Hot topics for both consumers and webmarketers on WebmasterRadio.FM
Every Wednesday, 5PM Eastern.
Nannies for Hire Tips
Nanny Fees
The expected salary for a nanny is from $300 to $700 a week depending upon age, experience and expected duties. The work week is five days, 10 to 12 hours. Live in childcare can cost the family $15,000 to $20,000 annually and should be considered a budgeted household expense. Many families are now sharing nannies with another family to make the process more affordable.
Save Tip
Comments
Tip Rating
Nanny Tip: Getting Help With Your Decision To Hire A Nanny
Congratulations on your decision to hire a nanny! You’re life is about to become much easier. Instead of stressing yourself out with too much housework, childcare, a full time job, and not enough time in the day, you’re now going to get the help and support you need.
If your kids are old enough to understand what impact hiring a nanny will have on them, talk to them about your plans. Let the kids know that they will be part of the decision process and will be able to meet the nanny before any final decisions are made. Kids tend to be more in tune with their gut instincts than adults do, so don’t underestimate any bad vibes your child might report. That’s not to say your entire hiring decision should be based on that gut instinct, but take it into consideration when making your decision.
Hiring a nanny is a big responsibility, and you may even find it hard to make an objective decision. Enlist the help of a friend, someone who can sit on the interview panel with an objective outlook. He or she should be able to offer sound, unbiased advice. It’s a lot easier to be objective when the decision doesn’t directly impact you.
Save Tip
Comments
Tip Rating
"Stay in" Activities for Nannies
Rainy days can be a childcare provider nightmare! But there are things to do. If you care are old enough, you can try baking with them. Children love breaking eggs, measuring and even stirring. The best part is getting to eat the results. Another idea for nannies and their cares is to create a tent indoors. The nanny can set up sheets or blankets on the kitchen table and chairs to make tents. Children will enjoy hearing a story told with funny faces and sound effects. You can also entertain the children by acting out a story as a play. The kids can either dress up or use sock puppets to tell the story.
Save Tip
Comments
Tip Rating
Nanny Tip: Hiring a Nanny to Share
How much time have you and your neighbors complained about the fact that you wish you could afford to hire a nanny? After all, not everyone makes enough money to support the family while paying a full-time nanny’s wage as well.
If that sounds like your situation, it’s time to get a little creative. Hiring a nanny doesn’t have to be an exclusive event. There’s nothing wrong with sharing a nanny position. It’s simple! Get together with another family and discuss the traits, qualities, experience, and skills you’re looking for in a nanny. Decide how to go about posting the profile through a nanny placement agency, how much you collectively can afford to pay the nanny, and write up a sample of the job expectations including how many children the nanny will be required to watch and their ages.
The next thing you’ll have to decide is which house the nanny will work from. You can alternate between homes (one week at one house; the next week at another), or consistently send the kids to the same house day after day. Since you’re neighbors, it’s not like the kids have to travel across town. When two or three families are involved in the nanny share system, be reasonable with your housekeeping expectations. The primary focus in this situation should be on childcare, not on laundry care.
Save Tip
Comments
Tip Rating
Language Barriers and Your Nanny
When considering nannies for hire one of the most important issues is language. Assuming that English is your language, are you comfortable with broken English? You need to feel confident that the nanny for hire will understand instructions fully. Equally as important, your children will be with this person under nanny care a great deal of the time. They need to feel comfortable and safe in the communication process as well. If your children are older, they might benefit from having a bi-lingual nanny. They can learn a new language and help the nanny improve her English.
Save Tip
Comments
Tip Rating
Nanny Tip: Paying a Nanny What She's Worth
If this is your first time looking for a nanny, you might be wondering what to pay. This is a tough one because there’s no set standard rate of pay. It really depends on a number of things including:
the amount of responsibility the nanny will be given;
where you live;
whether you’re going to offer additional benefits or just straight salary;
the amount of experience the nanny has;
whether you’re going to hire the nanny on a full-time, or part-time basis;
whether your intentions are to hire a nanny for the long term, or only for a short duration (i.e. the summer months)
If there are other people in your neighborhood familiar with hiring a nanny, ask them what rate of pay they think is fair. Starting a nanny on the lower end of the scale is okay as long as you leave opportunities for periodic assessment and incremental raises. Online nanny agencies, like Nannies4hire.com, will be able to give you an idea of what’s considered a reasonable rate of pay. As well, you can do an Internet search for current information on what people are paying nannies in your state, city, or town. Online nanny agencies will always remind you that their profiled nannies are professionals, with the education and experience that comes with that. As a result, they should be paid what they’re worth.
Save Tip
Comments
Tip Rating
Hiring a Nanny
Nannies for hire are everywhere. Start by telling your friends you are looking for a nanny and to let you know if they hear of someone. Place an ad online or start your search by asking other moms where they had success. If time is limited for finding a nanny for hire - consider an agency. They can help simplify the process and help you choose what is best for you.
Save Tip
Comments
Tip Rating
Reasons to Hire a Nanny
A few good reasons to consider a nanny for hire are for part time child care (whether children are in school full or part time), possible tutoring or chauffeuring to activities. If you have an infant and are heading back to work, having nanny care is a perfect solution. Nannies for hire can do housekeeping chores, cook evening meals to give you free time up or help you run those errands you can't seem to accomplish.
