Fellow Nannies -I know we are living in critical times, but I have been unemployed since one week before the 19th of Nov '08. I always had good luck finding a job in CL; I am not commenting on the families, but you all know what the chances are of finding both really nice and annoying families.
I am now desperate, and not just because talking about myself, but I think I am a good "normal" nanny that takes pride in her job and has really great references. I feel I am getting stuck! Either parents want to pay way to low for what they ask or the position offers very little hours like 12 Hrs (Not mentioning # of children). Does anybody feel like me???
I am also trying for sittercity.com, but it's the same just like CL, parents are barely posting and not replying at all, not to mention at least saying “no thanks.” I recently went on an interview for a couple in Murray Hill with one child who first said they needed 3 full days then 4 days. They said they own their own business. Then they asked for my rate I said $15/Hr to see what I could get out of them. Then, saw their huge reaction! and I said it could be negotiable (saying to myself 12/Hr bottom line, because there is housework involved, and no benefits). They called me back as they promised, but just to say that they are still interviewing. That the child is now in school and would only need 1pm to 6pm 3 or 4 days. Mom asked if I was still interested because they really liked me ... and that they would call next week with a final answer. That was my ONE interview since I am unemployed.
Does anybody know about other childcare websites, agencies??? I really don’t care at this point paying a fee to an agency, as for now, my concern is to find a good family that pays "fairly" and offers stability.
Oh and one last thing! I was with one Indian (wannabes rich) family for 1 full year without any benefits, did whatever they wanted with me because I am "young" to them. I last there only because of the 2 kids that I now miss terribly... only got paid $13/Hr for 24 hrs a week, (that started at 30 hrs/week). Whenever they didn't feel they needed me she would not pay for the day. Days didn’t need me were told with short notice of 1 day before. No sick days, luckily I did not get sick for 1 full year. No Holidays paid! and asked to work on some of them for same rate. Obviously it was my first looooong-term job I learned from. I never knew about benefits, vacations, bonus etc. I was let go because the little one I took care of most of the time, started school during the day. Plus, we were 2 nannies all the time working for them (the other one was working for the family 6 yrs).
After that "experience" I found another family on CL...my dream came true!!!. Wonderful family (respectful, generous, funny, nice).They offered a contract along with reasonable benefits (paid 6 holidays, no sick days, and paid off-duty, 2 week vacation) and the pay was fair!! After working for about 2 months bragging about my perfect job, I was let go because they are photographers (freelancers) and the mom who just needed me P/T to begin with, stayed home because she had no weddings to shoot until July '09 and recently purchased a Loft. So I now find myself writing this......
Any info would be greatly appreciated, thanks for reading.
In my opinion it's best to be up front and as honest as possible when dealing with a possible future employer.
ReplyDeleteYou wrote about declaring that 15 is your rate, but in your mind you seemed to be happy with 12. It seemed from what you said that you were trying to get the highest rate out of them as possible.
If I were the employer, and you stated your rate was much higher than I was expecting or was able to pay, but then you later said it would be ok to take a lower amount, this would be a disinclination for me. I would be more inclined to hire someone who was happy with the rate that I was comfortable with, versus someone who felt they were settling for a rate they weren't happy with.
If someone had to settle for a rate they weren't happy with it would make me concerned that they would always be looking for another job, wouldn't be very happy from the outset, and it wouldn't make me feel secure in my choice.
I don't see the problem in telling employers that you're asking for 15, but 12 is the absolute bottom you will condiser accepting. I also don't see a problem with telling a potential employer that at this point you really need to find something soon because you feel you have been out of work too long.
Good luck. I think word of mouth is the best way to find something that is permanent and makes both employer and employee happy. If you can get your former employer to place ads for you, where she will answer some ads and speak highly of you and then pass along your contact info, that would be good too.
I have been trying to find a job for my former nanny for 5 mos now. It's really tough out there. You don't have that much experience....I think, especially in these times, to say your rate is $15/hr was pretty bold. I know there are nannies on here who are paid upwards of $20 an hour (my former nanny was) but most of them have a lot of experience or have been with a family a long time. If you are truly desparate, I'd start by lowering your rate because that is a big turn off especially in this economy.
ReplyDeleteDo you live at home? If so, try and go back to school. Theres no future being a nanny. Even if you go to a technical school, etc.
ReplyDeleteMaybe, a job in the health field. Theres always need for nurses, technicians, etc.
Or you can take a course to be a postpartum doula. You can help new moms in your area, with their newborns.
I just read what I wrote. And I am sorry. Maybe, I didn't word what I wrote in a nice way.
ReplyDeleteIts just my own opinion from personal experience.
