The curse of Boff. Again.

[BoffinMum]

You are not going to believe this, guys. The lovely temp (and she really is lovely) who came today has had to leave because her mum was rushed into hospital. We don't know if/when she'll be coming back. So we are without childcare again! I am currently in Paris and DH was supposed to be going into work tomorrow because he hasn't been able to get in all week. He has no leave left either. Crikey! Anybody want three lovely children, two with diarrhoea?

New nanny here, and so far absolutely blardy fantastic. Cannot do enough to help, and very cheerful and smiley as well. Apparently ace at all domestic and baby tasks, and has memorised the Maison de Boff nanny handbook in preparation for the job.

Hey Boff, nice to hear from you again - and very pleased to hear that things are looking good! You deserve a run of good fortune at last.

Great news. Sounds like she is settling in nicely. Long may it last.

YAH FAB NEWS BOFFY

Hooray Boff I am really pleased for you. When it works its just FAB

Lots of luggage and 2011 holiday plans sounds promising!

Still happy dancing.

Nanny entertaining all children and simultaneously cooking delicious family meal. Came out with us on a day trip today and whenever I needed help she was there at my right hand to provide it before I even realised I needed it.

Day trip was actually relaxing!

I could get used to this.

BM, been offline for a week so only just picked up this update, just wanted to say thanks for all your previous advice and support, hope it's still all going well (I assume no news on this thread since Thurs is good news) and gives me hope my funny old set-up will similarly right itself. Lovely nanny number 2 came for trial day (for which she refused pay, clearly I will ignore) on thurs and was delightful , odd nanny number 1 has emailed to say whilst she is still too sick to work for me she will be looking for agency temp work and if I am contacted as refereee could I not mention her being off sick .

Helen, that sounds really dodgy and I would certainly mention her sickness thing as a referee, otherwise what's the point in being one?

The less than committed temp we had disappeared initially on grounds of her mother's admission to hospital (although she was sent home the same day I believe, or very shortly thereafter), and then got the agency to phone us a few days later when we were assuming her poor mother was at death's door. They said she was too ill to work because she had done twelve days without a break over Xmas (duh - welcome to my world!) We then found she had registered with various agencies for temp work whilst supposedly too ill to meet her commitments to us. One agency said she had a habit of doing this, and flitting around as it suited her, but I have to say that it would be very helpful if agencies refused to take these girls on if they had a bad track record of being flaky IMO.

I think the nanny agency thing is quite corrupt actually, on many levels. It seems to work against the interests of the parents (especially charging fees based on 6 weeks' net pay or whatever. Gives them every reason to talk salaries up, and also does nothing to encourage nannies to join the world of the grown ups and think about their tax and NI, etc).

Anyway, I will stop ranting now. I am still happy with our latest nanny and hoping she comes back after her weekend away!

Anyway

BM

reading back through this thread and others I am alternately uplifted by the attitude/work ethic of the nannies who comment which reflects my own and cast into gloom by the horror stories of fellow working parents employing childcarers. I am trying so hard to do a good job on so many fronts and I just really need someone reliable and hard working, not so I can take advantage of them but so I can give my girls the best at a crappy time and give myself the chance of a little sanity. The feeling of being taken for a ride by agencies and individuals is horrible .

can't wait to rediscover my sense of humour at some point in the next few weeks. That said, great entertainment value in reading back through some threads, schadenfreude if nothing else

everything crossed both our latest nannies turn up bright eyed and bushy tailed and we go into a period of boring predictability - bliss!

BoffinMum - hello, congratulations on finding a nanny and apologies for the thread intrusion.

I am about to start looking for a nanny in Cambridge and wondered if you had any tips etc as you've obviously had quite an experience.

Any help/pointers would be greatly appreciated as this thread has made me want to go and hide in a cupboard

heres hoping both boffys's and helenlucyp's nanny turned up today

Mine is teaching DS2 a bit of piano whilst entertaining the baby and doing their washing. I think I may have a decent nanny for once.

Pamela, talk to Mel at Eden. If there's no joy there, try Cassandra at Tinies Cambridge. Apricot (Saffron Walden, I think) were helpful but didn't have anyone much at the moment. Greycoats (national agency) are quite helpful too but rather pricey. Do not hire nannies with the initials AT or LS.

She came . It was snowing, but as she only lives 3 streets away, no problem (hurrah, the stress of January fades away...)god I hope this is the start of something predictable and boring, in one aspect of my life if nowhere else

thanks for the good wishes blondes

Good luck Pamela, can't give you any tips specific to Cambridge but I would say that the biggest thing I have picked up from this and other threads which has been hugely applicable to my nanny-recruiting experience of late is communication communication communication. Especially if you are, like me, a control freaky high-achiever type who thinks there are 2 ways of doing something, my way and the wrong way

And do not bother with the place that we don't name for a little while, because as Frannikin and I will agree, it's apparently all gone a bit pear-shaped over there with the more recently qualified ones. More established ones seem OK though.

Pamela, I went with childcare.co.uk rather than agency as couldn't see what i was getting from agency other than cost to me i.e. I would still have to do interviews, follow up refs etc. Did all that DIY and have had one miss and hopefully one hit, not convinced would have been a better success rate with agency given the experiences of both nannies and employers on these threads

Boffy, sounding good, could be the beginning of something beautiful

Thanks BoffinMum and helenlucyp

Piano, oh that is a bonus. Don't think that talent was mentioned previously. I'm quite musical so I tend to include that detail on my CV even though I've never played piano to any Grade standard.
Good to hear she is still working out great. Hope she is settling in well.

helenlucyp - sounds like your one is looking good as well. Nice and local which helps a lot when the weather is bad, she can just walk.

Pamela - good luck with recruitment. Do ask any questions you need to, mumsnetters are full of wisdom when it comes to nanny recruitment.

"My way and the wrong way"

Must remember that one!

summersoon, this may of course be why I am now single mum, hence stress about reliable nanny

Musical nannies are obviously the best.

What? Me? Biased? Never

late to thread, As Per Usual

Boff, I am veeeery happy for you. Seems the forces of Nanny Karma have finally swung in your favour.

And of course it always useful to have a list of agencies who actually attempt to help, rather than just prize money out of your pocket by inserting nanny-shaped cuckoos into our households.

Agree with the musical nanny thing.

Boff - is it too soon to un-cross my fingers?

Sounds like you've finally found one worth having!! Congrats!!