5 Easy Steps To Hire A Nanny

The thought of hiring a nanny to look after your children either on weekends or daily can be a very important one as the right choice would not only make your children happy and healthy, but also safe. Hiring a nanny requires some preparation as the whole procedure could be lengthy and emotionally draining. The process can become quick and painless if you follow the 5 easy steps to hire a nanny.

The 5 easy steps to hire a nanny:

1. Determine your needs:

You have to determine the type of nanny you require; the choice is between live-in, live-out, occasional and even night nannies. You have also to choose what tasks you would like your nanny to do from homework, cooking, light cleaning, to running errands. Other considerations include smoking, driver’s license, CPR certifications, language and age range. Exactly knowing what you want will help narrow down the field when it comes interviewing prospective nannies.

2. Determine price range according to what you can afford:

You should talk to local agencies, friends that use nannies as well as temp services to find the rate they pay nannies. Be prepared to pay health insurance as well as taxes for your nanny; you should ideally not pay more than 30 to 35% of your salary on a nanny.

3. Start looking for the nanny:

You could post an ad online or through pamphlets and brochure and also speak to agencies. Be prepared for some application and placement fees charged by some agencies. Running an ad means being specific about terms such as gender and ages of your children.

4. Interview the potential candidates: 

Having narrowed down the list of potential candidates it is time to make sure that you ask plenty of open-ended questions to get a good feel of him/her. Ask about previous positions, possible scenarios and preferences. It is very essential that both you and the nanny are comfortable during the interview and you both speak honestly and openly as it is critical for developing a healthy relationship.

5. Write up a contract for your nanny: 

It is very essential to sit down and speak about everything and lay out all expectations and address any possible confusion. You have to lay down all the tasks that the nanny has to do as well as pay dates, schedule and pay rates. Creating and writing up a contract helps ensure a positive relationship and also avoid any further misunderstandings.

Lastly take one step at a time to avoid the frustration in the tedious and tough process of selecting a nanny. Having found a nanny you can then introduce him/her to your children. As a last note the trick to having a long standing relationship with the nanny lies in being appreciative and respectful.

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