How to welcome new nanny?

[LavenderHills]

I'm looking for some tips about how to welcome a new nanny arriving in Australia from the UK. She will be live-in, but obviously not expected to start for a few days while she recovers from jet lag etc.

Here is what we have already come up with:

• Making sure her accommodation (small self-contained flat at the back of our house) is stocked with tea, coffee, milk, toiletries etc.

• Providing a list of local shops, restaurants, attractions etc.

• Welcome gift of flowers from the grown-ups and a drawing (scribbling, really!) from the toddler and baby.

What am I missing? Nannies who have worked overseas, is there anything that would have made you feel welcome and helped you settle into a new place?

That's a lovely thing to be thinking about.

• If you have stocked the accomodation as a one-off (the tea, toiletries etc) it is best to present this in a gift basket with a little note that has something along the lines of 'to help you settle in'. I once worked somewhere that stocked the accomodation at the start as a welcome and then bits and pieces would come weekly but others were a one off (for example they kept sending milk but we had to buy our own tea). It was very nice of the employers but at first I didn't know what would be replaced each week as a perk and what was a one-off gift so I didn't know what to buy when I went shopping.

• you don't need to get it immediately but it's nice to get help buying a sim card (even if that's a lift to the shops).

• not really a welcome gift, but to go along with the list of local things, a little handy guide to the house e.g. wifi password, how to troubleshoot any known problems (e.g. if you have a troublesome appliance or what to do in a power cut). If she shares the laundry machine with you, some guidelines on when to use it etc (some families want you to do laundry at night for cheaper power, other families don't want you to use it after the kids go to bed because it's too noisy).

• make sure you have the spare keys cut ahead of time!

Thank you for taking the time to give such excellent advice, @CakesOfVersailles

I will definitely turn the supplies into a "welcome hamper" and will put together a guide to the house. We have outlined every possible detail to do with the children, but somehow didn't think to include the wifi password!

A trip to the shops for a SIM card is also a good idea, thank you.

Although I'm not an au pair I did move from UK to AU and there are a few things that are tricky in the first few weeks!
A sim card, bank account and tax file number can take a few weeks if you dont know what you're doing. Help with where to shop for basics e.g priceline is like super drug, coles is like tescos. Target/ big w for basic clothes. A guide to local public transport and nice places to go, along with public transport card with a couple of dollars on it?

Thanks @DublinDoris2000

Yes, I think a bit of a "this shop is the equivalent of this shop" guide would be helpful!

Would it be nice to introduce her to other nannies in the area, or would that risk creating unwanted social obligations for her? She's a career nanny with lots of training and support etc, so she probably already has contacts in Australia.

Also, we will provide a car for her use so I hadn't thought about public transport, but that is a very good point! She won't want to drive everywhere on her days off- it would be madness to drive into the city for a bit of sightseeing etc. I think I'll add a transport card to the welcome hamper.

I would leave a few contacts of other Nannies or parents you have asked first.

That way you can say here’s xyz who are happy for you to contact to arrange play date, or take children out with. They can then decide when and if they want to see them outside ‘work’ environment other times.

Also as live in, discuss how it works. Will she only be in main house during working hours if self contained accommodation?

I'm afraid I don't have anything useful to add except to say what a wonderful employer you are. Sounds as though your nanny will be settled in no time and well looked after.
Wishing you all every happiness.

She's here! Thank you so much to everyone who posted advice, I really think it's helped to make the past few days of settling in a success

What a nice thread - hope everything continues just as well for you and your nanny!