Hey, I am sorry right now is so tough for you. Have you considered getting another job until you find a new nannying job? You could try to find work in an office or even at the mall. It would at least be something to pay the bills. :) You could even work pt at one thing and pt nannying if you found a family you liked. Just an idea. :)
ReplyDeleteI disagree with fox in socks. When you negotiate for anything, you don't tell the other party what the lowest number you will accept is, up front. You tell them what you WANT and they make a counter-offer if they are unwilling to give you that. If you tell them right off the bat what you're willing to settle for, they'd be silly to pay you any more than that. Would you really give this kind of advice to any job seeker, or is it just nannies who are expected to let prospective employers know the lowest wage they will work for, right off the bat? I have never heard of anything so silly.
ReplyDeleteIf I apply for a job and the person interviewing me asks what salary I'm looking for, I tell them what salary I am looking for, not the lowest salary they could offer that I would still accept. They are free to make a counter-offer or tell me I've asked too much, but if I start out with the lowest possibly acceptable number I will never know if perhaps they had expected to pay me MORE. They are certainly not going to say "oh, you will work for $60K? Well, we thought you'd ask for $80K, so why don't we split the difference!" lol.
Also, in most lines of work I have found that people who low-ball themselves get much less respect. Someone who thinks they are only worth $10/hour and who is hired at that rate will NOT tend to be looked on as a humble and generous employee, saving the company money, but as a rather naive person who can probably be taken advantage of. I've seen this principle at work in several professions.
Nannies, and anyone looking for a job: my advice is to do your research and know what the going rate is for your services, for people with your experience and education, before the interview, and then confidently ask for what you are worth. Those who can't pay it probably aren't worth your time. In an economic downturn, of course, you may need to revise your expectations downwards, but you should do so with care, knowing that the employers who are most concerned with the difference between $15 and $12 an hour are the employers who are themselves most likely to be in a precarious financial position.
The economic situation we must deal with is like dominos and it seems no one is safe from the fall out. Good luck to you. I think you were given some sound advice by alex with regard to finding another line of work, at least for now.
ReplyDeleteI am a very experienced nanny with amazing families that I can list for reference. I have no problem finding good paying jobs, but I've always worked for 2 families at a time. Currently I work 15 hours a week for one family, and 10 hours for another family. I've always found that working part time, I end up making more money an hour. I also don't get burnt out with the families and things are new and fresh all the time.
ReplyDeleteMake sure when you are interviewing, tell them you are looking for long term employment, and negotiate a contract. Tell them you will need some kind of decent notice if they aren't going to need you anymore, so you'll have more time to look for another job.
I've used CL and sittercity to find all of my positions, and most all (except one or two crazy families!) of them have been amazing families with great kids. Other than that, as said by previous poster, word of mouth is the best. I talk about my job all the time, and people always ask "Oh my brother/friend/coworker/aunt/etc is looking for childcare" and have had great success that way as well.
The economy is tough and many people can not afford a nanny but if you hold out for the right family, and you truly are a good nanny, it will happen. I also agree it might be smart to find something part time in retail or starbucks just to hold you over until you find something you love.
I found my current family through enannysource. I don't know what to tell you that hasen't already been said except I know what you're going through. It took me three months to find my current job! I ended up taking a couple of part time jobs to pay the bills rather than settle for less that I'm worth. I can't tell you how many people called me wanting to pay six dollers an hour!
ReplyDeleteAll the best finding a job - I think these are tough times - I know I've decided to change from part time casual teaching work to full time because of the economy.
ReplyDeleteI would suggest getting some other quals too - maybe childcare worker - it's a bit similar to nany -ing and you might get credit for your previous work experience.
OP, were you being paid on the books? If so, at least you can collect unemployment. If not, I hope you now realize how you screwed yourself by working illegally.
ReplyDeleteIt sucks to be broke and unemployed. As other posters have said, you may have to take at least a PT job that is not nannying to tide you over, or even to make ends meet once you have found another nannying job, if that job is not FT. I don't think you should have to accept $6/hr when you are worth $15, but you may have to accept $12. Probably in an interview, when they ask you about salary, it would be best to give a range, and say that the exact salary depends on what other benefits there are to be considered, (paid days off, vacation and sick time, etc). After all, an offer of $15/hr with no other benefits would even out to one paying $12/hr with paid holidays, vacation etc.
Completely OT on this thread, but I posted it on the sightings page and it hasn't shown up since this morning, so here goes:
ReplyDeleteBlack and white twins:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/01/02/international/i101518S25.DTL
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteRE-POST FOR ANONYMOUS:
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
Times are tough right now!!
I was let go from a nanny position last year in April due to me being pregnant..I found an office job then Sadly I had a stillborn baby.. After that I was laid off from the office job and have been in search of a nanny job since August. I"m currently 22weeks pregnant and doubt i will ever get ANY job let along a nanny job, but i try!
