Interview and hiring process
I do not begin employment with any family prior to speaking by phone, visiting your home or the environment in which care will take place, exchanging and checking references, doing two 4 hour trial periods, creating a written work agreement, and setting up weekly direct deposit of my wages through Poppins Payroll. I have included more details on what has made this procedure run smoothly over to last two decade. While going to such lengths can seem excessive and frustrating if you are in a hurry to find a care provider for your children, I find that moving along in this orderly manner not only gives everyone a chance to change their minds before a family hires me, but also gives me some valuable, nonverbal communication about how parents behave as potential employers.
After our initial written correspondence, and any further messages exchanged during that time, I offer parents the opportunity to schedule a 30 minute phone call to check location, rates, timing, needs, availability and other basics before we get too far into conversation about what your child needs understand if the care you need is a match for the care I aim to provide. When a date and time for our phone conversation have been confirmed, I will send you the link to the interview questions. Please take a few moments to review the questions and consider your responses. Some of the questions can feel very personal. I have found that families who do not review the questions ahead of time can be surprised (or even angered, in a few instances) by some of them. In this case, I know right away I am not a good fit for a family as far as openess and communication styles and it is unlikely that we are going to make it through the half hour phone call, let alone to the second step!
PHONE CALLS ARE VOICE CALLS ONLY. I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT DO VIDEO CALLS WITH FAMILIES.
At the end of our call, I will ask if you would like to take some time to review what we have discussed, and to consider if I am a viable candidate for your position. If so, we can arrange a 30-90 minute visit to your home or location in which care will take place. During this home visit I am not providing care or taking any responsibility for your child. It isn’t a “trial” day. I use this time to: assess the commute to your home; follow up on anything left unaddressed from our brief call; to observe interactions between parents and children when possible, as well as interactions between the adults in the household; to check emergency preparedness measures and safety supplies previously alluded to on the call; walk/read through your child's current schedule, routine and care logs, depending on the time of day you would need me to provide care; assess the working environment (your home) for my safety, health and comfort and the neighborhood outside of your home. I charge a flat rate (Venmo, Paypal or Zelle) of $35 regardless of whether I stay for only 30 minutes or an hour and a half. Payments are to be made in full when the visit is scheduled. I have had to disappoint parents who did not pay for the time, and did not communicate or respond to reminders prior to our scheduled time, yet asked why I wasn't present at the time they were expecting me If a family doesn't pay the deposit for the time, I consider that a cancellation and assume that you have simply moved forward with a candidate who is better suited to your needs and preferences.
If we are all comfortable at the end of this home visit, we can exchange references. Ideally, I would like to speak to a family’s previous (or even current) care givers, however, if you are first time parents, you may not have had anyone else caring for your child so far! I do not provide or request references prior to meeting in person— regardless of anything our references can share about us as either employers or employee, it is one another with whom we shall be working, therefore our opinions on whether or not wish to continue carry more weight than an another person's.
Should all references prove satisfactory, we can schedule two trial dates of 4 hours each. I prefer that these not be booked for two consecutive days. In this way, if there was anything you found unsatisfactory about my work or character (or I, you) there is no great loss or obligation to keep a second date. Additionally, it also gives me a wider perspective on your child's temperament and behaviour. As with any other occasional bookings, trial dates are held for you by a non-refundable, non-transferable 40% deposit (4 hr minimum x agreed upon rate x 0.4). Deposits are due upon confirmation of the day and start time, balance is due at the end of our booking. Both are payable electronically via Venmo, PayPal or Zelle. For those who pay through Venmo, the note in my request will be“deposit for trial with (your name). Month/date/year, time: time.” This note serves as the last check to make sure we are aligned as far as when you are to expect me, so please make sure it's accurate before you pay me! If there is no deposit, and no communication, I will assume that you have already made a choice from your pool of nanny candidates and do not guarantee that spot will remain open for your use.
After the trial dates, I ask families to take a couple of days to discuss whether or not they would like to hire me. Consider the cost of my hourly wages, plus the cost to enroll in weekly direct deposit with a payroll company and any potential costs of classes, activities, toys, books, learning aides, etc for the duration of my time with your child. If you are still satisfied and interested, this would be the time to set expectations around the work agreement, duties and responsibilities of each party, schedule and rate, steps to take on the event of illnesses and emergencies, etc. by creating a written work agreement. There are many nanny contract templates available online that you can simply input your information into, and edit as appropriate.
Tax forms and payroll MUST be set up before I begin working with a family. I prefer weekly payments through Poppins Payroll company. They will walk you through all the details of becoming a household employer, and provide you with the appropriate paperwork to file with the IRS.
After all of the appropriate steps have been taken to ensure that I will be a valuable addition to your child's early years, you are my legal employer, and we are in accordance on what each person's responsibility is, we can begin our time together! I’m an excellent fit for parents who have low anxiety and are looking for a nanny who needs little to no oversight beyond being shown where essentials are and given a run down of the current schedule and any particulars. I have adequate experience with children from birth to age 5 to be able to correctly interpret their cues and meet their immediate physical, nutritional and emotional needs after a quick introduction, while parents are occupied with their many other tasks during the day.
For positions lasting at least 6 months, I will request that we have a brief discussion at the end of the first day, first week, first month and at the end of the first three months to communicate about our progress as employers and employee, any concerns about the child and the care I am providing, and any suggestions I have or requests for resources and materials to enhance and support growth and development during the time I will spend with your little ones during the week.