Odd nanny candidate ---- or is it just me? All a bit suss...(long sorry)

[henrys7thwife]

We put up an advert for a part-time nanny a few days ago. We interviewed a lovely Australian girl (Nanny A) whom we got along with very well but who hasn't worked for about 18 months and seems to need a job right away - which is fair enough I suppose. We interviewed her on Sunday and asked her to email us details of her references on the following day.

She emailed less than an hour after leaving our home with 2 telephone references and an email address for a much older position, one that she left about 4 years ago saying that she didn't normally give out this person as a reference but they had 2 children close together as we do and so she thought it would be relevant. She included in the email that she was extremely interested in the position and it was exactly what she was looking for, dream job, etc etc. We only are looking for about 10 hours per week and she hasn't said definitively what she's doing the rest of the time.

Before we can even check references, two days later I receive an email from another candidate, Nanny B, a bit of a vague response, but basically along the lines of 'I am very interested in your position please tell me ASAP if you have found someone or if I can come for interview, maybe you have someone already...' Odd bit? This is from the EXACT email address Nanny A provided us as the 4-year-old reference contact.

I emailed Nanny A asking about this and she quickly replied back 'Oh sorry, it wasn't xxx.xxxx123@yahoo it was xxx.xxxx1234@yahoo'. Also another spiel about how she really wanted job and could we get back to her ASAP.

Am I right in being suspicious of this? Otherwise we got along with her very well and probably would have offered her the job but her extreme exuberance and seeming need to start literally tomorrow. I am scared to even email the reference...thinking it may all be a sham and her mate or something on the other end.

Where are all the good part-time nannies

Also to explain away the odd hour - BF'ing and had an 'aha' moment.

I wouldn't worry about the exuberance, unless you think it would be wearing. I would be concerned about the e-mail, which sounds a little odd. Could you ring up the two telephone references and see what sort of conversations you have?

Hmm, I'd be a bit wary, I think. I'd ask for another reference, from a different job even - one with a proper work email address that verifies where they work, not just a gmail account or similar that anyone could set up.

And definitely talk to them on the phone.

I think I'd be looking elsewhere as well.

It is odd. The only 'honest' explanation of what happened is that she did give you the wrong address and then by a coincidence someone else applied for the job and their e-mail is the same as the one that the first girl gave to you in error. That is not very likely.

def sounds suss to me

this excellent part time nnany is employed

it makes me wonder why she hasnt worked for 18mths - even if not in a temp position

the email ref sounds dodgy, if she left them 4 years ago, and hasnt worked for 18mth

what did she do in the 2.5years since she left that so called job?

who are the 2 telephone references?

I personally would run a mile....

Sounds really suss...no nanny should be out of work for 18mnths without a valid reason...or need to give you a 4 year old reference!

References should only be acceptable if they have an address and phone number AND can be verified as a genuine person not some vauge email address!!

I would be very cautious... BUT references aren't everything..If I were considering her I would have her round for a stern chat about how lying is the worst thing a nanny can do and that if she wants the job she needs to tell you the truth about past jobs and experience rather than providing dodgy references!

Good luck

Personally, I wouldn't touch with a barge pole.

The reference issue sounds very dodgy. Go with your gut instinct on this. Could you really trust her with your children?

sounds very suspicious

If i were you, I'd keep looking

I am a part time, temp nanny and have never been without work for 18 months.

Very odd. I wouldn't have been overly happy with just telephone numbers and an email address anyway. You should have home addresses and landline numbers for references.

Message withdrawn

I always give a phone number for a reference to parents and if they needed an address i can give them that as well. I have to say have never given an email address for a reference.

This def sounds dodgy and like she herself has set up a number of yahoo accounts and more than likely if you email for a reference it will be her, herself doing the reference as its a fake email address.

go with gut instinct as you would never feel 100% sure about her now.

there are plenty of good nannies out there just keep searching.

I think lindseyfox is right - she's set up several yahoo accounts so she can give herself references. She probably didn't mean to apply twice for the same job using an email address she'd already given you as a reference - probably she applies for every single nanny job advertised and does it in haste, so failed to notice she had already done yours.

Therefore NOT someone you can trust/employ.

I do feel for you - such a disappointment/worry when you have already bonded with someone. I'm also in the early stages of nanny recruitment and know how worrying it is.

Let us know how it is going.

x

Run a mile.

Is she not registered with an agency? I've never employed a nanny but if I was going too I wouldn't employ one that wasn't registered with an agency who could vouch for her/could get legitimate references etc.

I would hazzard a guess that she has in fact been working for the past 18 months, but that her employers would not provide her with a reference (which in itself would point to her not being a good candidate). Giving a false reference is in itself perfectly legitimate grounds to not employ her, so I would just go with that and say that you've decided not to employ her.

''Where are all the good part-time nannies {sad}''

Wooo-Hooo I'm over here in Hertfordshire!

I personally would steer very clear as it sounds very suspicious and as said above why has she been out of work for so long.

Definitely not. Try again I'm afraid...

All very dodgy

Don't go near

Oh it's so difficult. I know exactly when you've met someone you think is great, you just want everything to be right about them and it's incredibly difficult to challenge them about anything - because, of course, then you run the risk of putting them off, and losing a fabulous candidate through what you think is your own excess caution, and on and on.

The bottom line, though, is that someone without anything to hide will make it CLEAR that they don't have anything to hide. They will explain to you exactly where they've been for the last 18 months, they'll get you a reference from the last job they had - I can't stress how much it matters to have the last current reference. (Older ones can be OK, but the lack of the last current is just a Red Flag.) If they don't have written references they'll tell you why not in a way that makes sense - and it needs to be really convincing, because any serious candidate will know how important written references are. Phone numbers to follow up, of course - but written as a starting point.

And NEVER rely on email references

Only phone references - preferably landlines

wannaBe - the one very posh, very expensive agency I am signed up with only checked my references by email! One was just a hotmail address too - I offered to give them landline numbers but she said email was quicker. You can't assume agencies have got legitimate references.

Sounds like lindsey and patricia are right - I would keep looking.

I am thinking she has done this back to front.Trying to make out someone else wants the jobs isn't going to help her get it. What she should have done is let it slip someone else has offered her something!

Run like the wind from this one!

(Former nanny)

On the reference topic, can I just check, as this will be relevant for me when I get to that stage - should they provide a) phone number (and address, ideally) of employers so you can check they exist and talk to them? or b) written references saying they are fab. Or both?

I have several candidates lined up now and while many have referees on their CVs, none has mentioned having a collection of written references they could show me - mind you, some of them are quite young. Should I expect them to have written references, and be worried if they don't (maybe they are waiting for me to ask), or is phoning their previous and current employers the standard approach?

She is odd (and desperate). Lock the doors.

The two excellent nannies I've been lucky enough to employ both had written references and provided a long list of phone numbers - landlines and mobiles so I could follow up.

A written ref is useful as giving you a first flavour - for a start it shows professionalism that the nanny has collected them. But talking to someone really is the only way to find out about a nanny. People are obviously reluctant to write a nasty reference and hand it out. I followed up some excellent written refs for a maternity nurse once. The employers had quite different things to say on the phone - it was a shocker!

I always provided written references which the employers had written themselves so had their address on, as well as a phone number if they wished to speak to the referee which they often did - at least the most recent one.