Hired or Fired? Nanny candidates...

[WhatTheWhat]

We have two possible nanny candidates, are they Hired or Fired, in your view?

Job is looking after little boy twins (1 yr) sole charge three days and shared care of the twins plus older sister (3yrs) on two days. Total hours 60. Salary is at the top of the local range. Position is live-in or live-out, but no change to salary either way. Must be able to cook. Nursery duties only. We'd like our nanny to stay with us for several years.

Candidate One: energetic, seems keen on the job, wants to move to our area to be near family, has held two long-term jobs, great references, wants 'at least' the top of our salary band, wants the hours to be reduced to 50 per week, isn't entirely happy with the shared care element, it's not entirely clear whether she can cook - the thing she made at interview was pretty vile, but who knows whether that's usual, seemed to be good at playing with the kids.

Candidate Two: mature candidate, has experience with twins, really keen on the job, happy with the salary, happy with the hours, not yet sure if she can cook as awaiting final interview, happy to live-in and rent out her place, happy to work on a shared care basis, not very sparky and seemed more of a 'soft-play' kind of nanny than a 'finger painting at home' nanny. Although she said she really wants to work closer to home, the agency has said she's not the type to job-hop. Great references and one long-term post. Currently unemployed and working in a hotel.

So: Hired or Fired?

Good luck with no 4!

I always ask them to make Shepherd's pie, as that's the type of thing the kids actually. I would not expect a bechamel unless I was hiring a cook/housekeeper.

I love Sheps Pie. Am hungry now...

Roll on No.4 - they may be your perfect candidate. Will you meet them soon?

I hope that she will be available sometime this week - fingers crossed. I suspect that we're going to have to re-advertise the post with some changes to hours and possibly also salary.
Question Experienced employers and nannies out there... would we be likely to have more luck if I advertised an August or September start date - to coincide with the start of the school year (when I assume a lot of nannies lose their jobs as children move on to school)?

If the start date can be pushed out till September, how about advertising it as a flexible start date? I've started jobs in July, as that's the start of the school holidays, rather than the start of term. A nanny currently working term-time only may well be available from some point in July.

Why do you need to change the hours and/or salary? 60 hours, live-in, £25k does not sound at all bad. Do you have different ads running... one for the live-in option (targeted nationally/Europe) and one for live-out (targeted locally)?

The agencies keep telling us they don't get 60 hour jobs and no-one wants to work them. Sigh. Unfortunately, with the nursery run and getting to work and back, I think that's what I will need. Unless I get the nanny to do the nursery run with three children in tow. Maybe I am being too soft - I just thought that would be too much at the beginning and end of each day. The nursery is not particularly close by.

Oh and we did advertise it as flexible start date.

Surely the nanny could do the nursery run, presuming that the timings fit and that there is suitable transport. I nanny for 3 children and do school and nursery run. Yes, maybe you are being too soft

With a nanny, do you still need to use the nursery? Is there perhaps somewhere closer, like a community pre-school, where funded sessions can be done? What about school - if you have a child in nursery now, they will start school in the next year or so I expect. So would moving to a nursery near their probably new school be suitable for the last year of pre-school?

We don't have to use the nursery, it's just that the older one is at an age where it's nice to be with other kids. Also, although it's OK whilst the twins are babies, I personally would baulk a little at looking after three mobile very small children on my own all the time, so I have structured the job (and indeed my life!) around not asking our nanny to look after more than two at a time.
Of course, I can change this as they all get older, although the oldest would then be at pre-school etc etc.
Super-nanny candidate 4 is still to come, so fingers still crossed. Not that I have got my hopes up or anything.

This thread is great, The Apprentice meets Masterchef. I made a terrible, lumpy cheese sauce for lasagne yesterday, but had been on the wine ( jubilee party) so blame that, and it tasted OK.

Good luck with finding a nanny OP. On your comments about work, remember, it is short-term financial pain for long-term gain! Sounds like you've worked hard to get to our current position.

