Our partners at www.PayrollForNannies.co.uk provide payroll advice for parents and nannies and have provided this content.
2019 is upon us and it is always handy to have a list of the bank holidays for the year and what day of the week they fall on.
These are the dates of the bank holidays in 2019 for England.
We asked a childcarer with over 20 years’ experience working with children to share some of her best advice and top tips for new nannies and parents.
Do you dream of finding a nanny who will stay with your family for years to come, helping to raise all of your children?
We’ve put together our top tips to help you encourage your nanny to stay with your family long-term.
Hiring a new nanny for your children can be a stressful experience. Whether you’re hiring a replacement or hiring your first nanny, this can be a trying time for you and your children as you go through numerous interviews to find the perfect nanny for your family.
During interviews and the initial induction period, it’s important to be on the lookout for any red-flags about your new nanny and their behaviour to avoid a constant stream of new nannies in your children’s lives.
That’s why we’ve put together this guide to help you spot any negative traits when looking for a new nanny.
Continue reading “How to Spot Potential Problems with Your New Nanny”
The subject of vaccinations is a tricky one, with everyone having their own opinion on whether or not they wish to vaccinate their children.
However, in recent years it’s become common for employers to require that a nanny or other childcare provider has received their vaccinations. In particular, vaccinations for the flu, measles and whooping cough.
The reason for this is that even healthy people can contract any of these three illnesses, all of which are contagious and all of which can cause severe complications in young children.
Continue reading “Should you ask your nanny to get vaccinated?”
What’s the difference between a nanny and an au pair? It’s a question we hear from a lot of parents looking for childcare.
Nannies and au pairs are both extremely different and it’s important that you understand the differences and exactly what you’re looking for from a childcare provider, before you make any decisions. Which is why we’ve put together this article to help you.
Continue reading “Au Pair or Nanny – What’s the difference?”
Do you give your nanny a Christmas bonus?
A Christmas bonus is a great way to show your nanny how grateful you are for all that they’ve done over the past year.
Your nanny takes a lot off your plate by helping with homework, nap times, meal times, school runs and so much more. So, how do you show your appreciation?
Many families aren’t clear on why Christmas bonuses are important, or how to go about giving one. That’s why we’ve put together answers to the most common questions about giving a Christmas bonus.
Continue reading “Should you pay your nanny a Christmas bonus?”
If you’re in the nanny interviewing nannies process as well as the questions you need to ask you should also familiarize yourself with the questions that you can’t ask. Nannies are also protected from discrimination by Equal Opportunities legislation and a good general rule of thumb is that if you wouldn’t expect to be asked about it at interview then you shouldn’t be asking your nanny either. Age, race, gender, sexual orientation and disability are all areas where you need to tread very carefully.
Common pitfalls are asking whether your nanny is married, whether they have or are planning to have children, whether they have any health problems and their nationality. To find out more check out our blog post “Questions not to ask at interview”.
Hiring a nanny is a risky business. You’re working from CVs with a variety of qualifications and employment histories, and a three line personal statement which is telling you what you want to hear. Not only that but you’re choosing someone to take your place, in a high-pressure, unsupervised role with unrestricted access to your children. Mitigating risk, a natural human tendency, is going to play a big part in your decision making when choosing a nanny.
To do this you may place arbitrary limits – you want your nanny to be confident handling an emergency so you insist they have a first aid certificate (sensible), you want to know they are a reasonable and law abiding person so you ask for a DBS check (also sensible). You may have preconceived notions about certain academic backgrounds or hobbies, which again is you trying to reduce risk by avoiding the unknown. You may be put off by an unprofessional email address, or an overly-familiar voicemail message, because it calls that person’s judgement into question.
Part time working has been on the rise in all industries but nannies are being hit by a triplewhammy of parents choosing to work part-time, using free help part of the week to reduce childcare costs and taking advantage of Government funding. This means more and more nannies are coming to interview with another job already, which can seem an administrative nightmare. Chin up though, as it’s not that scary!
