Which nanny shall I offer the post to? More help for first time nanny employer...........

[conniedescending]

I've been interviewing all week and have it wittled down to 3 candidates. I click with all 3 and they haven't said anything to put me off.

A - Very flexible, lives locally, keen and enthusiastic, happy with a lower rate of pay
but, can only commit for 6 mths, has no childcare related qualification, is younger (nearly 19)

B - also very flexible, good references, experienced, qualified, fun and thoughtful, can commit long term
but, wants more than we can pay (am hoping to neg somwehere in between), liver further away, does something unusual in spare time

C - experienced, comitted long term, lives locally, is bubbly and organised, tons of common sense, crb checked and has first aid cert.
but, also wants more money, less flexible than A&B (but still could work)

very confused by this...........how did others make the big decision???

yes think I'll do that willow

A's experience was in an orphanage which she speaks very passionately about

C didnt mention the lateness....it was more than 5 but less than 10mins

Working in an orphanage with lots of other adults around is a very different experience to being on your own for a long day with very young children, and also having to juggle school runs and the demands of children of different ages. For me to consider a 19 year old with no nanny experience she would have to be a pretty exceptional newly qualified I think - at least then you would know she would have a grasp of child development, health and safety, and have done placements with children of various ages in various situations. I guess I might consider her if I could do a month shared care to train her up and ensure she was responsible. She'd also definitely need a paediatric first aid qualification.

yes - you are absolutely right willow. She'd be a fantastic mothers help. She was such a lovely girl though and so keen, I did put her on the list of possibles over some of the other candidates I interviewed.

the 6mths is a problem as well as really want a longer term commitment.

She'd probably make a great nanny, but 4 under 7 is VERY full on for a first job!

Being late for an interview isn't a good sign in my view.
35min drive may be an issue, though in the past i have had a job of that drivetime, and i was never late - but i did have to get up early!
Going back to A, why won't they commit to doing longer? Did you feel that A was organised enough to cope with 4 children?

I think:

I used to be a nanny at 18 still am now, but A has no qualifications, little real knowledge and no form of vital first aid.

Anyone who is going to care for someone elses child, on a regular basis and alone most/all of the time should definately have good practise of first aid.

If you were to go for C you could give her the ultimatum and say she can have more money for more flexibilty. I recon C is your best bet.

C being late for interview and not giving a reason would rule them out in my view. How reliable will someone be if they can't attend an interview on time.
Did B say that her 'calling' has/hasn't affected her work? How did you find out, was she upfront about it?
Are there any other candidates worth considering?
Don't stretch yourself salary wise. Make it clear how much you are offering (gross salary).

I was half an hour for a job interview turning up at 4.30pm. Luckily for me the 4.30pm contender didn't come. I was late as the train didn't stop where I expected. The mum was fine about it was she knew it was genuine and offered me the job there and then. I stayed for 18 months ish. They were going to make me leave after 2 years anyway.

Continuity of care is one of the reasons I prefer nannies to nurseries. I'd rule out A for the 6 month reason.

And you need to be clear about B and her hobby. She might not be happy working somewhere she couldn't talk about it to the children. How would you both handle DCs coming from from school and asking nanny about Easter, for example? You might think it was all fluffy bunnies and chocolate eggs, and she might find this deeply offensive. If you can't find a way to talk to her about it now, how will you manage when she is working for you?

i am soooooooooo entrigued what the hobby is

a is out as doesnt want to commit

b - many nannies I know live 30mins+ from their job

is the hobby THAT bad that she cant mention/talk about it?

c - bad she was late for interview and even worse she didnt appoligize

nannies are very flexible.but if you want to swap your days about for example then the nanny might want to get another job and therefore cant - so if you might need 5 days then you might have to pay for 5 days

tbh seems to me that none are right for you and your family and I would carry on looking

Blondes google 'watch tower'.

I would discount A due to her age and inexperience and that she only wants to commit for 6mths.

B will depend on whether you can cope with her 'calling'. I think you would need to be politely up front and say her beliefs are her own and whilst you respect that, you wouldn't want them put on your children in any way.

C I would discount due to her lateness and her lack of an apology. An interview is where you pull out all the stops to make a good impression and being late is not a good one. However if you don't have to leave in the mornings on a strict schedule so could cope with her turning up late then maybe her other attributes would make up for this?

You don't mention B having paediatric first aid? I would insist she gets this asap if you do employ her.

Blondes - If I'm right, then Watchtower.org may help you understand what the 'calling' is.

Someone's religious beliefs ideally should not affect their work, but in reality it may affect their work. If the family are Christian and believe that Jesus was born on 25 December... and their nanny has a different belief, could that cause issues when the children start asking about Christmas? If the family celebrate birthdays, but the nanny does not celebrate birthdays... then does that mean the nanny would refuse to get involved with a child's birthday celebrations?
The nanny concerned however must have come across these issues in the past and worked a way around them which fits with their religious beliefs. Their previous employers may be able to say how such situations were dealt with.

