Hiring a Nanny???

[DOnut]

Maybe I should have posted this in the general forum, but does anyone have experience hiring a nanny? If so, do you have any tips or advice? My wife and I are starting the process now. It's proving to be more difficult than I thought.

Thanks for the advice!

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[beanbean]

We advertised locally in a few papers. Other places to advertise are colleges and universities, churches and libraries. We did fine without using a placement agency which can be quite expensive. We screened applicants by phone initially to get a feel for their background and experience. We then invited several candidates to the house to meet us and the kids. My daughters were 5 and 7 at the time and I was about 8 months pregnant with my son. We had a few formal questions to ask each applicant, but kept the interview pretty casual. Watching the kids with the applicants was very helpful.

For us it was easy, one candidate was far superior to the others. She is still our nanny 3 years later and we could not be happier. She works ~ 40-43 hours per week and is very flexible. One thing we have done is to make sure we pay her well and give a good bonus. My husband travel a great deal and we always have plenty of frequent flyer miles, thus we give her a free ticket every year. This past year she and her 12 yo daughter came with us to Italy and then spent the Christamas holiday in England with her family. We pay her sick days and vacation. Basically, we try to offer benefits and salary ....not just an hourly wage. This allows her security and she doesn't have to worry week to week about how much her check will be.

Good luck! BTW we started with a pay of $12/hr and she now makes $15/hr

 

[DOnut]

BTW we started with a pay of $12/hr and she now makes $15/hr

Thank you very much for replying. I have to ask though, are you a resident, or attending? 45 hours per week at $12/ hour is $540/week. This is pretty tough on a resident salary, plus, both my wife and I are going to be residents, so we may need care for more than 45 hours/week.

This is starting to become harder than I wanted. Thank you for the advice though!!

 

[NoSz]

You could also look into an au pair. There are au pairs especially from Eastern Europe and Brazil who are a bit older (up to 30), have special certificates in child care (some are teachers in their home country).
You will have to provide room and board and they are not supposed to work more than 40 hours a week, but they cost about $250 per week only (plus flight). Some will be eager to work more hours.

You should use an official agency, though. The au pairs will need a J1 visa and can usually stay for 1 year only.
Good luck!

 

[DOnut]

You could also look into an au pair. There are au pairs especially from Eastern Europe and Brazil who are a bit older (up to 30), have special certificates in child care (some are teachers in their home country).
You will have to provide room and board and they are not supposed to work more than 40 hours a week, but they cost about $250 per week only (plus flight). Some will be eager to work more hours.

You should use an official agency, though. The au pairs will need a J1 visa and can usually stay for 1 year only.
Good luck!

Thanks NoSz, I've actually heard the same thing from 4 different people just today. I'm going to look into the company Au Pair in America. Are their any specific companies you recommend? Thanks again for the advice!

 

[beanbean]

Nannys are expensive aren't they! I am just an MSIII, but an old one! I had a previous career as an engineer and then stayed home with the kids for about 6 years. My husband has a good job as a business executive so we are able to afford the salary. We supplement my nanny's hours on weeks when my husband is traveling with the teenager next door babysitting and my Dad helps out in emergencies. It is important to have about 3 backup plans!

I have heard good things about Au Pair in America. We decided that although it is more expensive, we really preferred not having someone else living in our home full time. I know people who met amazing people by having an au pair join the family. Of course there are always some bad eggs out there, but the agency is reputable. It can be tough having to change au pairs every year when their visa runs out, but it is a great way to bring a different culture into your lives.

Good luck to you are your wife starting residency.

 

[DOnut]

Thanks beanbean. I'm checking references now!! What fun!

 

[beanbean]

When you find the right nanny....treat them like gold. You don't ever want to lose a good nanny. Theresa is like part of our family. She has stopped by on weekends just because she misses my son (he is now 2 1/2) and he often wants to call her just to say hi. I know that regardless of how long she works with us she will always be a part of my children's lives. I hope you find someone as special; of course, at a reasonable price!