I've been following ISYN for a little over a week now and I love reading all of the stories and advice from other nannies. I'm 20 years old and completely new to the world of nannying. I have some experience babysitting, but mainly only for preschool and elementary school aged children. I've also done some tutoring, volunteering at a preschool, etc. I've joined Care.com and Sitter City and have got two interviews lined up. One of them is with a woman with a 7 month old son who contacted me based on my profile. I have limited experience with babies but honestly, I would love to work with a baby. I set up an interview for Tuesday with this woman and I do intend to explain to her that I don't have a lot of experience with that age, but am willing to learn. I have asked a family friend who has a one-year-old to let me spend some time with her refreshing on changing diapers, feeding, bathing, etc. but I would not be able to spend time doing this until Thursday or so, after the interview.
I am very enthusiastic about potentially being able to work with a baby in this age range. I am doing research about seven month olds to try to make up in knowledge what I lack in experience. What I am looking for is just general advice and encouragement - I am so nervous about this interview. Do you have any advice for a new nanny who can't rely on actual previous nannying experience during an interview? Also, is there anything you can suggest in my situation that would make me feel more prepared and also help the mother feel more comfortable with me caring for her son? I am coming up with a list of questions to show her that I have done my homework and care enough about her son to learn. "Is your son teething yet?" "Have you introduced any solid foods (pureed vegetables, etc.) into his diet yet?" etc. I am also considering offering to come over a few days for free to spend time with him under her supervision, if that would make her more comfortable, but I don't know if this is a bad idea or not. Thank you guys so much for your help and I hope to talk to you guys on various posts as I gain experience as a nanny.
Making up references is pathetic. It's right up there with lying about having a degree. OP, I wouldn't suggest you do what the PP did. It shows a level of immaturity. Professionals work hard for their references and lying does your employer a disservice.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you need to volunteer to spend a few days with the baby, but you might as Mom for a few trial days if you two think it's a good fit. You can see if babies are really where you want to be, and she can see if you're ready to take on that responsibility.
Best of luck to you!
RE-post for Anonymous...
ReplyDeleteI don't think you need to offer your services for free for a few days. A lot of the moms I've worked for have had me come for a day or two to get accustomed to the baby and they paid me for my time. You could offer to come a few days while she's still home to make sure everyone is comfortable, but I don't think I'd offer to do it for free. That's just me though.
I'll be honest, I had a lot of trouble getting my first nannying gig and I finally ended up making up a previous job references. Nobody was impressed with my occasional babysitting experience and I felt like I wasn't going to get a job otherwise. I don't recommend doing that, and I felt terrible about it after the fact, but just know that it may take a bit for you to get your first job. If you don't get this job, see if you can actually start spending a lot of time with your friend's baby so you can use her as a reference.
If something happened to my child in your care, Id sue you for the false reference. No, I'm not kidding. And things happen all the time. Terrible advice. Just exactly what parents fear!!
Deleteno moniker!, it's OP here. That's actually not a bad idea - the spending time with the friend's baby, not the making up references. I have a couple of references, but it's for babysitting here, afternoon tutoring there... My parents have a few friends who have friends with children, so while I'm searching through Care.com, I'm also looking for someone who needs help and knows my parents. I feel like this is how a lot of nannies get started - working for people who know them through people.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how my comment wound up on top. I was replying to anonymous re:making up references.
ReplyDeleteI really don't think that the OP needs to make up references, since s/he all ready has experience. It wouldn't be hard for him/ her to contact some of the people s/he has previously worked with and ask to use them as references.
ReplyDeleteTo the OP: Never, ever, ever work for free. If you don't put a value on your time, your employer won't, either. However, the idea of a few days trial isn't a bad idea, but, get paid for it. Your time is worth something.
Since you have no prior infant experience, this mother may not hire you based on that. Caring for an infant is much different than caring for a school-aged child and many parents desire someone w/true hands-on infant experience. However, you are showing a lot by studying up on children this age and you sound very anxious to learn.
