t want that to happen. That is my main reason why I need to find work; I don?t want to be missing him for another 6 or months like his last year?s placement.
In order to give me your comments about not managing to get a job I will submit my resume ,which I offer to prospective employers so you can tell me if I am doing anything wrong:?

Hello there,
. I am 30 years old Bulgarian with a residence permit visa and have been doing Nanning for nearly 9 years with a pause to have my own child for the past 2 and a half years .I have looked after 2 babies (as twins in shared care) at one time and three children in a family, as well as a single child care and mostly babies and toddlers! I have vast experience, a large heart for kids, healthy attitude to life and eating, would be happy to prepare nutritious meals for your little ones and put them in routine and help with story reading, play dates and outings and homework if needed. I have ?Child development ?completed courses from The Open Uni in London as well as a deep interest in how to raise happy and confident children! I would love to work any three or four days in a week in SW London, 10 -11 pounds an hour rate, while our little girl is at nursery. The dates can be arranged upon request, since we are off on holidays and looking where to relocate after coming back to UK, and will return 09/10/10to start! Available for interviews and reviews immediately after that! I am attaching a CV and a photo of me and my daughter along!
-CRP check
-First Aid a few years old, but can be obtained a new
-Psychology and child psychology courses completed in London in the past 7 years
-refs available for all the work positions held by me dating back in year 2000
-Indefinite leave to remain in the country (residence permit)
-no restrictions to either be employee or self-employed and save you taxes (paid by me)
Kind regards;
Tanya Yovcheva

Hi ya

Thanks for all the positive feedback..it does lift your spirits on such a miserable day!!

Nick - I am in Woking, my hubby just drops me off at work and picks me up so no issue getting me to work or I have the car and he gets the train. We are not in a position to buy a second car at the mo but looking at a run around in the next couple of months. I dont reply on public transport as you say its rubbish round here! So all jobs must have a duty car. Or if I am stuck, my parents give me a lift.

I am prepared to travel about half an hr each end of the day so not too limited on location.

I have a position at the moment, just not ideal, although better than no job.
Cheers

tanya - just had a quick read. I wouldn't put your full name - click on the "report" on your post and ask MN to remove it!

I'll send you a private message for some feedback (check your inbox at the top of the page).

Sorry, but I would be put off by your application. For me it lacks clarity and professionalism.

Why are you stressing your nationality? That isn't the most important thing about you, your nannying experience is!

You should start with your experience - ie your 9 years nannying (also is that 9 years including the 2 1/2 year gap or 9 years before the 2 1/2 year gap - you need to be clearer). What you have done in those positions - ie the cooking of food, etc. Don't say you are 'happy to do it if needed', just stress that these are your skills and that you have undertaken these duties in previous positions.

Then your qualifications, what level they are - ie are they part of a degree, diploma or certificate?

Salary - gross or net?

Mention your nationality and right to work at the end. Also, as a nanny I wouldn't think you could be self-employed so that would put me off as well.

Yes, you are a mother, but stress that you are looking to provide care solely for the family and not bring your child along as alternative arrangements are in place for your daughter. And also what hours can you work if your daughter is in nursery? Clearly you need to be able to do drop off/pick up. Also, what will happen if your child is ill, will you then have to cancel on the family to look after your own child? Or will they be happy for you to bring your child along with you (if they are not already spending time together I would find that quite doubtful, tbh).

I myself would be more comfortable with a nanny bringing their child to work with them rather than a nanny who leaves her child in nursery all day. Why are you nannying if a nursery is good enough for your own child?

Also, get someone to proof read your application after you have finished. English is quite clearly your second language and that comes across quite noticeably. As I read what you have written I 'hear' you speaking with a strong accent. That may put some people off, especially if they have young children who are only learning to talk. If you at least get the chance to meet them you can then wow them with your personality, regardless of accent. But you need to get to the interview first!!!

Sarah, stick with the current job and save up for a low cost car. I've not have any jobs that provide a car - by having a car you can use for work, it will make more jobs available. Currently you are limited to those providing a work car, which alas are few and far between it seems in our area, unless working for mega rich.

