Hi, I feel devastated. I didn't get a reference. What did I do wrong?
Yesterday was my last day of my employment as a nanny. I arrived with thank you cards, a bottle of wine and a big box of chololates for the parents and a present for the little one. It was something very special for him and I will never forget how happy he was when he opened it. When I came up with those things the lady was lying on the floor playing with her son and didn't bother to stand up. Her husband collected those things from me. She said thank you but looked offended and went upstairs to have a shower. Later on she gave me a card sighed by her husband and herself, another card sighed by her son and a photo of the child in a frame and and left for work without saying goodbye. Both parents came back home exactly at the time I was supposed to finish work, said thank you for organising another exciting day for their child, the boy said "You won't come again?" And his mummy said : "She won't come again unless to say hello". I felt really miserable when I heard that, I gave them their keys back and left. I know she is not happy with me at my leaving but I didn't expect her to behave like that.
I was their nanny for 2 years and started looking after the child when he was a little baby. They liked me because although I'm not a native speaker I've got a uni degree and I was a teacher back in my country.
I loved reading books with my liitle charge, doing arts and crafts, attended groups and classes, went on regular trips often with other nannies and their charges, organised plenty of play-dates, cooked lunches from fresh ingredients only and did everything else I was asked for but first of all I loved the child with all my heart and gave him as much attention as I could. The child was not allowed to watch TV - he didn't, was not allowed to have sweeets or biscuits - he didn't, had to have his afternoon nap in his cot - he did. I obeyed all the rules and did not do anything against parents' wish.
In the first year I felt that I had a very good relationship with the parents but that changed in the autumn last year when I was told that I had to work back 8 days. I worked 4 days a week, Monday to Thursday and had 16 days paid holiday + Bank Holidays (I chose 2 weeks they chose the rest). My employers had obviously more days off from their work and last year they went away for 6 weeks (24 of my working days). After that they asked me to work 8 Fridays for free to make up those days they were on holidays. I thought it was not fair but I worked those 8 days. And I often worked on Friday and got another day off at a very short notice. Meanwhile my finacial situation got worse (my husband didn't have a job for a while) and I told my employers that I would be more than happy to work also on Fridays or do some babysitting to earn more money. As they could not offer me more work I started doing babysitting for other people. My employers were not happy about this and were not as nice to me as they were before. I found a permament babysiting for every Friday and could not do ad hoc Friday work for my 4-day family. At the beginning of this year I was offered a full time job from the new family and I accepted. I've got two children at school age on my own, huge bills to pay and I really needed full-time job and more money. I gave 3-month notice and gave them contact details to 2 friends of mine who would take up the job after I leave. My employers decided not to employ another nanny but to work from home from September as the boy will start nursery then. I don't understand why they didn't give me references.
I would appreciate your comments.