Hiring live-in nanny for 3 kids, struggling to find candidates, what would you do?

[orderlyhall]

I have twin babies (3 months old) and a little boy (nearly 3) and a week and a half ago started a search for a nanny for when I go back to work in July. We're looking for someone to live in and take care of all 3 full time on a sole charge basis, with the exception of when the toddler is at nursery for a few hours in the afternoon (and we may also arrange a nanny share for him some/all mornings). We are struggling to find candidates; my Gumtree posting has only yielded one candidate who had the required qualifications but who we weren't mad on. I'm surprised but am assuming that it's down to the live-in requirement and the fact that it's 3 kids. I've also tapped into all my networks and have been recommended another candidate by someone who nearly hired her (but didn't because she found someone with more relevant experience). [I haven't gone the agency route because I've heard that all they do is filter CVs which I'm happy to do.]

This girl is young and has only been an au pair for 2 years but seems smart (good uni/grades), committed to childcare, proactive, etc. I'm confident in her abilities with 3 year olds but she has very little experience with babies and certainly not with twins or with 3 full time and sole charge! (She does have experience with multiple kids though.) We specifically set out in our search to get someone experienced but given our difficulty in finding any candidates at all we are considering this girl. To complicate matters further she is based in France at the moment, we are going away on Saturday for a couple of weeks and she has an offer she needs to make a decision on by the end of the week. So we're arranging to bring her over for a day this week to spend some time with her but I wonder how much we'll be able to tell in half a day.

Going from au pairing to full time sole charge for 3 is a very big jump that I'm not entirely comfortable with but on the other hand I think good childcare ability is somewhat born rather than learned, being proactive and switched on gets you very far, and we don't seem to have many options! If it were you, would you keep looking and hope to find a better candidate within the few weeks I'll have when I come back from being away?

Thoughts/advice appreciated. Thanks (Sorry such a long post)

Ilikethebreeze - first experience was when we hired our first nanny 5 years ago, we wanted 2 days a week and position was shared care. I enlisted 2 agencies one big the other smaller in London. They kept sending through completely unsuitable candidates, I must have interviewed 10-12 nannies and none of them could do the combination of the days I needed and would do the shared care aspect. Basically they just didn't follow the brief (which was very short).

I then happened upon gumtree and saw one of the agencies I was using advertising on there, so I did it myself for £25.

I hired the next nannies through gumtree too. When we came to move out of London I couldn't find anyone at all, so again approached a couple of agencies. I interviewed the 4 candidates they sent me, one couldn't drive (we live in the middle of a little village), 2 from the same agency just hadn't had references checked by anyone - one of the previous refs I checked said the nanny was a complete nightmare and shouldn't be around children. The other gave me CRB that was years old.
Again I found someone on gumtree who was excellent.

I don't think it's even vaguely good value for money - especially as the OP has a bit of time on her hands to interview applicants and go through CV's. maybe an agency is the way to go if you are very time poor and cash rich?
Even the agencies themselves put in their terms and conditions that you should check references yourself. So in all they are just a very expensive introduction service. I've never had a problem processing a CRB myself through an umbrella agency.

Incidentally, many of my London friends have nannies and none of them have been happy with agencies either. Though I do know 2 people near to my new home in bucks that have used them successfully.

I only know of 1 agency - the one my DD used, as she was told by a friend that it was good.
DD had no problems other than they were a bit dippy, though that may have had more to do with the actual person in the office.
Everything was thoroughly checked. And as far as I know, the employer didnt have a problem either.DD didnt have to pay anything, no idea what her employer pays. Oh, and agency were very keen to find DD a job. Presumably because it is at that point that they get their fee.
Though thinking about it, when my DD asked a question about what was in the standard contract, the agency had no idea what the clause meant, and had to go away and find out.

Oh, yes, the employer is cash rich, time poor.

I don't know anyone who has paid less than two to three grand to an agency to recruit someone, in London. And then called round to the references themselves anyway to double check. What's that about a dog and barking yourself?

An estate agent is not the same thing. Do you really care who you sell your house to, as long as they have the money? The same way you care deeply about who looks after your kids, who will be coming to your house and living amongst your family, in the case of the OP WITH THE FAMILY, on an ongoing basis? You cannot compare the outsourcing of those functions.

I disagree Lady. The OP is struggling to get applicants and is looking at an au pair with no experience of small babies and thinking of taking her.

I am saying to look at ALL options - whether DIY or through an agency is sensible just BECAUSE these are her children and she doesnt want to just take the only person who applied!

handcream Employing a nanny is not really like buying a house.

The average person can do what a nanny agency will do. They have their place, but for people with unusual/complicated needs.

