Working Moms
Nanny finding/interviewing/hiring help
We are starting our nanny search and plan to first look through word of mouth and if that doesn't pan out we will use a service. Please share your thoughts/ideas on:
- how to find a great nanny
- what questions to ask in an interview
- how to get a background and driving record check
- what contract to use
- taxes (what service to use, etc.)
- anything else?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Nanny finding/interviewing/hiring help
I haven't hired a nanny yet (baby is due in April) but here's what I plan to do (note: I also own a business and have 6 full time employees, so I have experience interviewing/hiring/managing for other types of employees).
The great ladies on this board suggested these three sites to find nannies (you can sort by their level of experience, location, age, and much more
I use Paychex (https://www.paychex.com/) to run payroll for my employees so our nanny will just be listed as another employee so taxes will be handled automatically. Other ladies on this board suggested a few nanny only payroll processing services, but I didn't take note of the name of the services. You could probably Google it to find them if you're interested.
You can find low-cost (>$50) background check resources online. Here's one I found that checks criminal and driving records (https://www.hireright.com/express/).
I've found, however, that if you tell individuals that you will be running a background check in the job description, and mention it again in the interview and ask them if there is anything on there that will come up that they want to discuss, they usually share everything. I've had people share MIPs (minor in possession) which won't even show up in any background check b/c they were a minor when it occurred!! They also usually mention any driving infractions, etc. To be extra safe you could both ask them about it, and file the official check.
Finally, I won't begin interviewing until after LO is born since most nannies are ready to start working immediately (as are most employees). I'll require candidates to submit a cover letter with their resume explaining why they want to be a nanny, will do a phone interview, and finally in-person interviews. For the top candidates, if we can't decide which to hire we'll have each come for a day and pay them a flat rate just for the day to see how they interact with LO. Finally, once we decide upon which nanny to hire, we'll have them come for at least a week while I'm still at home (probably working at home) so I can really see how LO does with the nanny and vice versa.
I know this is super long winded, but hopefully it helps!