How do you go about hiring a nanny ?

[firsttimemum889]

Am looking to hire a nanny when i ll be working from home in october . I have no idea how to go on about it ! Firstly is it too early to be looking for october ? And secondly is there anywhere specifically i should be looking for or do i just post a job online ?

i think it is a bit early for Oct as most nannies have a 4 week notice period.
We have used both agencies and private ads in the past. Going private is cheaper but you will have to sift through a lot of ads and do all the leg work (references, CRB etc) yourself. It is best to be as speciifc as possible in the ad, but you will still get loads of people sending you standard responses without reading. Gumtree is one of the main places to look at ads/advertise (or was when my DC were little). There is also a nanny specific one whose name I have forgotten. Worth having a look on gumtree at this stage to get a feel.
The agencies vary in cost and quality (i.e. how good they are at sifting CVs in response to your requirements) and the more expensive ones are not always the best. Probably best to get recommendations in your area. They will ensure CRBs and first aid training are up to date, and will also check references (although you will probably also want to speak to some of them directly).

Some people also put notices in boards in pre-schools etc. If you know anyone with a nanny in your area, it might be worth asking them if they know other nannies form their nanny network who are looking.

You will probably also want to line up a nanny payroll company.

My expierence is London - may be different elsewhere

In the past six months I have found two part-time nanny jobs via Childcare.co.uk

A nanny payroll company such as NannyPaye can assist you with doing the payroll administration (registering with HMRC, producing payslips, reminding you when to pay HMRC, setting up workplace pension scheme and administering that, producing a contract of employment).

Have a look through posts on here about nanny recruitment and costs. You will also find some information on childcare listings websites and on nanny payroll company websites.