According to the professional recruitment team at RockMyBaby in London, one of the most commonly-asked questions from those seeking nannies is that of what represents the right choice to make. Now, on the surface, this seems like a question with an obvious answer, but in reality what makes for the perfect nanny will differ significantly from one family to the next. It all comes down to what it is you’re expecting, how much you’re willing to pay for it and how involved you want the nanny to be – there’s no one-size-fits-all nanny for all families across the board.
That being said, however, there is something of a recommended vetting process that should be followed across the board by every family looking for a nanny in order to ensure they make the right choice. Technically speaking, it’s a vetting process that doesn’t have to be difficult and is more than worth any efforts invested – you are after all, basically looking to take on a new family member and professional employee at the same times.
So, with this in mind, here’s a quick overview of the most important boxes to tick in order to ensure that the decision you make is the right one for the whole family:
1 – Go Through an Agency
Right off the bat, if you want to make the vetting process as easy as possible for yourself, then it pays to look for a nanny via an agency that essentially takes care of much of the vetting on your behalf. You basically have the choice of either casting your net over a standard group of un-vetted nannies or diving into a pool of those that have already been put to the test and proven themselves as safe, capable and responsible. To choose a good nanny agency is to essentially take most of the legwork and all of the guesswork out of the process, so never overlook the value of siding with a well-established nanny agency in London.
2 – Make a List
Take the time to sit down with the family and compose a list that features everything you 100% need the nanny to do and the other things that are preferred but technically optional. By doing so, you’ll be arming yourself with something of a checklist that can then be used at every stage of the recruitment process in order to ensure you find a nanny that ticks all of the right boxes and doesn’t fall short in any important areas. After all, you can’t logically expect to go out there and get what you want if you don’t first establish exactly what it is you want.
3 – Prepare For the Interview
Never go into the interview process itself just assuming that you’ll know what to ask or that you’ll be able to judge the candidate nanny with a somewhat gut-based approach. There are certain things you need to know about them that cannot be verified by way of their CV and application alone. Being a nanny is about more than just having all the qualifications and experience on paper as if this doesn’t translate to the kind of responsible and genuine inspirational individual your family needs, it’s not worth the paper it’s printed on. And of course, the interview should also be used to determine compatibility in a personality sense – if you don’t see the nanny ‘fitting in’ with the family, nothing else matters.
4 – Ask for References
If you fail to ask for references and sufficient references at that, you really have little to no way of knowing whether a single word on the candidate’s application is in fact true and accurate. You have to remember that above all else, you’re dealing with a total stranger and taking their word at face value having never personally dealt with them before. The nanny agency you choose may request its own references before being willing to represent the nanny, but it’s still crucial to look into their past employment history and feedback for yourself.
5 – Propose a Trial
And finally, never forget that you are technically under no obligation whatsoever to offer a hard yes or no following the interview unless you are confident enough to do so. Instead, it’s often worth asking the candidate you’re interested in if they’d be happy to take part in a temporary trial, just to see how well their skills and experience translate when put to use in the real world. Again, it’s a case of the theory of it all not necessarily panning out when put to the test, so be sure to consider a test period before going ahead with a more extensive contract.