Find a Nanny that's Right For Your Family in 6 Easy Steps

Ah Summer-- used to be that I could not wait for it to arrive.  Today, it's making me panic.  Our after school helper is graduating from college and moving on--- which means we need to find someone else to help us.  I suppose I should have thought of this when I hired a college student, but she was so energetic, and friendly and had great experience--- worked at the university pre-school for the last 4 years while studying developmental psychology and was a camp counselor-- she really is pretty great, but alas she is moving on, and now I have 3 weeks to find someone new.  Here's how I plan to do it:

1.  Clearly Define the Position & the Ideal Candidate - this makes it easy to post the job and helps crystalize what type of person you want for it-- it's always easier to find what you want when you know what you're looking for!

2.  Reach Out to Your Network - email your mom friends and let them know you're looking-- they may know someone who's looking or might want to share a nanny as well!  This could be especially handy if you only need someone part time.  Beyond your mom friends you might also try any group lists you are affiliated with-- alumni, PTA, church, etc.

3.  Post the Position - with an online service that provides background checks and more-- I've used Care.com with very good results.  There are other sites out there, try Googling "find a babysitter" and you'll see!  The one that seems to come up most often is sittercity.com-- I'm trying it out now-- so look for a future post 'Sittercity.com vs. Care.com'.

4.  Meet With the Kids - once you've narrowed down your list of potential candidates have a few come in and meet with the kids so you have a chance to see how they interact, and so your kids can help make an informed choice.  Of course, once you hire someone call their references!

5.  Take Time Off Work -- once you've actually hired the person, take some time off work to build your comfort level as well as the kids.  I like to have new hires start on Friday-- because it's easiest for me to leave work early on Fridays-- this way I can meet them at home and take them through the afternoon routine (which I'm hiring the person to handle).  I also like to be around for the second day of work-- and if all seems well the third day they're on their own; but either my husband or I am home early until everyone's comfortable.

6.  Have a Backup Plan - start planning how you will handle not having a nanny on a temporary basis just in case your search takes longer than the time you have allotted.  In our case, it's "Grandma!" to the rescue again!  Thanks mom.

If you have any other ideas or words of wisdom please let me know.