Tanya, I wouldn't mention the self employed thing - could mean people take advantage of you. Try to be an employee so you have full employment rights.
What is a CRP check? Have you looked at Ofsted registration (not sure your courses would count for that though, would need to check on the qualifications list)?
First Aid should be renewed every 3 years, so if it's getting to that time book onto a course that is Early Years specific so covers Infant, Junior and Adult resus.

Hi,
chitchat09 ?well defined NB points to reconsider! Will do as suggested!
Igglybuff- I couldn?t remove the name, but will do in future! This s a direct quote from my Gumtree application, so will revise that ASAP! Thanks again!
nannynick-thanx for the self-employed thing,I ma considering OFSTRD registration ,have just one more year to complete my degree (taking a gap year in 2010-2011) in BA/BSc (Honours) Criminology and Psychological Studies and am thinking to start a One Year Full-time Montessori International Diploma Course AMI (97th)instead to upgrade my qualifications and expertise. And obviously my First Aid will need a renewal as well. Thanks to all of you for those comments! They are really helpful for me!

Agree with all that chitchat has put - why is your child at nursery? Will that limit your working hours?

Location will be very important if your child is at nursery, as they will need to be taken/collected from there - will your DH do that? What if nursery is closed/your child is too ill for nursery, will DH have them then?

One thing I often say to nannies who send me their cv to look at, is to write a good paragraph or more below each job explaining the main duties done and any special things unique to that job.
Saying you worked for x family from y to z means very little - parents want to know what you did, things you did to enhance the children's knowledge (trips out for example), if you tend to do lot of craft stuff, or are you an active sporty nanny taking children on country walks and swimming, gymnastics, tennis, horse riding etc. Are you musical, can you play an instrument, to what standard. Could you teach a child to play at a basic level?

Can you cook, what do you like cooking. Do you get children to help - like www.MyDaddyCooks.com style.

Parents want to know what skills you have, so emphasise those skills.

nannynick-Good points, that all is explained in my extended CV and short covering letter, with all the details and work related actions .That was a Gumtree ad for finding employment, so it was not really full and explanatory in terms of childcare arrangements for our daughter, duties performed previously And DIFFERENT ABILITIES CONNECTED TO THE JOBS, cause I feel that those need to be arranged and discussed later on .

If that was your gum tree ad and I saw that without an accompanying CV I would not have looked further.

If you had a car you would be ideal for a family that was looking to send their child to nursery for a few hours a week, and could do drop offs and pick ups for them, especially if they also had children at school. A lot of families struggle to find someone willing to do this. And you could have your own child with you then. It might not be as many hours as you want, but it would certainly be better than nothing!

You say a gumtree ad wouldn't be full but IMO you should be putting on a lot of that. I find parents like having info upfront. Giving an idea of the kind of person you are rather than a list of facts (where many nannies will trump you in terms of qualifications and up to date 1st aid) is much friendlier.

Your ad doesn't need to read like a Dear Family letter, you don't need to point out things like you nationality or right to work, your daughter's age etc.

I'm also of the opinion ads and profiles should be in the third person.

No reason why a gumtree ad can't contain detailed information (with identifiable names removed).

Are you responding to other people's ads... as that I expect is better than having your own advert. That way you can send them attachments (or link to GoogleDocs).

Mentioning if you drive, have a car, number of years experience of driving is also very relevant.

BA/BSc (Honours) Criminology and Psychological Studies
What has that got to do with nannying? Does saying you have that degree put people off because it isn't nanny connected?

I would wonder if nannying is a stop-gap thing, rather than something you want to do long-term.

Montessori International Diploma Course
Bit more relevant perhaps, though I'm not sure as it's more for working in a nursery environment isn't it?