Glad you agree with me regarding C being late... being late for interview is bad enough... but then not saying a reason why makes it far worse.

To me, so far B seems to be the better candidate but is still possibly not a right fit for the family.

oh, now i understand fridays child remark about easter

thought i was being blonde

sure b hobby will make things difficult, would she make easter/xmas cards/go to xmas parties/visit fatehr christmas etc?

i still think none are right, so hunt again

Her religion may not affect her working. But it is something you need to discuss fully with her so that you and she know what is expected of her re birthdays, christmas etc.

I am Christian and work for a Jewish family. I didn't know much about the Jewish culture before I started this job (Neil Diamond's The Jazz Singer and that they don't eat pork ) but have been more than willing to learn all about it and support it even if I don't believe it myself. I always answer questions about Christmas and Easter honestly and with information that is age appropriate, but always point out that this is what Christians believe and that different religions believe different things. I haven't had any questions that are too tricky - yet! But if I did I would talk to the parents to see how they would like it explained.

thanks again for the comments

Have def ruled out A - she can only commit to 6mths because she wants to study in sept.

B has a first aid cert that has lapsed....she said she was booked in for a refresher course in May.

as for interviewing more - well I have the CV's of another 5 or so. 2 are as inexperienced as A, 1 has the worst CV I have ever seen and the other 2 are more mature ladies with older kids but no 'nanny' experience.

I feel comfortable with B & C its more choosing between them. Oh and the salary thing. Need to decide today because its not long till I need them to start.

Think I'm leaning towards B at the minute....and if she won't accept the salary on offer will offer it to C. If she won't accept salary will re-advertise - but not sure I can tolerate the process again.

connie can you not look at the advertisements on mumsnet/babysitclub.co.uk/gumtree for nannies if this does not work out?

You could put an ad on mumsnet and im pretty sure someone will reply.

Fox-hunting was banned ages ago, so probably not that.

With any hope her hobby is now leftie-hunting.

Connie

I would go with C

A I think is quite young and inexperienced to be left with 4 children (if it was only 1 I would think differently) and 6 months will go so quickly and you'll be doing this all over again...

B I personally wouldn't want someone with different religious beliefs to be such a big influence in my childs life. When they talk about things they are doing at school etc Nativity Play, Easter, Jesus/God things... it is very hard when you have different beliefs and no matter how much you tell her it must be kept separate from the children, it's not really practical to do so when it's a belief that comes up a lot with kids (death, god, events etc). Would be different if it was just a hobby (train spotting, pole dancing etc!).

C 5-10 mins, maybe your watch was a couple of minutes fast and hers a couple of minutes slow... really not the be-all and end-all of hiring someone is it?? So long as you are all synchronised and ready to go when she does start. Also, the 10 min travel time would be a factor (to me).

HTH

Some friends of mine had an Au Pair who turned out to be a Jehova's witness, which freaked them out for a bit.. But she'd already turned up by the time they found out and they thought they'd give it a go and she turned out to be their best ever AP. I met her as well and she was delightful and perfectly happy to live in a house of sinful heathens. So I don't think religion should be an issue for you, especially if she doesn't see it as an issue. Mind you, they did have to set out some ground rules that included 'No knocking on doors within one mile of the house'

arse arse arse

so - I offered the post to B who declined because of the salary...even though I increased it to midway between what I wanted to pay and what she wanted. We can't afford to pay anymore.

Then I decide to offer it to C - who has another interview this week and wants to wait until then. So I am in limbo land and have a feeling she will turn us down if she gets other job as we are at lower end of pay.

A is still out of question because of 6mth thing rather than age.

But, I have suprise candidate D coming tomorrow who has childcare exp in pre-school, is flexible and ok with the salary. She has an nvq2 in childcare and is going to do an nvq3 (worked around a p/t job). Are NVQ's a nan qualification????

thanks again..........worried I might not find anyone.

maybe its a good thing, if none of the 3 were a definite "yes" in your mind

hopefully the 4th one will be

squiffy....at least I don't have to put that in contract now

Thanks Rachie.....fingers crossed D will be fantastic.

Well sounds like D is a least worth seeing.
NVQ's can be a nannying qualification - it depends on the NVQ subject. QUA 713 ? Trowel Occupations - NVQ Level 2 isn't very practical for a nanny, though handy if you are building a brick extension to your home. Whereas a CACHE NVQ Level 3 in Children's Care, Learning and Development is far more suitable for a nanny.

Lol @ nick

d sounds good

as i said before, i didnt think a b or c were right for you, or you wouldnt have asked our opinion iykwim

good luck with d!!!