Nanny quit this working!! after 2 weeks help!

[newtowork]

Hi I started work last week. Found a nanny she started work 2 weeks ago 1 week to show her the ropes then last week she was on her own. She phoned me lunchtime and told me she wouldn't be coming back for "personal reasons and she had to do stuff" FFS why couldn't she tell me a proper reason!!

now WTF do we do we both have professional jobs, my DH is going to take next week off work and try to find a new nanny.

it's not as if she had it difficult my DH was working 8-4 and so was home by 5 so let her go home 1 hour early!! she was supposed to work 8-6 with break while DD2 was napping from 12-2.

What can we do to try to find a nanny who will stay? salary was OK in fact we paid her on friday before she quit.

What do we do for next time so this doesnt happen again???!!

Could you tell us about the process you went through to find this person?

Why did you pay them this week... it's not that near the end of the month? I know some people want weekly pay, so was it due to you paying weekly, or something else?

There is a probationary period in contracts for a reason... it gives each party the opportunity to pull out with short notice. However sounds like this nanny hasn't given you much notice at all, which I do not feel is very professional.

When you called her last employer, how did that conversation go... any indication at all about not being reliable, not wanting to stay long term?

Hi I found them on gumtree (not ideal but as I have only started work after 5 years as a SAHM we dont have the £4000 + for a nanny agency at the moment)
We paid them this week as my DH got paid and I'll get paid on the 20th of the month so from then on they'd get paid on the 21st.
She hadnt signed a contract yet we had one ready to sign on monday as it was so quick ( I was offered a job and had to start asap we wanted to speak to accountant and lawyer which has taken till end of this week contract ready to go) We've never had a nanny before so don't really know what to do. We filled out all the relevant forms with HRMC to pay NI and TAX.
Last employer wasnt as a nanny but at a school and all references checked out she was ex-navy all sounded good.
What do we do for the next nanny and interviews to stop this happening again?
Even with a contract if someone doesnt come back there is very little you can do(except small claims court) and bugger all if you have to go into work!!

Nothing sounds too amiss there, though starting the job before signing the contract is a step that I feel should not have been done. I know I'm fussy about that sort of thing but signing a contract is giving some commitment to the job and I think psychologically makes someone feel committed to the job. So one thing to change would be to have a contract ready to e-mail to next nanny, so they can request/suggest modifications and sign it as quickly as possible.

As you say even with a signed contract there is little that can be done but I feel it does possibly change things in someones mind about their level of commitment. Though maybe that's just me!

I am not sure you can stop it happening again. I've said before on here that when starting a new job as a nanny there is a "two week itch", it's the point at which I at least tend to hit a hurdle that needs to be got over. I suppose it's the point when a nanny realises what the job really involves and any small issues in the job become noticeable. So regular feedback meetings during the first few weeks I feel is useful - just a chat over a cup of tea, so that your nanny knows that if there is even the smallest thing concerning them, they should raise it now, not let it go past without comment, else it might become a bigger issue later on. These chats are also a good opportunity to praise your nanny for their good work, everyone likes being told how great they are doing, rather than being told what is not working so well.

I think you have just been unfortunate with this nanny. Next time, you will have all the paperwork in place before the nanny starts and will be able to rely on a signed contract. Having said that, in a probationary period, the nanny will usually only have to give a week's notice anyway so it won't give you much more time if a nanny decides to leave. I think next time you should try to find a nanny who actually has experience of being a nanny previously, rather than working in a nursery or other setting. It is very possible that your nanny did not realise that being a nanny to one child can sometimes be a bit isolating, especially if you have been used to having lots of work colleagues.

What about finding a childminder?

You have been unlucky but also surprised you didn't employ someone who had nanny experience

I suggest contacting a local nanny agency to find you a temp that hopefully can start ASAP while you look for the right person

A bad temp is much better then a bad nanny :)

Have a look on nannyjob and netmums for local nannies looking for work

Check and double check ref and ask why they left let job and also ask ex employer for reason

Good luck