Before you hire the nanny make sure the kids are happy with her.
Not many things are more upsetting than discovering that your child has been abused, in any way, by your babysitter. People think that to be a babysitter means you must be a nice person. WRONG! Some of the nicest people turned out to be Serial Killers, so don’t ever give a Babysitter the benefit of the doubt. Unless you have a good friend and neighbor who happens to be an experienced nanny, the best place to go for prospective childcare providers are nanny agencies. These agencies usually perform preliminary background checks – education, experience, personal references, and even psychological testing – copies of which should be forwarded to you.
The person should be responsible, likes kids, be able to have fun, and still know when it is time to be serious Like any other employer, the interview portion of the hiring process is very important. You can gauge the nanny’s personality and professionalism with a comprehensive interview, which will play a significant role in your final decision. With a little help from your hidden nanny cam, you can replay the interview to reinforce or reject your initial choice. Usually, a more experienced and educated nanny should be preferred especially when her work experience indicates that she stayed with one family for an extended period.
You should be as thorough as possible about performing background checks. This does not mean that you have to enlist the Federal Bureau of Investigation, only that you must insist that all background checks are completed by the agency. Incomplete background checks can lead to abuse and neglect being captured on your nanny cams. Even if the nanny performed well in past employments, you might just be unlucky enough to be the victim of nanny duplicity. You should avoid hiring nannies on the first interview. You can conduct two personal interviews at the minimum, where you can ask questions like childcare philosophy and ideas, personal interests, discuss compensation package and work expectations, and opinions on nanny cams. The disclosure and discussion on nanny cams is a must.
He or she should be able to communicate well so your child can build his or her language skills. Your caregiver should respect your philosophy of child rearing and understand that you are the ultimate authority for making decisions about the care of your child. He or she also needs to guide your child’s behavior with positive reinforcement rather than physical punishment. Even if you work with a child-care agency that prescreens candidates, you should participate in the screening process. First, screen candidates over the phone to eliminate those who don’t seem right.
This document should spell out specific duties like house chores, childcare tasks, and use of supplies, provisions for meals, accommodations and transportation, among others. During the first few days of employment, you have to spend time getting acquainted with your nanny like daily conversations and updates, occasional and surprise visits during working hours, and if necessary, scheduled meetings on important matters. Most important of all, respect your nanny and show confidence in her abilities. When the time comes, you might even consider spy gears almost disposable and your nanny indispensable!
Filed under: Business