Here are some sites to check out:
www.enannysource.com
www.greataupair.com
www.care.com
www.myfreenanny.com
www.gonannies.com
12:35 AM
RE-POST FOR ANONYMOUS!
I am in a similar situation OP.
ReplyDeleteI used Craiglist to find nanny jobs and usually found one within a week or two last year. However, these past few months that I have been actively searching, I have had 0 luck. Sometimes I do not even get any responses at all!! On CL, I notice there are tons of nanny ads in my area, however there are few job offers posted. I can only blame it on the economy.
From personal experience, I have found most of the families on CL are not very nice. (Again...this is ONLY my own experience)! I have found families who use me, lie to me, write bad checks, etc. I have tried sittercity.com, but have found no luck there as well. I would like to try enannysource, I haven't set up an account for that yet.
Have you tried a nanny agency? I do not think they charge a fee for nannies, only parents.
Good Luck OP and I hope you eventually find that perfect fit.
Erics mom, unfortunately you are right. I'm working as a nanny until I finish school, but in a bad economy, nannies are considered luxuries.
ReplyDeleteI just got in a big argument with a friend who lives in L.A, who hasn't been able to find full time nanny work in over a year. She instead relies on a couple regualr one day a week gigs and lots of date night and weekend babysitting gig. I warned her that if the actor's strike, she will probably lose all her jobs (all her families work in the film industry) but she insists they all like her and will keep her on. She has talked about going to cosmetology school, but thinks she will make more money as a nanny.
Siiigh
oops, before I get flamed by the professional nannies out there, I should explain that my friend needs to bring her child to work, has no college degree, no childcare certifications and has been told by several nanny agencies that they can't send her out on jobs because she has visable tattoos and her personal style was too unprofessional. (She dresses like a hipster and has visable tattoos)
ReplyDeleteSo don't attack me...I'm only talking about my friend's inability to do well as a nanny.
Wow, sorry about the terrible grammar and spelling!
ReplyDeleteI hear ya hun, believe me, I hear you! I quit my cushy nanny job back in November because I couldn't handle the family. I got paid well and it was live-in, but the kids were too much. I had two job offers before I quit, but then, what do ya know, they both fell through. So I was back to the drawing board. Not to mention out of a job AND home. It was tough, and right around Thanksgiving, so not many people were focused on hiring a nanny. But after Thanksgiving, I joined an agency, put an ad on several sites, and spent a week working on my portfolio and then a week interviewing (about 2 interviews a day). Its tough and I had met a lot of families offering many different things. About half way through, I had repeated myself so many times and had been on so many interviews I was confident in what I said and it shown thru. I had so many compliments on the way I presented myself. And families are very impressed with the portfolios. My best advice I can give you is, make a portfolio, join an agency, dress nice, and prepare yourself for the interview. Here is a website that explains portfolios, http://www.nannynetwork.com/Naniboard/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?/topic/2/2070
ReplyDeleteI can honestly say, I can tell the difference in my interview style before I had my portfolio and was really prepared than before, when I was just going in willy nilly.
And as for finding the jobs/interviews, join an agency in your area, multiple ones if needed. And join up with all the nanny sites that someone listed above. You'll find that many families do that same. I found the same family on different sites multiple times. Other sites I can suggest are Care.com, nannies4hire.com, sittercity.com, and enannysource.
Hope that helps!
Ellie
Oh, and I forgot to mention....
ReplyDeleteThis is holiday times, well just finishing up now... but many people might have just put off finding a nanny until the new year. Almost all the interviews I went on said they weren't looking for someone to start until after the holidays. It's just a slow time of the year, and with the economy the way it is puts double stress on finding a good job. Hang in there. It'll happen. I promise!
2 things:
ReplyDeleteOP , try an agency called Urban Nurture. They are WONDERFUL. No charge to you and they only deal with very wealthy families( they charge a $5,000 fee to the families for their nanny search service). I found my last position there and they were wonderful to work for.
Ericsmom,
Usually I agree with a lot of your posts but I found your comment about no future in nannying to be offensive. IMO. Enough said.
Thats my opinion. Maybe, five percent of nannies have a great career as a nanny. And that could be your situation nycnanny. But I think its a stretch. I never met a nanny that has been a nanny for the long haul.
ReplyDeleteHow many nannies out there are really offered any type of benefits? I see so many families that rather pay off the books. And if a nanny says no way, they just find someone else that is willing to.
I feel like a nurse, or paralegal, mailman, UPS worker,etc has a better chance to make it in this world.
Sorry no offense to you nycnanny.
I agree that it is best to use an agency, but whatever you do, don't hand over any money. Reputable, legal agencies will only charge the parents, not the applicant. The fees they charge are normally very high so you can be sure that the families who use their services are able to afford to pay well.
