Category: nannies

Sensory bags

Fancy some sensory play without the mess ? Help is at hand in the form of sensory bags. Just fill up a ziplock bag, shut it and for extra security tape it shut.

Try:

Paint – either one colour or two colours in opposite corners of the bag so they can be mixed

Hair gel and glitter

Cornflour and water

Shaving foam and a few drops of food colouring

Oil and coloured water

Sand and water

Miniature toys or googly eyes and hair gel or water

 

You can also create windows in bags by taping over part of the bag and just leaving a few gaps. Children can manipulate objects until they can see them and watch them appear and disappear from view.

Questions to ask nannies at interview

Even if you’re an experienced recruiter thinking up questions to ask a potential nanny can be tricky. Here’s a list of useful questions for you!

 

Professional training and experience

What qualifications do you have? Why did you choose to study those?

Did you qualifications involve placements? How long did you spend on placement? What kind of setting were the placements?

What course/part of the course did you enjoy most? Why?

How long have you been working with children? How long have you been nannying?

What’s your experience with weaning/potty training/babies/toddlers/school aged children?

Tell me what you did with X family (look at their CV).

When did you last update your First Aid certificate? Have you ever needed to use your First Aid knowledge?

Why are you leaving your current job? Why did you leave your previous jobs?

 

Job satisfaction

Why did you decide to become a nanny?

What do you enjoy most about the job? And least?

What makes a job good for you?

What are your deal-breakers in a job?

 

Childcare style

How do you deal with temper tantrums?

What kind of meals do you cook for children? What kind of snacks would you feed the children?

What activities would you suggest for our children now? How would you encourage their future development?

What kind of books do you like to read children?

What are your views on TV for children? What are your views on electronic devices (iPad etc)?

What does a typical day look like for you?

How often do you like to go out? Attend groups? Organise playdates?

What do you consider is important for children to learn from a young age?

How do you encourage children to have good manners?

How would you react in an emergency? (Try to give a couple of scenarios e.g. choking, parent not arriving home)

 

Living in

Would you want to have guests to stay from time to time?

Are you a morning or an evening person?

What kind of food do you like to eat? Do you prefer to eat your evening meal with the children or later on?

Do you have any evening commitments? Do you plan to go to the gym/evening classes?

What do you like to do at weekends?

 

Living out

How far away do you live? How do you plan to get to work?

What would you do if we were delayed on the way home and you had to stay longer at work?

Are you occasionally able to start early or finish late?

Creating a portfolio

More and more nannies are taking a portfolio with them to interviews, to present their qualifications and other paperwork and demonstrate their style of childcare to prospective employers. A good portfolio is well-organised, neat and relevant. A battered file stuffed with tatty pieces of paper won’t impress anyone – in fact it will probably do more harm than good – so you need to pay attention to what you choose and where you put it.

 

First impressions really count. Whether it’s a funky scrapbook or a sleek leather wallet the outside of your portfolio sets up expectations for what parents will find inside. You should present a coherent and authentic image, so if you are a creative person show that your personality carries over to your work with children. Everyone can put things in a folder, making yours different, even if it’s choosing blue leather rather than black, will make you memorable.

 

Parents will expect to see your qualifications ordered logically. You can order them chronologically or by area (general childcare, maternity specific, Montessori etc). You don’t need to present all of your First Aid certificates, just the most recent will do. It can really help parents to create a quick overview of what your course involved and what you learnt alongside the certificate. Many certificates don’t give any more information than the date and title of the course so giving additional detail will help prospective employers see how the study you have done makes you a better nanny.

 

Some nannies like to include sample menu plans or weekly activities for different ages. These can help parents see what they can expect if they employ you, especially for first time employers who may not really know what a nanny does on a day to day basis. By including a typical menu you can demonstrate your cooking skills and your understanding of nutrition. If you like to present food in new and interesting way then jazz up your menu with some photos (and if you don’t have any ideas hop over to our pinterest board to see what we like in the kitchen). Showing what you might do in a typical week also shows your understanding of appropriate activities for various ages and stages, and gives parents an idea of whether you’re a nanny who likes to get out and about to classes and on playdates, or one who likes crafting, or one who’s at the beach or in the forest in all weathers. Throughout your portfolio you can include photos of activities you’ve done with past charges to bring your experience to life. Do get permission from your previous employers before including them though!

