Etiquette For Living With Your Nanny
Living with your nanny is a big decision – one that involves welcoming someone with open arms into your home. In order make sure you keep relations with your nanny in good shape, follow these rules of etiquette.
- Be clear from the start on all job duties and what you intend her role to be. That way you’ll run into fewer problems down the line with expectations from both sides.
- Create clear ground rules about what is and isn’t allowed in the home. Ground rules may include anything from your stance on having guests over to using the kitchen supplies for personal use.
- Respect her privacy and establish time with the family separate from the nanny. Although your nanny is living with you, it doesn’t mean she has to be involved in every aspect of your life. Some space and separation will make for a better relationship.
- Be clear on your childrearing philosophy. This can include everything from discipline to maintaining a type of atmosphere and environment you want for your child.
Five Signs Your Live-In Nanny Needs To Be Replaced
If you currently have a nanny and have mixed feelings about whether or not you should keep her in your household, here are five warning signs to watch out for. Any one of these should be cause enough for you to give pause about keeping your live-in nanny.
- Your child seems apprehensive around your live-in nanny and is reluctant to go to her.
- You make repeated requests to your nanny and she doesn’t follow them.
- Your child seems prone to getting into accidents with your nanny, signaling a potential lack of attention.
- Your live-in nanny criticizes the way you raise your child.
- Your live-in nanny seems reluctant to share information about her day with your child or seems to be giving you contradictory stories.
Interview Questions You’ll Want To Ask Your Live- In Nanny
Once you’ve lined up a number of good candidates for the interview, make sure you’re prepared to ask the right interview questions that will land you the best live-in nanny for your home. These interview questions will help screen out the nannies you don’t want and narrow down your list to the nannies you do want to hire.
- Ask a nanny candidate whether she is looking for full-time work as a live-in nanny. It seems obvious, but you’ll want to know right off the bat whether she is looking for the same living arrangements you are.
- Ask a nanny candidate how much experience she has had with young children and what ages. How much experience you need to look for is a personal decision. However, you want someone with enough experience to make you comfortable. The more experience a candidate has, the more you’ll likely pay in salary.
- Ask about her role in her previous jobs as a nanny. You’ll want to get a sense of how skilled she is at her job and her level of expertise.
- Ask your nanny whether she has any specific training or certifications. This can include CPR training and early childhood development education.
- Find out why your nanny is leaving or has left her previous position. You’ll find out a lot about a nanny candidate’s preferences and whether she’ll be a good fit for your home.
Things You Should Include In An Advertisement For Live-In Nannies
When you’re getting ready to put out an advertisement for live-in nannies, be careful how you word it. Putting in the right amount of information can make the live-in nanny search much easier. Here are some things you’ll want to include in your advertisement for live-in nannies.
- Let potential nanny candidates know that you’re looking for a live-in nanny as opposed to a live-out situation.
- Include a few sentences describing the live-in nanny’s role, including the number of children she’ll be caring for and their ages.
- Let a candidate know how much experience you expect her to have.
- Include your general location, so a nanny will know whether the job is somewhere she wants to be.
- Make sure the potential live-in nanny candidates know how best to reach you, whether it’s by phone or email.
What Is A Live-In Nanny?
If you’re just venturing into the realm of hiring a nanny, you’re probably aware that a live-in nanny is one option for you to consider. But what exactly is a live-in nanny and what does she do? A live-in nanny, just as the name suggests, is a childcare provider who lives in your home and handles all the duties relating to the care of your child or children. These duties can include feeding, bathing and caring for your children. It typically also includes any domestic duties that involve picking up after your child. In some, though not all cases, a live-in nanny also performs general household chores like laundry, cleaning, and running errands. What domestic duties your live-in nanny will actually perform will be something you need to discuss with her from the beginning.
Who Makes An Ideal Candidate As An Employer Of A Live-In Nanny
Contrary to some opinions, a live-in nanny is not a luxury only for the wealthy – at least not anymore. The live-in nanny is a growing trend among homes across different demographics. Just because a family might not "seem" like one that needs a nanny, don't count them out.
So who is employing live-in nannies these days? It ranges from households with high incomes to families with both parents bringing in a comfortable salary and looking to maintain their careers.
Nannies are also hired by dual income families with both parents needing to work to maintain their households and single parents who need an income as well as childcare.
