From the Heart Tips #2

FROM THE HEART

Another question addressed on our continuing series.

Searching for a nanny on internet sites seems less expensive – but what are you getting . . . or not?

 This type of question comes to us from time to time. It’s true that families pay less when using an online option but what services are you getting? Not all online sites are alike but none that I’m aware of offer the type of full service your local agency can provide. With online placement you know very little about the candidate – they are quite literally strangers to your family. The online sites do not meet the nanny in a personal interview and only a few will check references before forwarding their information onto you. If they do check references, how do they determine these are genuine? Some of these sites simply allow you to search their nanny database and then it’s up to you to do all the work on screening the nanny.

There are all kinds of horror stories about people posing

 as qualified nannies to get a position with a family only to have it all go terribly wrong. As with all stories of this kind it gets lots of attention and is probably in the minority of situations; however there is always a risk involved. Using a local agency that is attentive to details in screening candidates before you invite them into your home to meet your family gives you peace of mind.
Nannies from the Heartland, has a very thorough screening process. After receiving the candidate’s application we conduct our first assessment of the nanny. We are looking for their child care experience, child care work history, training and education. Only about 10% of the individuals applying to our agency make it to the second step which is the personal interview in our office. During the one hour interview detailed notes are taken. We then re-assess the candidate based on their responses to our questions and in particular, to questions that allow them to express their child care knowledge. Some candidates do not make it past this second stage of the process. For those that do we compile a file that will be presented to the family which includes their application, the complete interview notes, references (we call each reference personally and families see the questions/responses for each), any letters of recommendation and their driving record. A criminal background check is completed on those nannies with an offer to hire, and the complete report is supplied to the hiring family.

Not all nannies and families are a match for each other. We take this part of the process very seriously. When we refer a candidate to a family we have determined that the nanny is truly interested in the position, meets the family’s qualifications and could be a potential match. Then the family has an opportunity to meet these highly qualified candidates to make their own assessments and determine the best fit for them. Often this final decision can be challenging when there are several exceptional nannies to choose from. The same can be true for the nannies having several excellent positions available that would be a good match for them.

Nannies feel confident working with an agency that provides lots of support through out the process. Mary meets the majority of families through an in-home consultation before starting the search for them. This helps our staff in really knowing the family and their needs, and then being able to communicate that to the nanny candidate. Nannies then feel comfortable going to the family’s home for a personal interview because we’ve made the first connection with them.

Ongoing support is important to both families and nannies. Local full service agencies are available through the placement process, but they also can help after the placement is made and into the future. Nannies from the Heartland, provides strong support for everyone involved. Support includes availability to answer any questions that arise, providing variety of resources, a quarterly newsletter, an annual nanny/child picnic and our social media options.