ReplyDeleteI would ask the mother if you could come over for a few days..possibly for a few hours each day and train on how to care for the baby. I know people are saying you should never work for free and you should get paid for it, and I agree...in most instances. However, this is a unique situation and since you have no infant experience, I think it would show good faith on your side if you do this. Think about it...if she hired someone w/previous infant experience she wouldn't have to train anyone.
You sound like a great nanny already to me. If I were this mom, I would offer you the chance since you sincerely seem like you want to learn new things.
Best of luck to you. Hope you get the position!!
Id pay to train her. People get paid to learn, too. What company trains employees without compensation? I actually don't think this is a unique situation. I think she might get hired bc the parents won't have to pay her what they would for someone like me who has twenty years of experience with infants. She has to start somewhere. I can understand her desire to learn. But I agree, her time is always worth something, always.
DeleteSince you have no experience, if you get the job, the mom will try and look ball you on your hourly rate. Please keep in mind what you want to get paid and stay firm! She has a right to pay you less since you don't have tons of experience, but she doesn't have a right to take advantage of you.
ReplyDeleteAs for working for free, I wouldn't do that. Even though you are young with little experience, it makes you look unprofessional. Remember, you are a working professional and your time is valuable. Plus it could end up as a gateway for taking advantage of you. Trust me, you don't want that!
Since you have little experience, also be prepared to talk to mom about transporting baby. Since you are young with little experience, she may want you to stick around home all day. That could get really tiring!! Discuss with her the possibility of leaving the house after 3-6 months.
Also, since you are newer, also remember to have a contract lined up and written out with your hours, rates, expected duties, etc. This was a huge mistake on my part when I first started!
Good luck to you nanny! You sound very energetic, knowledgable, and enthusiastic to me. If I was a parent, that's what I would look for! I also commend you on sticking to honesty and integrity in the situation with MB! Another plus on your side. Please keep us posted!
Sorry the above is suppose to say *low ball not look ball! Silly auto correct!
ReplyDeleteI also forgot to say... Mention to mom that you're willing to be infant CPR certified!! That was something that really helped on my resume!
You sound like you're taking all the right steps to me. One thing I cannot stress enough is read, read and read some more. I have subscribed to parenting magazines for almost 10 years because it has helped my nanny career immensely. Go to the library and check out some baby care books or just look up some websites. Make sure the info is current because that stuff seems to change frequently.
ReplyDeleteI'm assuming this mom looked at your work history on care.com and saw that you don't have much infant experience and is ok with that. Stress to her that you are learning and that you want to do a few trial days. That's a good idea with any new job. I wouldn't advise doing them for free. Think about it--if you were starting work for a corporation, they would train you the first week and would pay you for it. You deserve to get paid training to be a nanny too.
Nashville Nanny said...
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how my comment wound up on top. I was replying to anonymous re:making up references.
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Because I deleted the anonymous comment, yours ended up over the re-post.
I find anonymous comments slightly annoying... especially since right above the comment box, in huge letters, it asks you to pick a moniker.
Start deleting & not reposting. That will teach em.
DeleteOP,
ReplyDeletePlease let us know what happens, I am really interested in the outcome. ;-)
Me, too! Were behind ya 100%!! ;-)
DeleteDo not make up references. That would be a bad idea on so many levels. Plus, it might just come back to bite you on the butt later on.....
ReplyDeleteGood for you OP for being honest and upfront about your lack of experience. You sound like a very mature twenty yr old to me.
Considering she could have hired someone else w/infant experience and chose you, I would most definitely offer myself a day or two to learn the ropes of caring for a young baby. In most situations, this would be a bad idea, however since she could have hired someone w/baby experience and thus hired you, I think it would be a good compromise.
I hope you get the job.
Keep us posted on how things went.
OP again. Thank you all so much for your advice! It makes me feel more confident that you think I could be successful. I just had another question for you all... This job is only going to be about 15 hours a week to start with (supposedly she will have more hours for me later) because the mom only works part time. Do you think I really need a written contract? I'm sort of uncomfortable requesting one unless the mom initiates it because I don't want to make a big deal out of it or make it seem like there would be any ill will between us, like I don't trust her. I also don't really believe she would go against what we agree to, although I have a feeling that could be pretty naive of me, especially considering the stories I read on here.
