Adventure Nannies Blog

How Do I Attract The Best Nanny Candidate?

 

 

 

With unemployment at an all-time low and regions like the Bay Area, Seattle and New York dealing with a constantly-increasing cost of living, families are having a more difficult time than ever attracting and retaining experienced, dynamic nannies and private educators to make a long-term commitment to their families.

 

We have helped hundreds of families find outstanding candidates and have learned a lot along the way! While the ability to give your candidates a professional salary is the easiest way to broaden your candidate pool and attract candidates to your position, here are a few tips to help you in your search:

 

If You Can, Be Flexible With Scheduling

Jobs that receive the highest responses are typically between 40 and 50 hours per week with 2 consistent, consecutive days off every week (weekends are always preferred.) Does your family need evening and weekend help in addition to full-time hours? Consider searching for the perfect candidate, adjusting the schedule to fit their needs, and then finding a local candidate to help fill in with weekend and/or evening babysitting shifts as needed. Working 6 or 7 consistent days in a row or 12-14 hour days will often cause nannies to burn out quickly and leave them without consistent energy to care for your children, or take care of themselves outside of working hours.

 

 

 

Find Benefits That Will Benefit Your Family

A domestic payroll company (we love HomeWork Solutions) will be able to go through the benefits you will be able to offer your employee and how they can also help your family during tax season. Many families offer to cover a portion of health insurance, offer passes to museums, gym memberships, use of a nanny vehicle or vacation home during time off, or will give their employees frequent flier miles so that they can enjoy their PTO somewhere restfully.

 

 

 

Remember That Everything But Attitude Is Trainable

If you are having difficulty sourcing the perfect candidate (one who is a trained chef and Montessori teacher with a Master’s degree in visual art,) return to your ‘wish list’ and identify which traits are truly deal-breakers and which ones could be amended. Maybe your nanny doesn’t need to be the next Monet, but if they enjoy finger-painting with a four-year-old, your child will enjoy it just as much.

 

 

 

Invest In Your Candidate

If hiring an experienced, professional caregiver is not within your family’s budget, many families choose to make an investment in a less-experienced candidate and offer to sponsor them by paying for advanced classes such as a newborn care class through Newborn Care Solutions, a RIE training course, or attendance to an INA conference or Nannypalooza to connect with industry leaders. Once you’ve welcomed a new candidate into your home, be sure to set them up for success by training them well, and establishing excellent communication and weekly check-ins.

 

 

 


 

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