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| Advice for nannies & employers on I Saw Your Nanny |
Hello!
I live in North NJ have a BA ABA CDA teaching experience and 8 years babysitting and 3 years nannying (about 10 years all together experience with teaching laping into babysitting years).
I am 24 years old which I know is young to most familys.
I belong to 2 nanny agencys which find me positions only paying min wage (yet made a stink to one of them and they are so soft they couldn't handle my disputes so they disqualified me- but thats another story)
So I found and joined sittercity and care.com which have been AWSOME! I found the best familys (with a pay scale that acknowledges all my experience)... or atleast most of the family are awsome. I found a few familys that I met up that were nice on the phone then completely rude to me after I told them my age... or I have made arrangements to interview them to be only stood up.... or crazy moms or just unprofessional familys.
Which I think is kind of funny because if WE as nannies did this we would have a bad review written in no time and our careers would go down the drain. Therefore I called up sittercity and care.com and mentioned and suggested how come they don't have reviews for nannies to leave about the parents. They both told me it wasn't a priority but they will definitely suggest it.
Is it just me or is this a double standard?
You should learn the plural form of families and nannies. It is an "lies" not just sticking a "S" on the end of a "y". You come across as incredibly young in your entry, so I am wondering if that is the impression you give on the phone and in person. Honestly, 24 is not that young, so I am assuming something else is causing this reaction from the families you interview with.
ReplyDeleteBut, yes, you should be able to post reviews of potential employers.
I agree with AnnieNanny. I could easily spot the mistakes in your post and English isn't even myfirst language.
ReplyDeleteIf this is the way you speak, you don't come off as very professional, and I strongly suggest that if you want people to treat you as if you're mature enough for this career, start acting more mature.
That said, I also think you should be able to post reviews of families. But a review, good or bad, written like your post, I wouldn't take seriously.
And it's spelled awesome, not awsome. I agree with the PP's. Sorry OP but you do seem a tad unprofessional. But I do have to agree with you about being able to leave reviews about families. Sittercity used to have offer that option but it has been gone for a long time. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteAgree with PPs. Your post sounds slightly immature and does not sound as if it was written by a 24 year old. I'm 25 and my age has never been a problem for families. In fact, in my last 2 jobs it has been an advantage and I was given the job over older applicants. You should think back over your interview experiences and determine if perhaps you come across as inexperienced or "young".
ReplyDeleteAs for the other part of your post, I do think it would be nice to have family reviews on those websites. I'm not surprised that it's not a priority though, considering that the families are the paying customers and the nannies are simply what they are supplying.
OP here I apologize for my misspellings I have dyslexia sometimes my computer doesn't catch my spelling mistakes. I always have someone proof read my responses to ads.
ReplyDeleteVA nanny- I pay to be their top feature nanny so if I pay to be a I nanny I feel as if I should have the same rights
ReplyDeleteIf you are going to criticize another for her spelling and grammar errors you should make certain your postings are error free.
It is impossible to know how the OP interviews based on this post.
There are families that prefer a nanny to be in her 30s or 40s. While 24 is not as young as 18 or 19 it is still young.
Many families want a nanny that can commit to 2 to 5 years of service. A person's 20s are typically very fluid making it difficult to commit to that time frame.
I also find families that need infant care frequently request nannies that are 30 are over.
It's a preference just like some potential employers prefer nannies that are mothers with adult children.
Again I don't know the OP. I have never witnessed her interviewing technique so I am unable to judge if she comes across as immature.
I agree that new as nannies should be able to leave reviews of the parents.
ReplyDeleteHowever ,this is unlikely to happen.
As PPS have mentioned parents pay a fairly substantial fee to agencies and Care.com. More money equals more power. It's an unfortunate reality of are society.
The other sad reality is that nannies and caregivers are not an honored profession in our culture. Because of this people feel they can mistreat us or be rude to us.
As you continue in you nanny career you will come across flakey families. It's in your best interest not to worry about them, and continue on in your job search.
You will also find that not all agencies are worth your time. Unfortunately, many people decide to become nanny agents to make a quick dollar.
Carefully research an agency before you sign on.
Also carefully examine your wants list.
Be honest with yourself about your experience.
Anything before you turned 18 doesn't count.