ReplyDeleteGreat question, RenaissanceGirl! I'm PT also, 16hrs per wk. I only started a week ago and things are going well but want to bring up the idea of a contract. So far, everything seems so informal though.
ReplyDeleteIf under, say 20hrs, should PTimers worry about a contract?
Yes, of course! ;-)
DeleteYes, you *********MUST************ have a written contract. In my 20 years of experience, I can guarentee with 100% certainy that issues WILL COME UP & that a contract will prevent these issues. Look at so many responses to issues here. What's the #1 question?? Its "what does your contract say? Or do you even have a contract?!" Its not about trust. That just shows how young & naive you are. Its very unprofessional to engage in ANY business transaction without a written contract. You're entitled to sick pay, vacation pay, overtime pay, regular reviews & raises. You MUST have your specific job juties listed. Otherwise, shell ask you for a tiny favor here & there & before you know it, you're doing the entire families laundry, you have NO breaks & you're miserable & resentful. Be professional, draft a contract. Or find one online. Write out everything. Good luck, I hope this works out well for you! Just don't leave the contract to chance, do so & you'll leave the job bitter....I promise...
ReplyDeleteOP: A contract will only make you look more professional, not less. It shows that you are familiar with your duties and that you're not afraid to voice your expectations.
ReplyDeleteThere are lots of great nanny contracts on the web. Take one and modify it to your needs. Discuss with the mother what, exactly, her expectations are and incorperate them into the contract.
I'm of similar age and had a lot of the same questions when I started out a few years ago OP!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely use your parents connections. This can lead to a fairly diverse resume that will look interesting to parents for a long time to come. In my case, my mom is a teacher, so I tutored some of her students, occasionally volunteered in her classroom, and babysat for her coworkers. Even though this was all a few years ago now, parents are still generally impressed when they see it on my resume.
You should absolutely draw up a contract. I always bring it up as "In the past I've found it is a good idea if we draw up a contract so that we both have the same expectations of eachother, should anything come up" and parents have never been anything but impressed with my professionalism despite my young age. You can google nanny contract or I have one you can look at if you like (I also usually work part time, and the considerations for temporary or part time gigs can be slightly different than a permanent career nanny)
Also, don't let infant care tasks become daunting! Though there are a lot more care and safety considerations to take into account for when caring for an infant, in some ways I find it can be easier and more relaxed because an infant can't argue with you like an older child can!
Always get a contract. It is your only way to cover your butt. Make sure it outlines things like your hours, pay, etc. As well as what is expected of you, to avoid the job creep. Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteMPP.... Thanks for explaining :)
ReplyDeleteYou know what else would help you? Joining the International Nanny Association or any other child care association. It sets you apart as a dedicated & true professional.
ReplyDeleteGypsy, I'm glad you brought that up because I've been thinking about the INA. Do you have to pay to join? Does it really make that much of a difference? I would love for someone to make a post dedicated to it, or other nanny organizations.
ReplyDeleteMannah... I joined INA. The only thing I have gotten in exchange for my "membership fee" is an inbox full of Spam. Oh! And a nifty little certificate that says Im a member. It didn't impress my MB, nor the agency I signed up with when I moved here. I wouldn't waste your money. Unless you want to go to their Annual Nanny Conference. Another chance for them to dip into your pocket.
ReplyDeleteI joined INA last year figuring I should do something to rep myself as a pro.
ReplyDeleteI will not be renewing my INA membership for this year.
I didn't find it useful. I got the same amount of business and interest, and no one was impressed by the INA certificate/membership.
I suppose in some nanny markets it might make you a stand out.
Since I tend to care for babies I found it more marketable to get training as a newborn care specialist.
I looked over their website and came to very much the same conclusion. Thanks ladies!
ReplyDeleteHi, MissMannah, my pov is one of a parents. It makes a nanny look professional.
ReplyDeleteI can't confirm or dispute anything anyone feels about it. I'm not a member.