Help with recruiting a nanny in Walton On Thames

[LW71]

Hello

I was hoping for some advice I am a new Mum who is very reluctantly returning to work in Feb 2010 and in need of recruiting a nanny for 4 days per week to look after my lovely little girl (7 months old in Feb). I was hoping for some advice on website to advertise on etc I live in Walton On Thames, Surrey and think Gum Tree might be a bit London specific are there any others like that?

Are agencies a good option it seems expensive but do you get a better selection of candidates? Also what qualifications and reference checks do I need to ask for?

Sorry for all the questions I am feeling rather panicked about the whole thing and would really appreciate some advice. The idea of leaving my baby at the moment just makes be want to cry

Any help gratefully received.

Hi, hopefully I won't get in trouble for advertising or anything, my friend runs an agency called Minitots based in Leatherhead and she covers your area, her name is Vicky - 07810771940. The benefit of agencies is they will do the references and crb checks on your behalf. If you do it yourself I suggest you make it a requirement that all candidates have an enhanced disclosure and provide contact details for 2 or more previous employers. It's up to yo. Whether you want them to be qualified or not and the level of previous experience you ask for, but as a rule the more experienced a nany isthe higher the salary they may be seeking!
I think it's great that you're getting prepared in advance so you can get to know the nanny you can choose before you go back to work, so you don't feel rushed into making a quick choice, and hopefully have time to do some trial/handover days beforehand! Good luck!

Gumtree is good-you might find there are others which cover your area and not just the london one. Nannyjob is good and your local netmums will have a childcare board!

Agencies are a good bet if you're nervous about recruiting but you should double check things yourself.

Qualifications:

The standard qualification is the Nneb, which is now that Cache Dce. Other equivalents are the Btec diploma and the Nvq 3. Level 2 certificates are for those who work supervised and take 1 year to do but you may find people with experience who have these and will make good nannies. Finally you might find someone with no quals and lots of relevant experience. It's up to you.

If you ask for a nanny to be Ofsted reg then they will have a basic qualification, a 1st aid certificate, insurance and a CRB check.

You need to decide what's important to you. Experience? Qualifications? Cost?

There are threads on here about checking references and questions to ask. It's a difficult process but MN has lots of great advice if you search old threads and we're here to answer any other questions!

I wouldn't touch an agency woth a ten-foot pole. They are definitely not worth the price they charge. I would look on nannyjob.co.uk and maybe gumtree (but gumtree tends to bring back lots of unsuitable candidates to sift through along with some good ones).

I assume this is a live-out position? Live in is considerably cheaper and widens your potential market.

What are the hours?

Why are you looking for a nanny and not a nursery or childminder?

You will get far better advice on here than you will from any agency, and we are free.

Incidentally, I am in Sunbury and have employed nannies for a few years. So, feel free to use me as a sounding board.

I suggest you run the ad by at least few people on here before you pay to post it on nannyjob / gumtree. We can also advise you on interview questions / contract writing / etc.

Again we are FREE here and we have no vested interested in placing someone in your employment.

Thanks so much for the advice thats a great start. I think I am going to have a bash at recruiting myself over the next couple of weeks and then if I have no joy I can go for plan b which will be the agencies route.

My advice would be to advertise in The Lady magazine. I got all but one of my jobs through there. You pay a fortune to agencies to check references whereas imo you should be checking them yourself.

This is my hiring process:

Write and post the add.
Provide email address as contact in the ad and ask interest candidtates to send a picture of themselves and their CV together with salary expectation.

Then if I lke them, I send them mymamouth questionnaire.

The questionnaire is great because you can compare candidates without trying to remember who said what and where and trying to dig it out.

Then, I narrow it down to a few and call them in for interview or chat with them on the phone.

Then I check references (and I must actually speak to them).

Then offer the job.

If a candidate does not want me to talk to her current employer until she has a job offer, that's fine. But, I would need to speak to her previous employer(s).

The one good thing about agencies is they do have nannies on their books and you know they are genuinely looking for work.

But then again they might not have a great selection of nannies, may not send you anyone suitable and might pressure you into making a quick decision.

Some nannies will only go through agencies- I personally don't take overseas work without going through one - but most nannies self advertise as well as using agencies. It's worth contacting candidates you like the look of on the websites we've mentioned and getting CVs which will give you some idea of the market.

The one good thing about agencies is they do have nannies on their books and you know they are genuinely looking for work.

But then again they might not have a great selection of nannies, may not send you anyone suitable and might pressure you into making a quick decision.

Some nannies will only go through agencies- I personally don't take overseas work without going through one - but most nannies self advertise as well as using agencies. It's worth contacting candidates you like the look of on the websites we've mentioned and getting CVs which will give you some idea of the market.

I don't think you should discount Gumtree. They have local sites and one of them (you find them on the right-hand side of the screen) is a Guildford site. I use it (from West Byfleet) to look for babysitters with great success and there are always nannies from Woking, Weybridge area etc advertising for work. Hey, it's free to try so you might as well give it a go!

Hi I am a nanny in Weybridge looking for a new post from Jan/Feb next year, ideally 4 days a week so I can still see my old nanny family the 5th day in the holidays.

I have my NNEB, Maternity nanny certificate and am OFSTED reg, I also have an up to date CRB and first aid certificate. I drive, have my own car and clean license, I have over 14 years experience working with babies and children aged from 1 week plus, including several sets of twins.

If you would like to chat more please do get in touch, via stoneleighbabymassage website.

I have a few agency interviews lined up for this weekend but would def like to chat more to you to see if we would match before I have to make a final decision.

Thanks

Another friend of mine has found several jobs through Simply Childcare, have you considered advertising on there? im not sure if its online as well but they definitely do a publication.

I dont work for an agency btw, so definitely not trying to sell anything, just passing on my friends details. I also have found most of my nanny jobs on my own on the gumtree or nannyjob.

PS, sorry for the atrocious spelling on my prev post, was using ipod touch and its hard work!