Author: admin

Dressing to impress

Sometimes office workers have it easy. Dressing for an interview is a matter of which suit to wear. Dressing for a nanny interview is a whole different ball game. What you wear says a lot about your personality, and personality is one of the thing you’re being assessed on when you to meet the parents of your (hopefully) future charges.

There are some simple rules:

– keep it modest: limit the amount of leg and cleavage on show and don’t wear a skin tight catsuit
– keep it practical: no heels you can’t run in
– keep it natural: go for fresh-faced and leave the false eyelashes at home

Colour psychology

When we first heard of this it seemed a bit ‘woo’. Does what colour you wear really affect how people see you? Psychology says yes. You can encourage certain feelings by wearing an associated colour. Blue encourages people to trust you, as does white, but orange, brown and red are not seen as trustworthy colours. Blue is also associate with high quality, as is black, and green encourages people to spend money.

To jeans or not to jeans?

Some people don’t like jeans at interview, even if you’re going to be wearing them every day to work. Others say that smart jeans (so no holes!) are fine. If you’re going for a high profile job, or an interview with a formal family, it might be best to avoid them and opt for black trousers instead.

I have an interview straight from work. Help!

Sometimes future employers just have to take you as you come. It’s worth telling them that you’ll be coming directly from your day job so they won’t be too shocked if you’re a little dishevelled or have a stain on your knee. Pack a spare top in case your current charges decide to sabotage you by flinging tomato sauce down your front and remember that at least your interviewers will be seeing how you’ll be turning up to work with them.

Above all be yourself, and good luck!

New qualifications for childcarers

On 1 September 2014 the standard qualifications for new learners within the childcare profession changed from the Certificate and Diploma for the Children and Young People’s Workdforce to the Early Years Educator Qualifications. Previous diplomas, including the BTEC, NNEB and DCE as well as the DCYPW, remain full and relevant and therefore suitable for nannies.

The new qualifications focus on the 0-5 age range, with some knowledge of the 5-7 age group, and require a Grade C pass in GCSE English and Maths. For the academic year 2014/2015 this will be an end of course, rather than an entry, requirement but in following years learners will be expected to obtain these before enrolling on the course if they are accessing funding.

Early Years Educator qualifications can be taken at a college or in a workplace, but the workplace needs to be registered and following the EYFS, meaning that nannies would need to undertake practical placements to complete the course. It will take 12-24 months to complete. The qualification is the same standard as A-levels and can be used to apply for university to study courses such as childhood and early years, primary teaching or nursing.

The criteria for the new EYE qualifications set out by the Government can be found here.

Getting your first nanny job

Landing that first, important nanny job takes more than a love of children. Whether you’ve already worked or trained in childcare or not, you’re going to be competing with experienced nannies so you need to present yourself as professionally as possible. Here are 5 tips to get you started:

 

Find out parents’ expectations…and meet them

Most parents want a nanny to have at least a DBS check and a paediatric First Aid certificate. A lot also want to see some kind of basic training which will allow their nanny to register with OFSTED so they can be paid with childcarer vouchers or under the new tax-free childcare scheme. Parents in your area might also want a nanny to have a driving license, especially if you’re outside a major town. If you see that parents are wanting a qualification and you don’t have one then think about putting your nannying plans on hold and going to college or taking on an apprenticeship in a nursery.

Get experience

It sounds obvious but all experience with children outside caring for your own/family’s/friends’ children helps, whether it’s helping at Brownies, swimming club or babysitting for your neighbour. Experience means references, and it also gives you lots of material to draw on at interview.

Talk to agencies

Nanny agencies may not be able to place you right away if you’ve never had a nanny job before but there’s always a chance they’ll get a mother’s help job or weekend shared charge role in and think of you. They’ll also be a valuable contact and may be able to give you some more specific pointers on how to get started.

Consider compromising

A highly paid, full time, standard hours, sole charge job with separate accommodation is unlikely to fall into your lap. Most first jobs involve compromising somewhere, but do it well and you’re in a great position to move on after a year or so. Work out what you’re happy to accept in terms of pay, hours, parental involvement and accommodation and you’re more likely to get your foot in the door.

