Hiring a nanny - need advice

baby_garcia · December 2008

I don't post on this board very often, but I need some help. I work from home, but I need to hire a nanny for a few hours a day to watch my 3 month old daughter so I can concentrate a little better. I posted an ad on craigslist and have received 10 responses in the last 3 days. I guess the next step is to do some phone interviews and then maybe in-person interviews with 2 or 3 applicants. Any advice on what I should look for/look out for? What kinds of questions should I ask?

Also, I am paying $8 an hour, does that seem right?

TIA!

nooze2me · December 2008

I worked as a nanny in 1991 and I was paid more than that. Approximately $10 an hour... but I was in the Boston area. I had no educational, first aid or CPR training. I think if you are asking for any of that and or a background check that you should pay a little more. But I don't know what the COLA is for your area. HTH.

Better 2gether · December 2008

I don't know if I would advertise on Craigslist for a nanny, but that is just me... I've heard too many horror stories when it has came to hiring a babysitter off of craigslist.

On how much to pay the nanny, it really depends on where you live. If they are only watching your dc a couple hours a day, every day... Is it worth them to drive to your house and only spend a couple hours to make $16-$24 hours? So that is something you would have to discuss with who you hire.

sweetfrogy · December 2008

I'm with the PP, I wouldn't post an ad on Craigslist. At least you will be home at the same time though. I think $8/hr seems really low, but I don't know your specific location. Here, I would think for an infant it would be closer to $15/hr, unless you are looking to just hire a teenager after school, and not a "trained" nanny.

ilovemygirls · December 2008

I know several people who have hired excellent nannies via Craigslist, so it can be a great way to go. I would definitely use some kind of agency to do a background check when you get to the point of 1 or 2 people you are very interested in. We use my next door neighbor's nanny (whom she found on craigslist, btw, and is fabulous) for babysitting & she charges $10/hr for one child, $13/hr for two. She is CPR certified and is in her early 20's. $8/hr seems a little low to me, but it really depends on your area. Since it sounds like you'll be home while using this person, you should be able to get a really good idea very quickly whether it is a good fit or not. Good luck!

Brownie0516 · December 2008

Craigslist can be a great place to find someone. I might also check if you have a local agency that might do some of the work for you. I was hired through one that did a background check on me and all the initial interviews. They also had a pic and a profile set up to get a quick idea of the person .I would come up with a list of ?'s you want to ask so you make sure you don't forget anything.

I am a nanny in Denver and I charge $20 an hour. I just dropped to $17 since I am bringing my own son. They also give me time off for vacation, paid holidays off and pay $100 towards my health insurance. I think $8 seems low unless it is a part time high school student or it might also depend alot on where you live and the going rate.

Brownie0516 · December 2008

* I just noticed that you live in Colorado too! If you are in the Denver area, I went through www.abcnannies.com

They were great!

Good luck

llamakins · December 2008

I suggest going through an agency that does background checks. GL!

RaeLipson · December 2008

We just hired a nanny, and, I agree, it was a very stressful process.

I don't think there is anythign wrong with Craiglist if you follow a good process. For us, the full service agencies were just too expensive. Most charge thousands of dollars for placement.

We used sittercity.com . It's an online placement service that basically just hosts ads. But we used a similar process as what you can do on Craiglist.

First, narrow down anyone that doesn't seem acceptable. Too young, lives too far away, no experience, anything that seems off. Then, phone interview your top candidates. We eliminated 75% of the people we phone interviewed.

Be very clear about your expecatations. You want to make a good match. For instance, we wanted our nanny to do housework as well, and we were very clear that we expected her to be working while the baby was napping. (I don't get 2 hours breaks during my job!) Some people told us that they weren't interested in housework, so they were off our list. We also insisted on paying legally and via check. (I don't know if taxes will be an issue for you. Depends on the final salary) This also turned some people off.

Get several references. We did the reference checks before the in person interview, but you can do it the other way around. References should be fairly glowing, as people tend to downplay faults to be nice. If there are any red flags, just move on to the next candidate.

Then, interview them in person. I recommend having your baby there for at least part of the interview. Hand over the baby and see how the person handles them. If the baby fusses, even better, see if it throws them off or if they try to calm.

We then gave them a copy of a nanny agreement we created, outlineing everything we were offering and everything we expected. (Covered salary, PTO, hours, duties, etc)

Finally, if you want to hire, get their SS#, driver's license, and proof of citizenship. It's expenseive, but do a real background check and driving check.

We then did a trial period. Not as relevent for you, as you will be home.

Hope this is helpful. We did end up with someone I'm very comfortable with.

As a final note, $8 is really cheap for infant care. $10-$15 is a more normal rate.

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