Hiring a nanny...

Any advice for hiring a nanny? What questions should I ask during the interviews? I posted an ad on care.com and have received a bunch of responses. 4 of them look pretty good. I also have an unusual situation. I'm looking for someone full time (7 hours/day) to help my mom watch my 2 kids, my niece and nephew. My Dd would be 3, my niece would be 2 and the other two would be newborns (I'm pregnant due in August and so is my other sister due in June). This position would follow a school calendar (180 days) and start in September. We weren't sure how much to charge. Should it be hourly or a flat monthly salary? We weren't planning to doc the person for sick days because we want to encourage her to stay home if she is sick. We would rather that then she come to my house sick just to get paid. This job has the potential to be long term because my 2 sisters plan on having another baby each so we will need someone for a number of years.

Message edited 3/18/2013 1:03:53 PM.

Re: Hiring a nanny...

I would recommend putting everything in writing. Days off, sick days, pay increases etc etc. We've had the same nanny for almost 2.5 years and the main issues we've had could have been avoided if we had a written contract/policy from day one. Live and learn!

We're interviewing now too. During the interview we always ask about prior experience (you'll want to make sure they've taken care of more than 2 children at a time), their views on discipline, if they are CPR certified, references etc. We always explain what we expect of them (what cooking/cleaning we expect them to do etc). Just my own thing, but I always see if they ask to wash their hands when they come in and if they ask if they should remove their shoes (weird, but I always like the ones who do! lol). Watch their interactions with the kids during the interview too. Honestly, you'll just "know" immediately if they aren't a good fit.

Good luck!

Re: Hiring a nanny...

That's good advice! My sisters and I are total germaphobs and want the person to wash their hands and take off their shoes too. Should we leave a box of gloves for diaper changing, would a nanny expect that or think its weird?

Hiring a nanny...

I agree with the PP - if a nanny didn't come in and take their shoes off, wash their hands then ask to hold the baby it was a definite no. You will get a feeling when the person is right. Luckily your mother will be there with them, so you don't have to worry about leaving your kids alone with a stranger.

We pay our nanny for certain hours a week, and overtime if she stays beyond that. We pay her for all holidays too. I think you might have a hard time finding someone long term who is willing to not work over the summer though.

I think a box of gloves is kind of weird. We do a nanny share with my nephew and she never used gloves - she just washes her hands.

Good luck!

Re: Hiring a nanny...

I agree with everything said above. We just hired a nanny, and it was a long process. We spoke to over 30 nannies via phone, and met with about 16 in person. But when we finally found the one, I just felt in my gut that it was the right person.

In addition to questions other posters' suggested above, we wanted to know if they had little kids, and if so, what they did for childcare. We didn't want to have to deal with a nanny calling out every time there was an issue with their LO.

We also asked about their future plans, so that we didn't hire someone who is planning to move or change careers in the near future.

As for paperwork, we have a soft contract that lists all the specifics; basic hours, wage, vacation, paid holidays, review process, etc. It includes a summary of our expectations so that we were on the same page.

I can't help with salary, because our nanny is full time. But definitely let me know if you have any other questions.

Re: Hiring a nanny...

Wow, this is great info, thanks! I just spoke to some people over the phone a couple seemed nice and normal, others, not so much. We weren't sure if people would be uncomfortable changing a strange kid's poopy diaper so i thought they'd want to wear gloves like in a daycare setting,but i can see how it could be kind of weird because a nanny is actually in someone's home.