Spread the word

Get your mum, your best friend, your college tutor, your barman and your driving instructor to help by asking round or mentioning that you’re interested in nannying or babysitting work. It’s even better if you know any nannies (and you can always ask to shadow them) because they’re well placed to hear of nannies who are leaving their jobs or families who might be on the hunt!

 

Above all stay positive and don’t give up – your persistence and perseverance will pay off. Good things come to those who wait!

New additions to the family

Is keeping your nanny during maternity leave a luxury or an essential? Unless you’re going back to work very soon after the birth, most people would say it’s a luxury and one that they would struggle to afford. But chances are you’re going to want your nanny back when you go back to work since she’s put in time bonding with your older child(ren) and knows your house, your area, your routines and your preferences. So how do you deal with this?

The legal situation is that your nanny has a job under their original terms and conditions until you make them redundant. So they will be expecting to stay on doing their usual hours and receiving their usual pay during your maternity leave. There are big advantages to keeping your nanny – you know that you will have time to rest and focus on your newborn, your older children won’t have their routine disrupted and you have someone that you know and trust who can care for the new arrival while you spend time with your other children – but we know that the cost can make the impractical.

In this case you need to renegotiate your nanny’s terms of employment. You might want to keep them on part time, or investigate the possibility of a nanny share based at someone else’s house, but it’s vital to discuss this early on with your nanny. You might find that they’re happy to take a break for a few months to go and do a ski or summer season abroad but have a secure job to come back to, or that they’re happy to reduce their hours as long as they can find another job. You may equally find that they’re just expecting things to carry on as normal. As awkward as it might feel to have this conversation the sooner you get this out in the open the better. She will be feeling just as unsure about her future. Hopefully your nanny will respect your timescale and if you want her to commit to staying until after the birth so she can care for your older children while you’re in hospital then make that clear from the start, and consider offering a bonus to tempt her away from any offers that require an earlier start.

Remember that making your nanny redundant at the start of your maternity leave, while it will save your money in the short term, means that you are committing yourself to finding a new nanny at the end of your maternity leave which is a substantial investment of time and money at a point when you want to be making the most of your time with your children.

All the best for the rest of your pregnancy!

Baking with children

The return of the Great British Bake Off has got us all in a bit of a bakey mood and what better activity to fill those occasional wet summer days than a spot of baking?

Baking is great for children. It incorporates key skills such as literacy (reading a recipe and identifying ingredients) and numeracy (weighing and measuring quantities, or doubling a recipe if you’re feeling greedy), and introduces children to scientific concepts (mixing, melting, solidifying and why does it do that?), healthy eating (yes, really), and food hygiene. All that mixing and pouring, spooning and decorate works those motor skills to, so it’s not just about having a tasty cake for your afternoon snack, although that is obviously very important.

You can start baking with children from a very young age, as soon as they can hold a wooden spoon they can get involved in the process albeit mostly by banging on a saucepan but they’re seeing, and smelling, and learning, and it gives you a lot to talk about. Obviously it gets a lot more interesting, and messier, when they can start stirring for themselves, and even more interesting, and messy, when they can start weighing, pouring and spooning. But then they learn the important life skill of Clearing Up After Themselves.

If you’re a baking novice, never fear! You can learn along side the children, so here are some Really Easy Fairycakes to get you started and then you can graduate to Mary Berry GBBO standards. Happy baking!

 

Frances Norris is a former nanny and mother of two, whose children aged 3 and 8 months are in training for GBBO 2028.

Nannies and contracts

This post is designed to help nannies understand contracts. You can find a post aimed at parents here!

Why do I need a contract with my nanny family?

A contract or some form of written statement is a legal requirement within 2 months of starting a job. It’s also protection for you because it means the terms of your employment are agreed and written down, and your nanny insurance may need you to have a contract in place before it will cover you.

 

What goes in my nanny contract?

As a minimum:

Your name and your employers’
Place of work
Start date (and end date, if a fixed term position such as covering another nanny’s maternity leave)
Job title
Weekly working hours
Details of the salary – including when and how often you will be paid
Details of the  holiday entitlement
Details of the  sick leave entitlement
Details of the pension (it’s a good idea to list arrangements for the future if your employers have their staging date)
Notice period
Probation/trial period (if there is one)
Information on disciplinary procedures
Details of sackable offences

Many nanny contracts also include:

Job description and duties, benefits, details of live in accommodation (if applicable), arrangements for using your car and mileage payments (if applicable) and a confidentiality clause.

