Settling in a temporary nanny

You might have a temporary nanny to cover a gap in childcare, to fill in for your usual nanny, or over a period like the school summer holidays. Whatever the reason you’re likely to be able to spend less time showing her the ropes and letting her bed in, and you need to be quicker to correct anything that looks like it’s going downhill.

Most temporary nannies are very flexible and adaptable people. Nannies who temp long term often choose to do so because they enjoy the variety temping brings and are happy to do things your way. They are experienced enough to get on with the job and quickly develop a good relationship with their new charges. They are also a dab hand at asking the right questions to get the information they need from you, which means you don’t have to tell them absolutely everything about your life in case it’s relevant.

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Pensions for nannies

There’s been a lot of buzz in the news lately about new pension rules for nannies that are coming in on June 1. Here’s a quick FAQ!

Is it coming in for everyone on June 1?

No. When it comes in for you will depend on your staging date. You can find that out by entering your PAYE reference on the Pensions Regulator website. Nannies can find a PAYE reference on their P60.

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Doulas: what are they and what do they do?

Doula is a Greek word which originally meant servant. It’s come to mean a woman who supports women through pregnancy, birth and/or the postnatal period. Unlike a maternity nurse who focuses mostly on getting a baby into a good routine in the early months a doula is there throughout the journey to parenthood.

Doulas are often flexible in what they will do. Some specialise in pregnancy and birth, others only do postnatal support to help you adjust to parenthood, get breastfeeding off to a good start and recover from labour. Many will be able to put together a bespoke package to support new families.

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How to succeed at a Skype nanny interview

Skype nanny interviews can be even more nerve-wracking than normal interviews for nanny jobs. On top of all the worries about what questions you’ll be asked and whether you’ll have spinach between your teeth you start to worry about the technology failing and how you’re going to judge a family when you can’t meet them. Luckily there are some simple things you can do to make sure you stand out as the best nanny over Skype.

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Meet the agency: Nannies Inc

This month meet Emma, London nanny consultant at Nannies Inc, one of the biggest London agencies placing nannies in London, throughout the UK and internationally.

How long has your agency been established?

Nannies Incorporated has been established since 1989 and we are very proud that 26 years later we are the trusted nanny agency in London and worldwide. Many of our clients, maternity nurses and nannies have been loyal to us and keep using our services over and over again. We pride ourselves on our caring relationships with candidates and clients and are always on the lookout for new experienced candidates.

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Spotlight on qualifications

Although nannies do not have to be qualified, studying for a qualification shows commitment to a career in childcare and proves that a nanny has knowledge of good professional practice with a range of ages. There are many different qualifications that a nanny may have, and these are offered at different levels which correspond to the difficulty of the qualification, not the number of hours taken to achieve it. Here are the most common qualifications for nannies, including the new Early Years Educator courses which started this autumn. You can find more details on these and other qualifications on here.

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Spotlight on Holidays

As employees nannies are entitled to paid holiday and the amount is specified in the contract. It can be expressed as weeks, days or hours depending on the nanny’s employment pattern – see here for more.

Previously the norm was to give 4 weeks plus Bank Holidays, but recently the trend has been to state 5.6 weeks (28 days) including Bank Holidays, which usually works out to the same amount but fairer to part-time workers who may not be actively working on Bank Holidays but are still entitled to the same proportion of holiday as full-time employees. Holiday in a nanny share can be complicated to arrange but it’s important that the nanny gets their full holiday entitlement so both families must communicate clearly.

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Breastfeeding and childcare

That breastfeeding is the optimal start for children is unquestioned, but there is little support for mothers who want to continue breastfeeding and put their babies in childcare. The default assumption is that mothers will have introduced a bottle, and often formula, in preparation for their return to work. In reality, there are many things that childcarers can do to facilitate the breastfeeding relationship.

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Spotlight on probationary periods

Most contracts have a probationary period, a time with a reduced notice period that allows both parties to decide whether the arrangement works for them. The length can be anywhere from 1 to 6 months, and the notice due on either side is usually just a week.

Think carefully about how long the probationary period needs to be. A probationary period that is too short doesn’t allow a thorough evaluation of how things are going, and if there are still bumps after a month (which is fairly normal) the pressure to make a decision may mean cutting short a relationship that could have worked well, and recruiting a new nanny. On the flip side a long probationary period can be unattractive although it gives more flexibility to let a nanny go if things aren’t working out. In general, though, it’s better to have a shorter probationary period that can be extended following a performance review. A nanny can also ask for the probationary period to be extended, although this is very rare.

While it’s always important for nannies and employers to communicate with each other, the probationary period is a time for regular, fairly structured feedback, and most nannies expect to told how things are going so they can adjust if needed in the early days. Positive feedback is just as important as constructive criticism, but issues which aren’t dealt with at the beginning can turn out to be deal-breakers further down the line.

If at the end of the probationary period nanny or family decide it’s not working out that isn’t necessarily a negative reflection on either side. It just means that in this case it wasn’t a good fit for reasons that weren’t clear at interview. Unless notice was given for disciplinary reasons it’s best to agree a reference and move on.

Spotlight on References

Taking up references on a nanny is a vital part of the recruitment process. Parents should always telephone the contacts provided themselves, rather than relying on a third party to do it for them, especially after the tragedy that led to a lawsuit being filed against an American website supposedly offering a reference checking service. References allow previous employers to share their experience of employing a particular nanny and can help you discover both their strengths and the potential pitfalls.

Try to find a time when and the person you are talking to will be free from interruptions. Prepare your questions in advance and pay attention to both what they say and their tone of voice. If you sense that they are hesitating or might be hiding something that could be a bad sign. Keep your questions open ended and allow the other person space to reply in their own time.

Remember to ask questions that are specific to your situation. If you need a nanny to do overnight care then ask whether this what part of their previous job and how they coped. Written references will seldom give you all the details that you need, another reason why a personal conversation with ex-employers is so important.
At the end of your nanny’s time with you don’t forget to write them a reference of your own!

Please note that we at Nannyjob.co.uk do not at any point check the identity or references of jobseekers and advise you to double check references which have been taken up by a nanny agency on your behalf.