The Online Nanny Search

August 13, 2008

The Internet has the ability to help nannies and families connect, now, quicker than ever. Still, this does not mean you can post your information on the world-wide web and anticipate Mary Poppins will be standing at your doorstep within a week. What follows are some tips, pointers and highly recommended online nanny agencies that will help you initiate your nanny search and interview process.

Planning in Advance

Planning ahead for your Internet nanny search is the key. If you need a nanny in your home one year from now, it’s best to get your information prepared at the onset. Post your information online at least six months in advance to qualified nannies and babysitters nationwide. Upon submission and review of your family profile by the nanny agency you enlist, current nannies and prospective full-time and part-time caregivers all around the world will be able to call and email you to discuss the details of your childcare job opportunity. It is better to have a nanny scoped out well in advance, than floundering to choose a nanny at the last minute out of sheer desperation.

Assessing Your Nanny Employee Needs

Before you sit down and begin hammering away at the computer keyboard, put some serious thought into your wants, needs and ultimate expectations:

How many hours will your nanny need to work?
How much are you willing to pay?
Will your nanny need to drive?
Do you want a nanny to live in the home or commute?
Do you have several pets which may need care?
How many children will need care? What are their ages?
Is your home a particularly active environment?
Will the nanny have to provide her own car?
Do you want an active, even athletic nanny who can assist with your children’s athletic endeavors?
Will you want a nanny in the home who likes to cook?
How about housekeeping duties?

You need to present a realistic picture of your family culture, lifestyle, level of activity and workload. A nanny will be looking at your online agency profile, just as you are reviewing her qualifications. The only source of information a nanny has to identify your family and your needs is the information you take the time to post. Be detailed and be honest.

Honesty is the Only Policy with Household Employment

Having said that, let’s reiterate a key point to make sure this is extremely clear: Just like any other job situation, it’s not going to work if you don’t tell the good with the bad. If a nanny reads your profile and determines you are the family for her, she does not want to come to your home and find out you have 4 pets (instead of 1), a huge home with no housekeeper and a little one one the way (in addition to the two children already in the home). If you have a particularly challenging environment and loads of chores, pets and more than two demanding children, you had better be ready to shell-out a solid salary and/or a benefits package that can’t be denied. If you expect your nanny to work 65 hours a week, then you must pay accordingly.

How Online Agencies do the Work

Once you have posted your detailed online family profile as well as job description, you are then able to search through a pool of candidates whose criteria matches up with yours. You will be able to select from information and characteristics such as, non-drinker; live-in or live-out; has a car or doesn’t own a car; salary parameters; full-time or part-time, etc. Once you have selected the candidates whom suit your needs, you are then able to make initial contact and sort out details via phone, email, and, ultimately, face-to-face meetings. Use this initial time to be particularly selective and probing so you are able to narrow your search down to three-to-five top prospective care givers.

The Interview

Once you have selected your top three-to-five candidates, it is time to hold formal interviews. Prepare a list of questions that are vital to your household needs so you are able to determine which candidate is an ideal suit for your childcare, lifestyle, home culture needs. Don’t ask questions that can be answered with a quick yes or no. Rather, pose interview questions that elicit a more thoughtful response. While the telephone is a great tool for the initial question and answer phase, once you have a couple top candidates whom are clearly in the lead, it’s wise to schedule in-home meetings. In doing so, you will be able to detect subtleties and body language hints which will help in assessing your overall gut-instinct and impressions for making the final cuts.

Reference Checks

Once you have selected your nanny, you may want to make an offer of employment before she gets away. Or, you might want to consider contacting some references to reaffirm your instincts and appreciation for the person whom you have chosen. In general, make the effort to contact at least two references on the list provided. As with any job opportunity, employers expect job candidates to be honest and truthful with regard to the listed resume and contact information detailed. But, one can never be too certain. Nobody is perfect, so don’t expect your nanny to highlight her shortcomings in black bold print. It is your job, as the employer, to make the final hiring decision. If a listed reference is not willing to help a good, loyal former employee, for some reason, then that factor in and of itself might be a red flag. Be certain to make reference phone calls to provide additional insight and reassurance.

Background Checks

Some online nanny agencies, as well as live placement services, offer background checks as part of the service fee. You might want to consider an option like this. After all, before you entrust someone with your children, home and pets be certain they are clear on all levels including criminal offenses, sex offenses as well as a clean driving record.

Sometimes you may have to take circumstances into consideration and go with your gut instinct. For example: You have your heart set on a particular nanny, but it turns out she has had three speeding tickets within the past year. In this case, you might want to talk to her, directly, face-to-face, about the situation. Ask her, on a personal level, why this happened and if it will be a regular, common occurrence. Will you have to worry about this sort of situation every time she takes your children to school, an event or athletic practice? Offenses of this nature on an otherwise clean record are unfortunate. It’s a tough call, but you, ultimately, will have to make the proper decision with feedback from your candidate as well as your own personal wisdom and experience.

Begin Your Online Agency Search

There are a number of websites which cater to the online family-nanny match process. In order to post and complete a family profile you must register with the online agency and then create your profile and nanny job description. Most online agencies charge a fee for this process. However, in the long-run this fee will likely produce the same result as the more expensive bricks-and-mortar placement agency. What follows is a list of experienced, reputable online agencies which will help you begin your nanny search: