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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

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Original poster

Nanny didn't show up for 2nd interview

42 replies

Haggismcbaggis · 15/02/2015 12:00

...and sent this message:

Hi Haggis I am so terribly sorry. I have only woken up. I am terribly run down and I now have a few cold sores on my mouth. I slept right on through this mornings alarm. I am so sorry, not like me, I just feel awful, I have tried to do too much this week! Not sure what to suggest, I could get myself together and still come round, or we could postpone until next week? Sorry."

I should run a mile shouldn't I? Kids were excited to meet her and I got this text about 40 mins after she was supposed to show up (on a Sunday at 11 - her suggestion).

Trouble is it's an after-school nanny role with a Saturday am - so we don't have a vast pool of candidates.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

OVienna · 16/02/2015 09:14

Agree with outraged re no references.

MrsMaturin · 16/02/2015 10:43

But on the other hand she lives so close, she will do the difficult to fill role you want and the kids like her.
Personally I would take her on a trial period, be very, very clear that a lack of reliability will be gross misconduct in the role and will lead to her dismissal and keep your fingers crossed.

Greenrememberedhills · 16/02/2015 10:47

I don't think I would risk it. It isn't like taking on other people on a trial basis- there are children and consistent childcare to consider.

OVienna · 16/02/2015 14:34

I think mrsmaturin is right - after school nanny jobs are hard to fill.

I think she should have faced the music and phoned you. Texts in these situations feel like 'hiding' a bit. That's what would have bothered me. If she'd said all of those things in person on the phone to me I would feel very differently about it than getting a sheepish text.

If you hire her, I would be very clear about the importance of reliability and also HOW you expect her to communicate with you on things like this. What is acceptable - always a phone call, making sure you've had the message (i.e. don't just text and then go incognito, drives me mad) etc.

Blondeshavemorefun · 16/02/2015 15:02

If you like her and kids did then give her a chance - you did say in your op that you havnt got lots of Nannies to choose from ........

Trial period with weeks notice for 6 weeks and see how good her time keeping is - is that the only
Bug bear?

Plus the fact she is happy to do a sat am - this would put many nannies off - maybe why you havnt had a huge response - plus after school only

What hours does she do in other job as your job can't be much more then 20 ish hours - 3-6 5 days a week and 8-1 on a sat as a rough guess?

Original poster

Haggismcbaggis · 16/02/2015 16:29

Outraged - you are right of course.

Blondes - you are right too. Sat ams are a big no no for lots of people for very valid reasons. My DH plays golf on a sat am (yeah....I know ) and I have 3 kids going 3 different directions from 8.30am - so I need another pair of hands / driver. (In case you all envisaged me lying abed eating grapes and watching Saturday kitchen).

Re her other career. She's works in the arts on a freelance and intermittent basis. Definitely not a professional nanny - nor do we need one. My kids are now of the age where they want / need an older, cooler sister type of nanny. When they were little we had an amazing Mary Poppins style older lady for 4 years. But she left when the youngest started school.

We offer a bit of flexibility - the Saturdays aren't set in stone. DH can miss golf every so often and we allow unpaid leave if they have a project or a bit of travel that is beyond the paid holidays Etc. So it tends to be students Etc that apply.

I have one more person to see and if not I will offer on a 6 week trial basis - and emphasise time-keeping and reliability.

OP posts:

Original poster

Haggismcbaggis · 16/02/2015 16:29

Oh - and thanks for all the opinions.

OP posts:

Limpetsmum · 16/02/2015 22:24

Sounds like a good plan OP. Sounds like you're experienced with hiring nannies and I'd say go on your instincts (whether good or bad!)

Blondeshavemorefun · 17/02/2015 12:05

I often am

Meet other lady and go from there

Obv no one should be late but 6mins may mean your watch/phone is fast by 3 mins and her slow for 3 mins

But yes put emphasis on time keeping . Manners . Food and hygiene and hopefully all will be fine

It's hard with 3 going in diff directions and maybe you can lift share with someone else in each group or dh misses golf

jkdnanny · 17/02/2015 14:45

To me it would be a no. She slept through her alarm and wasn't feeling great-ok that happens. But then to turn up 6mins late for the second agreed time would prove to me that she didn't really care about the job.

TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams · 02/03/2015 14:07

DH can miss golf every so often and we allow unpaid leave if they have a project or a bit of travel that is beyond the paid holidays Etc.

I would be very wary of indicating too much flexibility given her approach to date.
Your DH will have fees to pay, golf partners scrabbling around to find a substitute or forfeit their own round.
Your kids will have matches/lessons/parties or whatever and a flakey attendance will really impact them.

She is doing a glorified babysitting job but it sounds as though you are treating it as a nanny job with a contract etc. If that's the case, I would go with a standard probation period of 3 months and not 6 weeks for someone who only works one day a week.

letsplayscrabble · 02/03/2015 14:47

How about DH learns that if you have 3 kids, you don't bugger off to play golf all Saturday morning!

TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams · 02/03/2015 16:07

Not really the point of the thread letsplayscrabble. Everyone's entitled to a hobby/time off - at no point has the OP complained and we have no idea if she's sitting in her pj's while the kids are in school scoffing cake every day or off out doing her own hobby

Blondeshavemorefun · 02/03/2015 18:42

i wouldnt say it is a glorified bs job, its an after school nanny job with a sat am included

how did interview go with other lady op?

TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams · 03/03/2015 12:51

Oops - didn't scroll all the way back to the original OP. I'd still have a 3 month probation period personally. It's fairly standard for most jobs these days, I had 6 months for my own job.

Original poster

Haggismcbaggis · 03/03/2015 18:04

Quick update. Literally just as I was about to offer it to the nanny in the OP I got an application through from another nanny, who had lots of what we were looking for on her CV. We interviewed her and she's been with us a week so far and touch wood is doing very well. She's never been even a minute late and is coming on well with all the driving and dealing with my middle child who has ASD and finds it hard with new people. They all really like her too - which is great.

There are a few Saturday's she can't do but we have them in the diary well in advance so that's fine. Someone recently posted that my DH shouldn't be playing golf on a Saturday am. It's a conversation we've had of course but he works very very long hours during the week. My work is flexible and I am able to carve out time during the week to do Pilates etc. He hasn't got that option - so the ideal ishe golfs early on a Saturday and and we have Saturday pm all together & Sunday. It works for us.

Thanks for all the input. My heart really wasn't in employing the first nanny and it's not ideal to be on the lookout for unreliability right from the get/go. Sometimes things work out for a reason I guess.

OP posts:

Blondeshavemorefun · 03/03/2015 18:13

glad things worked out and all good with new nanny

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