What do you look for in a nanny

[nanny1974]

What do you look for in a nanny.

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I look for (in no particular order):

Someone who has a natural rapport with children.

someone who I think will be happy to go along with my wishes and not take offence if I ask them to do something differently.

Someone who I think will use their initiative.

Someone who doesn't mention the naughty step when I ask them about discipline (or at least mentions other methods of encouraging good behaviour before mentioning the naughty step).

Someone who talks about activities other than messy play.

Someone who is active and fit and likes to walk places.

Someone who I think I will get on with.

Someone for whom being a nanny seems like more than just a job.

Someone who hasn't taken many days off sick in the past.

Someone who is happy to keep to our structure of activity in the morning and sleep at home (or at a nanny friends house every now and then) after lunch for my youngest.

Probably loads more but mostly it's a gut feeling.

Thanks for that
Any more

I look for experience with kids the same age as mine, and I also like to see qualifications. If references aren't checkable, I like to know that up front and I expect to be told why. One or two families with whom she has "lost touch" is fine, but too many makes me suspicious.

I'm with hamsgirl on someone who has a natural rapport with kids.

I'm curious too! I'm a nanny-in-training so I'd like to know what you think is good/bad

I thought of more...

English mother tongue (as kids learn language skills before they are 5, I want them to learn from a native speaker)

Someone whose cv shows she stays in jobs for a while. I know families move, and mums leave work, so not all nanny jobs last 8 years, but someone who has a new job every 12 - 18 months rings alarm bells. I'm looking for continuity of care, so I also need nannies to have rights to work in the UK as long as I am likely to need them.

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TBH I think the whole continuity of care thing depends on the goodness of fit between the nanny and the family and cannot be dictated by a CV or the family.
Different nannies suit different families and vice versa. A CV and an interview is not always enough to tell whether it will work out or not.

I agree Tavvy, but both give you clues. Nannies have said to me at interview "ooh, jobs never last more than 2 years do they?" or "I've never done potty training, I always move on before then"; equally you will find plenty of posts here (and probably more on nannyjob) which suggest that some nanny employers are just clueless.

I only ever have live out nannies though. I can see that makes it easier to have continuous care.