 

Last, but certainly not least, you should include copies of all your references and testimonials. It’s unlikely that a future employer will want to contact a temp job you did 10 years ago but you probably got a glowing reference and you should be proud of it.

 

What else would you include in a portfolio? Let us know!

 

 

Sickness etiquette

It’s a fact of life that people get ill, and those in contact with small children more often than most. One of the advantages of a nanny is that they will care for poorly children, but an oft cited disadvantage is that you rely on one person for your childcare, as you do with a childminder, and if they are sick you have no childcare. The sooner everyone knows about any sickness, the easier it is to deal with the disruption.

Tips for parents:

Sick children: As we said a nanny will normally care for sick children as part of their job, but it’s always good to give your nanny a heads up before they arrive. If your nanny is female and your children have an illness which could be dangerous in pregnancy you should warn your nanny in case they are in the early stages and haven’t told you.

Sick parents: There’s no reason your nanny shouldn’t come to work but they might need to adjust their plans slightly to give you the peace and quiet you need to recuperate.

Sick nannies: Before employing a nanny it’s a good idea to have a backup plan in place. Local nanny agencies should have temporary nannies available to work in your area or your employer may offer emergency childcare solutions. Most nannies will only take time off when they’re absolutely incapable of coming to work so even if it’s a day when you have a really important meeting try not to make them feel worse than they already do.

Tips for nannies:

Sick children: Your charges may want Mummy or Daddy, and many more cuddles than usual. Make sure your employers understand that your priority is your poorly charge and the usual jobs might not get done.

Sick parents: It can be hard having parents at home, especially when the children don’t understand that they need to rest. Don’t feel too awkward though – chances are they’re too busy feeling rubbish to listen to your out of tune renditions of head, shoulders, knees and toes at nappy change time.

Sick nannies: Call, rather than text, if you know the night before that you won’t be in the next day. Send a text between 10pm and 6am and follow it up with a phone call to make sure your employers know you won’t be in. If you can suggest any nanny friends who might be happy to cover all or part of the day, and it’s a good idea to have a list in the nanny diary at your boss’s house, then your employers will probably be very grateful.

Don’t judge a nanny by her weight

There’s a bit of a debate going on in a Facebook group at the moment about agencies asking for personal details like weight and height on application forms, and on our own Facebook page earlier in the week we posted a link to an article about a teaching assistant who was told to cover up her tattoos at school which got quite a reaction, so we’re wondering, why does appearance matter so much, and is it okay to ask these things?

Most parents will say they try to teach children not to judge people on their looks, and they’ll mean it. We all know that your height, which you don’t have any control over, is no indicator of anything other than the height of your parents! So we don’t go round judging people according to whether they’re tall or short. We also know that hair colour doesn’t affect how good someone is at their job, so we don’t tend to use that to make judgements. But people are often judged or stereotpyed for thir weight and expressions of their personality like hair dye, tattoos and piercings.

Apparently being over a certain number on the scales means you’re automatically unfit and unhealthy. You must have bad eating habits or be unable to run around after children. It’s understandable with all the concern around childhood obesity that parents want their nanny to be a good role model. The reality is that numbers don’t mean a lot, so that kind of information on an application form tells you nothing about someone’s lifestyle or their fitness levels. The only way to really find out is to interview them and ask alongside all the other questions, which is only fair since it gives them an equal chance.

Tattoos, hair dye and piercings are even more emotive. On the one hand we’re encouraging children to express themselves and ignore the boundaries society wants to impose, particularly regarding gender. On the other we’re telling nannies (and teachers, nursery workers and anyone else working with children) that they have to conform and hide their tattoos away and keep their hair a naturally occurring colour. There are some legitimate safety concerns about small hands and piercings, but just as sensible nannies avoid wearing large hoops or dangly earrings to work with children who are likely to grab them and pull, those with facial piercings will want to minimise any potential damage to themselves and wear small studs or bars to work.

So just like you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, don’t judge a nanny by his or her appearance!

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!

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.

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.