ReplyDeleteI used an agency to find a job in NYC that I will be starting in 2 weeks! The agency has done everything for me, including negotiating my salary and benefits, as well as drawing up the contract. I guess I have been lucky, but my starting salary is over $80K (for 50 hours a week, live-out), plus I get paid holidays and 3 weeks vacation, medical insurance, cell phone etc. (I'm not sure why people think there is no future in nannying - I think this is a good package to begin with!)
The family even flew my husband and me out from London to find an apartment. They have been so helpful, kind and generous in all respects and I haven't even started the job yet! I know how lucky I am because I have interviewed with nightmare wealthy families before (one of which has a pig who had its own chauffeur!!!!!!)
Anyway, good luck in your search OP. I'm sure something will come up.
British Nanny
ReplyDeleteWas the pig's name "Coco"? If so, I know who you're talking about, lol.
LOL a pig that had its own chauffeur
ReplyDeleteNo, the pig's name wasn't Coco!! Are you telling me there is another family with a pig with its own chauffeur?! How crazy!! :) In all honesty, I think the pig would have been easier to look after than the children... and definitely much easier to get on with than the mother. I still have nightmares about that interview. I can still hear the voice of the mother telling me that if I took out the wrong underwear for the children (it had to match the outfit) and didn't put it back in its place (the knickers were numbered), I would get a warning and 2 warnings meant being fired! Run, nanny, run!!
ReplyDeleteeric's mom is right. For 90% of nannies it is a dead end, undervalued, under-appreciated, and financially insecure way to make a living.
ReplyDeleteIn other words, child care as a profession blows shitty chunks of crap and puke.
No, I'm not a nanny.
London nanny, wow, that's great that you have that new job lined up. I have to point out though that you haven't actually worked with these people yet, and they *could* turn out to be nutcases just like the numbered underwear people. Yikes!
ReplyDeleteI am the one who wrote the Post.
ReplyDeleteThanks to all for your advice!!!I found them very lighting.
I would like to clarify some points for some people. I am starting college in a oouple of weeks majoring in a health carrer. So, that's why i was counting on the weekly income of my last job. It's why loosing it threw me off, since I pay my school. Hence,I can only work (P/T 30Hrs)at 15/Hr. Also,on the one interview I went,I never said i'll take 12 but i wanted 15. I said i wanted 15 and "in my head,if they wanted to negotiate 12 was bottom line." They still don'tknow i can bring it down to 12. It is the on-going rate for NYC for 1 child. I know it is not nice to bring down the rate, but it's bad times and u have to take something until u find something better along the way. They reacted to the 15/Hr bc they previously had an Au-pair from a 3rd world country,so u know how cheap they are compared to local nannies and i wasn't aware of that. Lastly, i have 5 yrs of experience with all of my references are solid and good even from the Indian (wannabe) rich family.
Thanks to all :0)
Sorry, I meant British Nanny.
ReplyDeleteCali mom - I really think this family will be fine! Fingers crossed anyway!! I have spent quite a bit of time with them and even though it's not a traditional family unit, they are the most normal people you could meet. Will update once I have started working for them :)
ReplyDeleteNanny,
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear you have been unemployed for almost 2 months. I'd love to help you look for a job on Sittercity.com again. I am an employee at Sittercity and a nanny myself. Shoot me an email and I'll see if I can help you get a job ASAP.
suzanne (at) sittercity (dot) com
-Suzanne
Sittercity.com
Good for you Op that you are getting your degree, but to those who do not have a degree, if you are doing something you love, then good for you, not everybody wants to be a lawyer and doctor and not everybody can be.
ReplyDeleteIt's rather insulting to people who are actively in the profession to hear words like that, but I would imagine it's even more hurtful for those out there with no formal education.
I'd say there are many so called dead end jobs out there, not just in nannying, because that's how the world is. If everybody left the nannying because it is seen as deadend, who exactly would suffer?
I think nannies should demand benefits on their jobs, and those parents who cannot afford this should really stop hiring nannies.
I must say I personally don't know any nanny who is being paid off the books; I'm sure they exist, but I don't know them. This is a problem with parents again trying to cut corners.
Nannies out there, you are doing an invaluable service and some jobs are just thankless; nevertheless society thanks you for your sacrifice, because somebody's got to do it!
The point should not be mistaken - nannying is not dead-end because it is low status/low skill. It is dead end because it, like mothering, has never been given the respect and compensation it deserves. Society utterly depends on the expected/demanded altruism of women and it always has...eff that shit. All mothers and caregivers deserve better.
ReplyDeletePatriarchal society can kiss my feminist arse.
Homey, you've sure got that right. Now wouldn't it be nice if many more start to realize this and real change can happen . . .
ReplyDelete