Save Tip
Comments
Tip Rating
Becoming a Nanny
Most of the time those that are interested in becoming nannies have been casual babysitters or informal childcare providers for family members and family friends. After an individual decides that the nanny profession is right for them, they need to determine whether they need additional early childhood education. A nanny agency can help a new nanny begin his or her career. They will assist a childcare provider in creating a binding contract, obtaining top salary and living in the best environments with reasonable hours. An agency can offer positions in different locations across the US, connect you with other nannies in the area and be there when concerns arise. There are many legal issues involved in the nanny-parent relationship and the agency can handle all of these as well.
Save Tip
Comments
Tip Rating
Outings for Nannies
Outings with your cares are an important part of nannying. Some outings are simple, cheap and quick. Others take a whole day. A nanny can do indoor trips to cinemas, libraries, aquariums and even butterfly centers. Outside, nannies have choices from parks, zoos, ponds with animals to feed or even a train station for the children to watch the trains go by. Your employer may require a certain number of outings per week but you can also request special outings for the child. The employers should provide all expenses for the outing and have final say on where the child and nanny go. Alternate different types of trips so the children don't get tired of the place or activity.
Save Tip
Comments
Tip Rating
Typical Nanny Chores
Nannies chores are providing care for the child or children. A nanny provides supervision and plans activities in and out of doors. A child care nanny reads, plays, includes children in activities, helps with homework, and assists with bathing and diapering. He or she is also responsible for the safety of the child, and must watch the child during potentially dangerous activities.
Save Tip
Comments
Tip Rating
Reference Material for Hiring Nannies
There are many good books that give a great overview of the issues involved in selecting nannies for hire. These books are aimed at those who are looking into nanny day care or hiring a nanny, as opposed to an Au pair. Nanny care is generally better due to education even though they might be more costly to hire and employ. Nanny books can help you with the hiring process and dealing with sensitive nanny related situations.
Save Tip
Comments
Tip Rating
Introverts vs. Extroverts
Nannies for hire should be outgoing rather than shy, for obvious reasons. Ask the nanny for hire what their favorite activities are. This is a understated way to find out what their temperament is. If they mention bike riding, walking, swimming or hiking then you know that they like the outdoors and will take your children on many outings. However, if they mention that they like to read this is not an indication that they will be a bad nanny or is a shy person. Instead, evaluate how she interacts with you and the children. If she is withdrawn and speaks in a low voice, she will most likely be shy and not interact much with the children.
Save Tip
Comments
Tip Rating
Differences Between Nannies and Au pairs
Au pairs are generally foreign born women between ages of 18 and 26. Au pairs must have a visa, and if they care for a child under 2, they must have 200 hours of experience. They're required to provide 10 to 45 hours of service. Nannies tend to be women between 18 and 50, usually hold a degree in early childhood development and are often members of unions and organizations like INA. They do live in childcare or day-to-day basis. A nanny works between 40 and 70 hours per week.
Save Tip
Comments
Tip Rating
Hiring a Religious Nanny
There are many nannies for hire that are directed toward Christian families seeking nanny care. Many families prefer to have caregivers specifically of the Christian faith or a particular denomination to help in their households. Live-in and live-out nannies and both full-time and part-time baby nurses who are Christian are available. Their services are finely tuned to meet the needs of Christian children. There are also several nannies day care services for parents seeking to maintain Christian values in their children's lives. Having the family and the nanny's faith systems the same is sometimes one of the keys to a successful nanny-parent relationship.
Save Tip
Comments
Tip Rating
Virtual Hiring
When you ready to look at nannies for hire or even a day care, consider the CD Rom "Know Your Nanny". It has useful information on it including a customized employment application, an extensive list of interview questions to pose to your nanny care applicants and a random and unannounced audio and video monitoring agreement. You might want to check out this in home hiring kit!
Save Tip
Comments
Tip Rating
Yard Fun for Nannies
Nannies can organize a scavenger hunt for their cares by hiding some treats or toys in the backyard. If the children are older, give a list of clues. If they are younger, make a list of things to find. Make mealtimes fun for your cares. Ananny can create a wonderful picnic lunch. All you need is a blanket and food. A child care nanny can play catch or even badminton with plastic racks and a birdie. Imagination is an endless tool. Encourage your cares to act out stories, sing, dance and play pretend.
Save Tip
Comments
Tip Rating
Using Nanny Agencies
Nanny agencies, especially the convenience of online nanny agencies, are perfect when you’re looking to hire a nanny. The way it works is simple and free (initially). Simply register with the nanny agency by posting your profile. Everyone looking for nanny jobs will have a profile, and everyone looking to hire a nanny will have a profile. That gives everyone equal opportunity to eyeball each other “virtually” before agreeing to meet. Now, it’s important to know that non-paying members of nanny agencies don’t have access to all of the profile information, including contact information. To get to that point, you have to pay a fee for the service.
Paying a fee to a nanny agency should provide you with some basic services, including a minimum background check on the nanny. Once you’ve pinpointed someone specific that you’d like to meet and interview, don’t be surprised if she refuses to meet with you at your house. If she’s meeting you alone for the first time, she has every right to feel safe and should be expected to suggest a public meeting place. Alternatively, she might ask to bring a support person with her to your home for that first visit. It’s not personal; she’s just someone who values her safety.
With online nanny agencies, you have the convenience of viewing profiles at your leisure, while specifying the amount of experience and skill you expect.