I do believe all nannies deserve to be compensated at a rate above minimum wage you cannot expect to be compensated at the same rate as someone who has 10 years of nannying experience because you do not have 10 years of experience as a nanny.
We all have to pay our dues.
OP, I sincerely hope you find a great job!
OP, I do not think the problem here is w/your age. I think it is your lack of good grammar skills.
ReplyDeleteIt was a little hard to understand your posting w/all the spelling mishaps. {There were a lot.}
As a parent, I would be turned off by someone who couldn't properly spell.
Esp. since you stated how "educated" you are.
Perhaps this is the reason some parents are not hiring you.
I hate how childcare websites let the parents write reviews on a whim. It is unfair to us nannies, but everything boils down to the bottom line, I suppose.
Kudos to you for knowing that your written communication might be a deterrent for families and doing things to help yourself in that area. I apologize if my post came across as harsh or unkind. My intention was to be constructive, but I don't think it came across that way.
ReplyDeleteWow, the spelling/grammar police are on the prowl. My son has learning difficulties and struggles. I understand where you are coming from. Please, don't let negative comments get you down.
ReplyDeleteOP I live in NNJ, as well.
ReplyDeleteI used to be the world's most judgemental person about grammar and spelling. My DC has just been diagnosed with dyslexia, and I have learned what a large component of it is spelling and grammar, I always assumed dyslexia is just about reading.
ReplyDeleteMy DC also can struggle with social cues and not be aware of how DC presents to others. OP, might this be the case with you too? Perhaps you can re-enact one of these incidents you describe with a trusted friend or family member to get some feedback about how you appear to others who don't already know you, which might help you develop those skills. Good luck.
so true. I developed a tick where I would wince, flare.my nostrils and cackle and I didn't know this until my visiting sister pointed it out. Now I try to be conscious of keeping my face relaxed.
DeleteI am sorry you have dyslexia OP...however in the job market one never gets a second chance to make a first impression. W/jobs so scarce now, it really is slim pickings everywhere.
ReplyDeleteWhether fair or not, a potential employer will not consider you if you write them w/multiple wording mistakes. They just won't. You can let them know you have a learning disability, but they don't care.
It's life.
unfortunately, those are the breaks.
ReplyDeletePro-nanny Mama said,
ReplyDeleteExcellent advice!
OP I hope you land a great job soon, and I agree it's not fair nannies can't leave reviews for the truly creepy parents.
I think everyone misunderstood my post I have 2 great positions where together I work less then 20 hours a week and I make around $400 dollars its just the lack of professionalism from other familys that is annoying me.
ReplyDeleteFor example: I go to an interview for an occasional date night and in the past I have made between 10-25 an hour for these types of gigs and parents are either a no show (at their own house) or are only willing to pay $7/h after I specified the lowest I am willing to take is $10 (cause of my experience and degrees) and as soon as I mention that some times I am labeled as "expensive" or "inexperienced but asking for too much"
My point is why is it they are able to make reviews about us BUT if they aren't showing up or if they are a dyfus case we can't write a review on these sites to warn other nannies?
I know parents pay but I pay as well so I can be their top feature nanny
For the love of monkeys. The plural form of a word ending in "y" is "ies". The fact that you are a teacher scares me.
DeleteGlad I'm not the only one screaming that at my screen.
DeleteISYN will publish a black list of employers. This will include warnings and reviews to spare other nannies and childcare professionals pain, aggravation & financial upset.
ReplyDeleteisynjane@aol.com
I think you will need to be very careful about such a feature, especially if you identify a family, which would essentially be identifying the children.
Deletethats an great idea! thanks Effie
ReplyDeleteYou're wasting your money. Those sort of sites don't care about the well-being of the nannies, they only care about the parents because they are the ones paying. "Top nanny" really means nothing.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, you are relatively inexperienced. For the love of god, please stop claiming your teenage babysitting years as "experience." It just makes you look even more unprofessional.
Everything boils down to dollars and cents...No common SENSE unfortunately. The bottom line takes full precedence over everything in life.
ReplyDeleteSince the parents are the ones paying the most, they can make the rules.
Most of the nannies are not paying anything so they do not have much say in how the website is run.
I know it sucks, but such is life.
Maybe if more nannies complained about this, sittercity would change, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
I am w/you on this.
This is so unfair.