Hey everyone. I've been job hunting for a while now, mostly through Care.com as I can't seem to get any leads anywhere else. I'm a college student and have class three mornings a week, so an after school thing would be ideal for me. The issue I'm having is that EVERY family I get into contact with wants me to pick their kids up from school, take them to soccer practice, etc. I am perfectly fine with this; I'm an excellent driver with a flawless record. But since I'm in school, I'm still living with my parents, and I drive their car. My mom is not comfortable with me driving children around in her car. She says that if I were to get into an accident, there could be a law suit, and the kids might tear up the interior of the car. She wants me to find a family that has an extra car and will let me use that car to transport their kids. Trouble is, I've been searching and searching and every family I run into 1) needs me to transport the kids, and 2) either doesn't have a second car, or doesn't feel comfortable with me driving it. I can't blame them - I wouldn't feel comfortable with a stranger driving my car (but then again, said stranger is also watching your kids)...
This seems like the only major hurdle to me getting a job. Families approach me very interested in me as I'm an ECE student, speak French, etc. but as soon as the driving issue comes up, everything comes to a halt. My mom isn't budging and I don't blame her. I'm getting really frustrated. What can I do? Thanks! P.S. When I Googled this, it led to a bunch of people saying that the family should be the ones providing a car, but none of them in my area (North Carolina) seem to feel this way, and they're the ones hiring. - Anonymous
You have three choices:
ReplyDeleteA. buy a car
B. continue looking for a family that lets you use their car (which they should be doing anyway)
C. try to find a family of younger kids who only need an afternoon nanny, and wouldn't need you to drive them all over the place
I just thought of another thing you can do: get a job at a daycare in the afternoons while you're still in school and then try to find a FT nanny position with younger kids after graduating.
Mannah, put in everything I was going to say.
ReplyDeleteI would also suggest looking on campus for a job. Maybe one of the profs needs care. If they know you they might be more willing to let you drive.
If you are not comfortable letting them drive your car why would you let them drive your kids? Who is more important?
Good luck getting that job it's a tough market.
it really is unreasonable of families with a car to not let you drive their own kids in it, and your mom sounds like a common sense lady
ReplyDeletethe above suggestions were pretty good - let us know what happens and good luck!
They trust you with their childrens lives, but not their precious vehicle.
ReplyDeleteI don't blame your mom. No amount of reimbursement will feel sufficent. Families that can afford a nanny usually allow usage of their extra vehicle. All I can say is keep looking. And maybe learn to change their minds, by asking pointed questions. Such as,"what are you fearful of?" (They say an accident.) "That's why I can be placed on your insurance. Although I've never had an accident, they can happen to anyone. If you trust me with your children, I feel you should take a leap of faith and trust me with your vehicle." Amanda also had great suggestions.
Should be, not can be(re: insurance).
DeleteI would try to find a part time job watching toddlers/infants or I would work at a daycare until I had saved enough for a car of my own. Good luck op!
ReplyDeleteJust read the other comments! Great minds!
ReplyDeleteYou can try and find a weekend job that wont' require driving.
ReplyDeleteIf you prefer to work with school age children try and find a job with an afterschool program while you're saving for that car.
Good luck finding that job.
Hey guys, I'm the OP for this post. :) Thank you for your advice... I really appreciate it. I've just been having a hard time and was looking forward to getting some "real" nannying experience under my belt. So far it's just been sporadic babysitting and I really wanted to work with one family on a regular basis. I guess I'll have to wait a bit longer for that!
ReplyDeleteI would continue looking for a job that either provides you with a vehicle to transport the kids or where no driving is required. It may take longer, but I am sure something will come up soon.
ReplyDeleteHow long have you been looking?
Also, you might also want to try Sittercity.com to seek a new position.
Or register with a local Nanny agency and ask to be placed with a family who does not request any driving or if they do, will provide a car for you.
Good luck in your search!
We will all be keeping our finger's crossed that something comes up soon for ya!
Second the agency idea! Yu can find great familes other ways, but I've found that with a reputable agency you get families more willing to meet reasonable requests/ expectations, such as use of a car.
ReplyDeleteI would also try networking through one of your previous sittinng jobs.
Does your college have a daycare?
Maybe you can work there until a nanny gig comes along.
You'll find a nanny job. Don't give up.
Bethany, no, my college doesn't have a daycare, unfortunately. :( I was looking into nanny agencies at one point, but don't they require you to have a certain amount of nannying experience? I have some tutoring and babysitting experience, and I'm in some ECE classes, but that's the extent of my experience, really.
ReplyDeleteyou said you have class three mornings a week. Maybe you could find a job for two full days per week with an infant or toddler?
ReplyDeleteanother nanny, I would love that if I could find someone that just needed Mondays and Thursdays!
ReplyDeleteI would also suggest looking into mother's helpers jobs if you're not finding any nanny ones.
ReplyDeleteEvery now & then I see an ad that says there is no car required. Just be persistant. Your opportunity will come. When I don't have a job, but I want a job, I make looking for one my job. I spend a lot of time on web sites, writing to parents & creating ads. One thing that has helped me to save some time is to write a generic letter of interest. I simply change the parents name, the ages of the children, etc. I've also taken a lot of time to perfect the letter. Its the first impression parents will get of me. And having had placed ads seeking a mothers's helper, some nannies make little effort in their initial response. I would eliminate so many based upon my first impression. "I'm available to watch your child. I have a lot of experience. Call me." A letter like that displays laziness in my opinion. Personally, I suggest taking the time to write an excellent ad & an equally excellent letter of interest. Consider it an investment. You've just got to do whatever you can to stand out. I'm confident the right job is out there for you. Keep looking. Don't give up! :)
ReplyDeleteI drive children in my own car every day. I require mileage reimbursement @ the federal reimbursement rate (55 cents/ mile) in addition to regular pay. I also have hefty car insurance. While I'm not concerned about kids tearing it up, I did have a scare last week that had me wondering about worst case scenarios. A woman jumped out of her car right in front of me while Inwas going a good 30 miles/ hr. I had two kids in my car and I have no idea how I didn't hit her or how the person behind me didn't hit me. What would I have done ? Yikes! It's a huge responsibility- much more so than I think many parents recognize.
ReplyDeleteHow about doing something along the lines as a tutor? I see you mentioned you speak French. If so are there families in your area that would be interested in their kids learning? You can probably make more money doing that on the side.
ReplyDeleteI think that tutoring is a great idea! I'm not sure what the going rate is in NC, but here in CT the going rate is $40-$50 per hour for tutoring.
ReplyDeleteIf you could get 5-6 hours per week of tutoring, you could make at least what you would have made as a nanny. I would suggest posting flyers in your local area (town hall, library, community boards, etc.) as well as through word-of-mouth. You may be surprised how many people are willing to pay someone to help with homework or simply do their child's reading with them. In my last tutoring position, the parents literally paid me to come and help their child with homework twice a week.
It's worth a shot, right?
OP sounds very talented; she just needs to find her market.
ReplyDeleteFirst, a family who doesn't want a nanny to leave the house with their little kids would be a start. Second, a family who wants their child to learn another language. I think a family would be thrilled to find a nanny who speaks French. Third, how do Moms find nannies in your area? Pursue all routes. Post to Internet. Ad should start Stay In Nanny, Bilingual in French, willing to speak to children only in French. Also Call agencies. One might have a request for a bilingual French nanny sitting in a drawer. I would also pursue the tutor angle. That might be more lucrative than being a nanny, or a bridge to the perfect nanny job. Good luck!