NannyMall Nannies know this agency is just but one source of finding a great Nanny position. They are encouraged to seek a position through another agency, word of mouth or independently.
If using independent sources, i.e. craigslist or kijiji, there are some strong rules of safety that should be followed. *(this blog is dedicated to all nannies but especially the nannies that relayed stories of unscrupulous people to my attention a number of times in the past few weeks.)
** PLEASE NOTE, this blog is simply for informative purposes only, it's not to be used in lieu of any safety training class or manual, nor to be viewed as a single source of safety procedures; it is simply suggestions of safety.
1. When a family contacts you, let them interview you and when it's your turn, ask a lot of questions! Don't feel intimidated.
Ask pointed questions about their children, ask if they've ever hired a nanny, ask how soon they are needing to hire, ask if either parent works from home, ask about taxes, and then ask if the have personal references, yes you ask them if they have a friend and/or family reference you can call. You will find that 99.99% of the families will be fine with that request because they'll understand you are being cautious and who wouldn't respect that? Even though it's you looking for a position, you can still "interview" the family to make sure it's the right fit....and that's it a real position.
2. If all your questions were answered and you feel okay about setting up an interview, set it,
and follow through with the reference check. If attempts to reach reference don't pan out but you are still interested, then perhaps drive by their home a couple of times, not in a stalker kind of way, but in a, making sure it's all legit, kind if way. Note the number of cars, note if there are children's toys outside (perhaps you won't see any in Winter), note the amount of lights on....if only one person lives there, most likely won't have but one or two lights on; with children look for several.
3. A day or two before your interview, call their house phone (if they gave # to you) and see who answers, if it's someone different than you originally spoke with, that's probably a good sign. You can say you are confirming the interview...because actually you really are.
4. Make sure you tell a couple of friends and/or family members when your interview is scheduled and also give them the name, address and phone number. Let them know that family interviews can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours.
5. When you arrive at the home, call a friend or someone to let them know you are there and are going in for the interview. Have them note the time.
Once introductions are completed, politely ask if you may call your friend/mom to let them know everything is good to go. ---From a parent's prospective, they will deem you worthy because if you're THAT careful with your personal life, you will MOST LIKELY be THAT careful with their children. -----Make it a brief call!----
6. If you get there and something doesn't feel quite right, don't enter the home. Wait till you see the other parent or the children, or ask if there is a better time to come back when all the family is home.
7. You could always bribe a friend to go with you to sit in the car....just offer to buy her lunch or buy a small "thanks for waiting in the car for me" gift. Perhaps you'll ask the family to meet you in a public area such as McDonalds or St. Louis Bread Co. to avoid the home interview.
Whatever you do, remember safety first! ---This blog is in response to several stories relayed to me about nannies going for interviews and it would turn out to be a person with no children.
If you have your own methods of safety you'd like to share please leave them in the comment section.
St. Louis Childcare Agency
St. Louis Nanny Agency
NannyMall.com