Where do you see yourself in 3 years time? I'm not getting the impression the answer to that is being a nanny. Would not be unreasonable for an employer of a nanny to expect you to stay for several years... so this studying may be putting people off.

nannynick
Yeah, I should have started differently, I see that now. I am not planning to work for more than 6 months and that is stated in my preference list for jobs, and looking for temp nanny position. I am really against sending my child to nursery, but thought if I can work just a few days a wek-2 or 3, it won?t be a bad thing for her, since she is quite sociable and cheerful little girl. I also thought that bringing her with me as in shared potion will put prospective employers off hiring me, because of the extra child in the household could (in recent opinions ) leave the nanny less inclined to provide a proper care for the other kids . So, in that case I will revise my ad, and yes I am replying to loads of ads, but funny though ?still no replies! And I don?t drive but that was never a problem for me, I am used to traveling long distances on a daily basis (for 2 years I worked from 7-19-getting up at 5am and back home at 8pm -traveling from North London to SW London 5 days a week),so will see. I thought of working part time, but preferably 2 or 3 full days ,instead of 5 days with a few hours here and there .

You say you are applying to ads, so are those ads specifically saying they want a nanny for only a few months and that they will accept a non-driver?

No point applying for jobs which don't fit what you can offer. What you are offering may not be very appealing to many... thus your job opportunities are limited.

Yes,only temp offers,unless a Really nice offer come along in which I will be happy to stay as long as they need me to, I am flexible on that! I prefer temp positions, but will consider and a 1-2 years jobs if a right offer comes along! But those offers seem to be non existent. I notice that the jobs offered are circulating each day (which means that the family hasn?t find a suitable candidate), but even after re-applying for those positions, there aren?t any replies. So, I wonder, if they really need someone to work for them or like one lady who wanted to see me next week said on the phone that I am overqualified for her???I just do not know what is happening! Ok,if is my ad I?ll revise it, if it?s my childcare arrangements for our little one-will explain it (I am not a single parent after all and count on DH to do pickups also on my mum and extended family-auntie, uncle and cousins etc. living in London to help out in odd occasions ),or if is my CV I would expect at least a civil call or mail explaining that :?.:Thank you, but we do not need you because of ?and prefer someone who??.). And because I am quite punctual and expect the best from me, I sure rely on some reply after taking the time to respond to an ad and send all my personal details along. Isn?t it?

It doesn't really sound like you know what you want.

If that's coming across in your application then people might doubt your commitment. You say you might do an AMI course - if you're applying for temp jobs, saying that you're planning to start a Montessori course next September and you're looking for a temp job to take you up until then you're much more likely to get a response which is favourable than just applying for everything. I'm not sure from what you posted on Gumtree ad there exactly what you were looking for!

As for being overqualified, a big tip I give to nannies whose CVs I look over is to scrap the extraneous stuff. Only keep relevant qualifications on your CV, the other you can mention if necessary.

When you advertise for a nanny (and I've only ever done it once to replace myself) you get tons of replies. Tons and tons and tons. I had a standard e-mail which said 'thank you for your application but it doesn't meet the requirements' but I can see why many people just wouldn't bother replying. And that wasn't even in London where the nanny market is even more competitive.

frakkinnakkered-I see where you are going about the responces.
I do hope to find any work-being temp or perm, and that?s why I am applying for both types of jobs. Most people don?t know what will happen in a year?s time and that is why I feel unnecessary to commit to more than 6 months at the time, because of that. After the initial trial period and the first 6 months, the renewal of contract is usually in order and then both the family and the nanny will decide if they would like to continue with each other arrangements. So it is quite unreasonable to expect only because I have applied or started a job to be there for years to come decided in the very beginning. We might not like each other, circumstances might change, contracts usually are not for more that 6 months or 1 year, so the desire to stay longer should be decided after that period from both of the parties in that agreement. I am right? People get fired, dislike each other?s (never happened to me but will see, (life is a challenge), move house or country, divorce or become redundant, so I am not unfair to apply for any jobs and see what works for both of us as a family and employers

No, people don't know what will happen in a year's time. But I wouldn't be particularly impressed with someone who had little intention of being there in a year's time BEFORE they even started the job.

But some people DO want a temporary nanny, ie those on a posting, or with children who are going to go to school soon, or who is pregnant so will go on maternity leave. In those cases they usually state that right at the beginning.