 

Where do I get a contract?

It’s your employer’s job to provide you with your nanny job contract. If they are using a payroll company or an agency they may have a template provided. If not, you can show them the example contracts from the nannyjob.co.uk site.

Becoming a maternity nurse

Maternity nurses, or maternity nannies, are newborn specialists who work with parents for the first few weeks of a new baby’s life to help the adjust to parenthood and implement a good routine. They usually work 24 hours a day, 5 or 6 days a week, and an experienced maternity nurse can earn in excess of £1000 per week. They are self-employed and get work from agencies, advertising themselves on sites such as nannyjob.co.uk and via word of mouth. Jobs are can last between 4 weeks and 6 months so maternity nurses are always keeping an eye out for work, attending interviews and planning ahead. Maternity nurses also need to keep an eye on their accounts, keep track of expenses and submit their own tax returns.

Many families request specialist qualifications such as MNT’s Maternity Practitioner, NEST Postnatal Carer or BabyEm’s Maternity Nurse Training courses. Other courses which cover breastfeeding, postnatal depression or multiples to name just a few can also be valuable additions to your CV. Most course providers recommend that you have substantial experience with newborns before studying to become a maternity nurse so you can match the theory you learn in the classroom with your practical experiences. This experience will also give you valuable references when you are trying to get your first maternity nurse booking. Trainee maternity nurses often charge much less than their experienced colleagues in order to gain experience, work with families expecting their second or third child or take on part-time day or night work.

A maternity nurse needs to be cheerful, flexible, organised and able to cope on very little sleep. It’s not just about working with newborn babies, the goal is to involve the parents from the start and leave them feeling confident and able to look after their baby on their own when you leave, but it can be a rewarding progression from nannying into an exciting new career. If you are interested in finding out more, why not ask your questions on our community area?

Filling in the gaps

Sometimes nannies lose touch with their employers, or they may have left under a cloud and not feel comfortable relying on that as a standalone reference. To stop it being a case of their word against hers, nannies will probably give you contact details of someone who can corroborate their story.

If they were placed by a nanny agency the agency should at least have a record of the placement date, and whether they received any complaints about the nanny. Bearing in mind that agencies do have to respect their client’s privacy you may not be able to find out the finer details but it should be enough to help you decide whether the nanny is telling the truth or whether they are trying to cover something up. Equally a nanny will frequently turn to the agency that placed them when they encounter difficulties. Ask the agency direct questions: ‘did this employer ever raise any concerns about this nanny with you?’ or ‘did the nanny ever come to you for advice on dealing with problems with these employers?’. However, the agency is unlikely to have had substantial involvement so they may also only have the nanny’s word to go on.

A private placement is more problematic. The nanny may have kept in touch with friends or teachers from that job, especially if it’s more recent, but again they’re only likely to have heard one side of the story. Where a reference comes back very negative and the nanny insists that their ex-boss is being unfair you might want to know whether they’d complained about it at the time. Your prospective nanny may have consulted external organisations such as their insurance provider or a professional association, or sent emails detailing their side of the story. It’s not foolproof but seeing this kind of evidence may help you make up your mind.

A solid employment history is very important for nannies, and both employers and nannies tend to appreciate that, so will make efforts to maintain contact and at least civil if not cordial relations. At least by offering an explanation a nanny is demonstrating that they understand how important it is and avoiding a large unexplained gap which may set alarm bells ringing.

Kubb (Viking Chess)

I want to tell you all about a great game I discovered this summer. It’s great fun for adults and kids, very simple to play and you can play it almost anywhere there’s a patch of grass. My charges love the grisly origins of the game and it’s inspired us to learn about the Vikings.

 

The idea is simple. You throw sticks of wood at your opponents’ blocks of wood and try to knock them down so you can knock down the big block of wood – the king – in the middle. Originally the sticks of wood were leg bones and the blocks of wood were skulls, but don’t let that put you off! Each team starts with a line of 5 ‘skulls’ and 6 ‘bones’ and you have to throw your bones at your opponents skulls and try to knock them over. If you knock over a skull then next turn your opponents throw the skulls into your half and then have to knock all those skulls down before they can hit any skulls left on your line. Occasionally you knock over a skull on the line before you’ve knocked down the ones you’re supposed to have first but that’s okay because you have one more throw to get the remaining skull(s). If you don’t knock down all the skulls in the middle then on your opponents’ next go they can throw from any of the skulls left standing, which means they can be a lot closer to your line. When all the skulls on the line have been knocked down you can throw your bones at the king in the middle, which is bigger and heavier than the normal skulls, and try to knock it over. First to get all their opponents’ skulls and the king wins, but if you knock over the king before you’ve got all the other skulls you lose! There are a couple of other rules but that’s the basic idea, and games last between 15 minutes and an hour, depending on how good you are at aiming!