Ilike Didn't the agency your DD used let her sign a net contract as well? That's not great is it?!

your nappyvalley ad is too short on detail

people want to know money / hours etc

Found out later, Outraged, that I got that wrong.
I had remembered it wrongly.
It had quoted 2 figures, which from memory were gross and net.
When I relooked at it later in the week, it was in fact gross weekly and gross monthly figures.

But the original ad did say net which it shouldnt have. I think that may have been because the original ad was put in before April.
As about half the ads were in net, and half were in gross.

Oh that's good Ilike, I'm glad it got sorted and well done the nanny agency for doing it properly!

Yes, thanks. I was relieved when I reread it.

What hours are you asking for? £350 seems low for someone expereinced looking after 3 under 3. With flexibility to work late when needed.

A very similar job was sent to me recently through an agency. 9 month old and 2 year old twins. Live in in battersea with own lower ground floor flat, private entrance., £600net per week. Mon-fri, 7-6.30. If these jobs are around you can see how experienced nannies can pick others they prefer.

Agnecies do charge up to 20% of annual salaries though.

As a nanny/ maternity nanny I only deal with a few agencies, as they do most of re work for me ie. if I am available only from 1st June for a 3 month placement, for x amount per 24 hrs, in x location, only those people will be sent to me.

I would def list with nannyjob and an agency and increase wage/ perks to appeal to someone flexible. Most people don want to work 8-6 then find out they can't leave until 7.30. It makes it difficult for them to make personal plans. I would also consider live out if possible

forevergreek, as matter of personal interest.
On the nanny agencies you use, can you see the adverts from prospective employers yourself? So that you can self select which jobs you may want to apply for?

Yes you can. Usually they are listed and you can just tell them which ones. However if you are with them you will hear first and if quick interviews etc then those ones wont even appear, hence why it's beneficial to join beforehand

Thanks. That cleared up a mystery for me.

It seems to me, from a nanny prospective, that it is better for nannies to use agencies.
The nannies get all of the upsides of it, without the downsides.
So you may find that the nannies from agencies are more clued up?
That may be a sweeping generalisation, or even wrong.
But personally, I wouldnt fancy using gumtree to find your nanny.
Especially with your tricky family setup.

I paid £800 to an agency when I took on my nanny. She had good refs, crb checked and good relevant experience. That was through an agency in Putney. Obviously fees will vary but someone quoted a figure of £2,000 to £3,000 above. Whilst there may be some agencies who charge that, it is by no means the norm. I had a good experience. I'm still friendly with her and she only goes through agencies.

Nanny agencies will have a minimum requirement to register a nanny, so it is true that, if it's a good agency, you will only get quality applicants.

However, most nannies will also look on gumtree, nannyjob, childcare.co.uk etc as well. So you will get those same quality applicants on there, but they will be mixed in with 100 other crap applicants.

Essentially the nanny agency charges £800 or whatever to sort through the applications. Unless you are very time poor, £800+ is quite a lot to pay for someone to sift through CV's.

ilike There are downsides to using an agency for nannies. A good agency is probably great, but finding the good ones can be tricky. They need to fill jobs because that's how they get their money, so if they're struggling for applicants they will send you for a job that isn't at all what you want, they do sometimes advise parents to have net contracts or that a nanny can be self-employed. Contracts from nanny agencies can leave a lot to be desired. You will see lots of agencies advertising on gumtree themselves.

I wouldn't trust an agency to check references - so always do it yourself anyway.

Some agencies will have a suitable nanny already on their books, but most will advertise on the internet too. So it's just a case of you doing the ad, or them doing the ad.

The only thing agencies are useful for is getting a CRB done.

Really it's just about how much you are prepared to pay for someone to sift through CVs/replies for you. Agencies don't have a better quality of nannies, as most nannies will search for jobs themselves as well as joining an agency.

Outraged, a nanny cant be forced by an agency to go for an interview though, can they?

They can put pressure on you for sure. You can get labelled difficult if you refuse too many interviews or decline job offers. Even when they are blatantly not what you are after.

Really? Oh.
But what I have learnt from this thread,and silly me, hadnt thought of, is that a nanny can look all over the place on the internet, including other agencies.
So what is the point of an agency putting pressure on a nanny?

Because they want to fill the job Ilike, they want to keep the paying client (i.e. the family) happy. As you and others have said to the OP 'trouble finding candidates? Use an agency'. If the agency didn't send anyone it wouldn't look good would it? So they send people, even if they're not right.

A nanny can't be forced to go to an interview, but they can lie/mislead you about details, so you go only to discover that the job isn't suitable for you. For example, the family request a driver, the nanny doesn't drive. They send you for the interview, the family assume you drive because why would the agency send someone who doesn't? You assume they don't need a driver because why would the agency send you for a job that requires a driver? It can get to the point of offering a job before they ask to see your license and you reveal you don't have one. What a waste of everyones time!