Nursery run should be fine with twins along for the ride! My CM does a school run in morning, preschool pick-up and school run again with 4 children, manages fine.

op - you may baulk at the thought of looking after 3 under 3 but dont forget that for us nannies, this is our job :) and any nanny worth their salt can look after all 3, so you dont need to ferry one out

and yes again a nanny should easily be able to take all 3 out and drop off eldest at nursery

as i said before, if for 2 days the job is shared care then why not shorten the hours, 60hr week is very long and this may be why some nannies are put off,the long hours and also shared care

if you want an experienced nanny (essential to look after 3 under 3) then they are likely to not want shared care iyswim

Definitely don't go with number 1.....she doesn't want to do your job description now so it would never work.

Number 2 it sounds like you have a reservation over the cooking, but from experience I think a more mature nanny is fantastic and she clearly wants the job.

I have always had a possible employee do a (paid) half day shared care to see how the kids take to the nanny, what her style is, how I would get on with her.... All very important elements.

Oh and I second the other comments... Don't worry about an experienced capable nanny having 3 under 3. My nanny had 3 under 4, works 60 hours live out, and clearly loves the children but is firm with them which she has to given my boys are extremely active. A good nanny can easily cope with logistics, and also make friends with other nannies and set up playdates.

I think if you could not cope with this you should not be a nanny. I expect you're good at your job and hopefully we are good at ours.

redglow is right a good nanny should have no trouble coping.

I don't see what the problem is with the mature nanny? She obviously want's the job so would probably be reliable

the 1st candidate sounds a nightmare why should you change your criteria to suit her? she knew what the job entailed when she applied for it.

True, true.
Supernanny is coming through today for an interview, so hopes still high.
We have now said 'Fired' to 1 and 2, and 3 was never really 'in the loop' so it's all down to number 4.
The shared-care bit won't really be shared-care much - I plan to use that time to spend some one-on-one time with each of the three, as they don't really get any of that at the moment. So I would not be looking over the nanny's shoulder the whole time. And I am not 'like that' anyway. Been around long enough now to be able to let people get on with their thing. But I do understand it would not be something all nannies would like.
I guess the very nature of the role means it tends to attract people who want to be left alone to get on with their job.
Fingers crossed for this afternoon...

How did it go... please don't say they failed to turn up for interview.

She came, but could only stay for 2 hours (I had thought it would be rather longer than that!), so she only spent 25 minutes with my oldest as she was having her nap and we didn't manage really to get much beyond basic chat and questions.
Upsides: we all liked her and all seemed good regarding 'fit' etc, so I offered her the job, but she's interviewing elsewhere tomorrow and will let me know on Monday.

On another upside, Ebb had a great idea for how we could re-structure the job to make it have a wider appeal, so if this goes pear-shaped, we have yet another angle of attack.

To be honest two hours is a long interview It is the nannies time after all.

Hope you get sorted.

Only stayed for 2hrs?????

How long did you want or expect her to stay?

Tbh most interviews are an hour or so

blondes Perhaps I am being precious, but I do like to spend more than an hour with someone before I employ them and entrust my three very small children to them.

The initial chat through CV and questions on both sides usually takes at least 45 minutes and then it's nice if she gets to meet the kids and play a little.

Didn't think this was being totally unreasonable.

Especially as she was rushing off to start a 24-hour interview for a residential job in London.

So... supernanny said 'Fired' to us and we're back to square one.

I can feel a 'not going back to work' situation coming on.

where have you advertised & what is your approx location?

I know lots of nannies looking for work @ the mo

We've taken all our adverts down for the time being whilst we decide what we're going to do.
We've had lots of applicants, but they've mostly been new nannies or nursery nurses looking to branch out into nannying, but with no actual nannying experience.
I guess the experienced nannies are staying put and holding on to their jobs! Fair enough.