 

It’s a great game for improving throwing skills and you can adapt the size of the pitch to suit smaller players because it’s just marked out by pegs. Adults and older children can play on a full size pitch which is about 5 paces by 10 paces, but the exact size isn’t important. We’re playing with a 3 year old in tow so our pitch is about half the size. You only need 2 players but teams can be up to 6 on each side and we always attract a couple of children we’ve never met before each time we play it at the park.

 

The only downside to the game is that the wooden pieces are quite heavy to carry about, but don’t let that stop you trying this great game.

Surviving emergency childcare

It happens to everyone at some point. Sick child, sick childminder or nanny, unexpected business trip, one child in hospital and siblings not allowed in or your carefully prepared backup plan for nursery closure has fallen through. You need emergency childcare. Apart from the logistics of sourcing a temporary nanny, emergency childminder or last minute nursery place there are a few things to consider. You want to make the handover as smooth and stressfree as possible for you, your temporary childcare and above all your child.

 

It happens to everyone at some point. Sick child, sick childminder or nanny, unexpected business trip, one child in hospital and siblings not allowed in or your carefully prepared backup plan for nursery closure has fallen through. You need emergency childcare. Apart from the logistics of sourcing a temporary nanny, emergency childminder or last minute nursery place there are a few things to consider. You want to make the handover as smooth and stress-free as possible for you, your temporary childcare and above all your child

 

There are many ways to find emergency childcare, via an agency or searching for temporary nannies with availability. It’s best to maximise your chances by following as many leads as possible. Once you’ve found someone don’t be tempted to skip steps – ask for at least 2 references and either request scans of their checks and qualifications or get them to bring them along so you can see for yourself before they start work.

Prepare your child as much as possible for the change to his routine by talking about the new childcare and highlighting the advantages and similarities. Reassure them that this isn’t a permanent change to their routine and they will be able to return to normal afterwards. A special comforter, blanket or cuddly toy, even if usually reserved for bedtimes, may help your child deal with the transition.

Leave a much detail as possible for your new nanny or childminder concerning your child’s routine and favourite foods and activities and, if you have chosen an emergency nanny, your house.An experienced temporary nanny will be used to parachuting in and getting on with it but it’s better to have too much detail than none at all. After all if everything is going well they may not need to refer to your speedily put together manual but should they need to know something it will make their life, and yours, a lot easier if they can just scan through to find what they need to know.

Where possible ensure sufficient time for a handover but don’t drag it out for too long. It’s hard leaving your child with someone she and you don’t know but it can be very confusing if you’ve explained that the emergency nanny or childminder is going to look after her and then you don’t leave. Tell the emergency childcarer to call you if there are any problems or your child doesn’t settle, and leave as many numbers as possible for you and your partner so you can be reached easily.

Discuss payment beforehand. There’s nothing worse than turning up at the end of the day with an empty purse to find that they are expecting cash. There’s nothing illegal about paying in cash, in fact many childcarers who take short-notice, short-term jobs prefer it as it means they know they’ve been paid. Be aware that paying in cash doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t have to deduct tax and National Insurance or a temporary nanny; some are self-employed but if they’re there for more than a few days they may be expecting you to act as their employer. If you already employ a nanny and use a payroll agency then they should be able to help you.

Prepare for emergencies by leaving a letter of consent for medical treatment. It would be exceptionally bad luck to face a trip to A&E on top of your childcare crisis but these things can happen and it’s safer to be prepared.

Finally, give yourself permission to make the day as easy as possible. The housework can wait, dinner can be the freezer’s finest or a takeaway, take a taxi – surviving emergency childcare is tough enough without extra work.

Hopefully you and your child will come through smiling, and even asking for your temporary nanny to come back!