Monday 2 July 2012

How to find a babysitter? - Tips for those who need nanny services

Today, more moms are getting employed full-time or part-time, increasing the need for babysitters. There might be hundreds of babysitters in your area, but only a few are qualified. The last thing you want to happen is entrust the welfare of your child to an inexperienced babysitter. So how do you find a babysitter?

Foremost, several babysitting businesses are sprouting in response to this demand for babysitters. Many high school or college students are also inclined to find extra incomes by babysitting. It is no longer hard to find a babysitter. The difficult question to answer is, "Can you trust a babysitter?" Thus, the question should be, "How to find a babysitter you can trust?" Now that's a totally different one.

If you're searching on the Internet to find a babysitter from online babysitting clubs, you might have a rundown of babysitters within your own zip code. These online babysitting sites usually have a database of babysitters residing in different states. What you do is type in your zip code and view babysitter profiles.

This can be an opportunity to select a few babysitters with profiles that match your preference. Do not stick on one babysitter. Instead, interview a few, one at a time, and go on to another batch if none of them would meet your expectations. Don't rush when trying to find a babysitter. Often, many parents rush at finding a babysitter but regret, eventually. Some babysitters do this job solely for the money, which make them sloppy at childcare.

Another good way to find a babysitter is through words of mouth. Most experienced babysitters had probably watched over your neighbors' children several times. Ask your neighbors for babysitters whom they trust and see if she is available when you need her. Most babysitters are college or high school students, or may have full-time jobs, that baby-sit only during their spare times.

Through Job Posting

Many babysitters are simply waiting for job postings of parents. You may post them around your neighborhood or the next and wait until babysitters start calling you. Be sure that the telephone number you indicate is easy to reach. You may use the direct line to your office phone number or better yet, your cell phone.

Job posting may also be done in babysitting online sites, where babysitters may find you. However, these sites require subscription. It's up to you to subscribe to them for a fee or stay to the traditional paper job posting.

Find a babysitter whom you can trust, is reliable, responsible, and someone who will truly care for your child.

Deciding whether you need nanny services can be difficult. Some are faced with the dilemma of wanting to raise their children themselves but the realities of their work life may make this quite difficult, if not impossible. There are other childcare options that you can consider aside from hiring a nanny such as bringing your child to a daycare facility.

If you sure you need nanny care for your precious child, then you need to determine what type of nanny service to get. There are different kinds of nannies depending on the needs of the family. There is a daily nanny who will come to your home everyday to look after your children. There is also a live-in nanny who, obviously, will live with you in your home. You will provide them room and food in addition to their pay. If you need nanny care only in some days during the week, you can consider another nanny arrangement called nanny sharing, wherein you and another family shares the services and the cost of one nanny.

Once you have decided what type of nanny your child needs, it is time to think about the specific job description of the nanny. Be very specific about your expectations. Ask yourself why you need nanny services and translate this into a list of requirements that candidates must meet. Make sure that you and your partner give the hiring process your time and attention even if you decide to get placement services. Remember that you need nanny care for your child or children when you are away, which may be most of the time. Therefore, it is your responsibility to make sure a capable person will be taking care of them.

Some things that you can look for in a qualified nanny include training certifications. Taking the time to complete a nanny certification program shows that the person is serious about his or her job. You also want someone with adequate experience taking care of kids the same age as yours. The ideal nanny should also be naturally warm and creative to stimulate the development of the child.

You should also expect the nanny to be able to plan appropriate learning and play activities for your child on a daily basis. It is also important that the nanny is confident enough to approach you should there be any problems that need your attention. Above all, you need a nanny who you can trust and who will keep your private family affairs confidential. Speaking with the applicant’s former clients is one of the best ways to learn about the attitude and work ethics of your prospective nanny.

Hiring full time nanny services is very common today especially in homes where both parents work. Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages to hiring getting a full time nanny. On the good side, it allows you to provide dedicated care to your child instead of the typical scenario in a child care center where 1 adult looks after 4 children. This also reduces the risk of your child getting colds.

Additionally, if you hire a full time nanny who came from another country or who speaks another language, then you expose your child to learning about different cultures or possibly, becoming bi-lingual.

The obvious disadvantage is just the idea that a complete stranger will be taking care of your child. However, with proper screening you can make sure that you get a capable and reliable full time nanny. Here are some tips to help you succeed in your search:

First, sit down with your spouse and list down what both of you want in a full time nanny. Include the working hours you require, if you prefer someone to stay in your home (live-in nanny), the level of experience you require, the exact duties you expect them to perform, and others.

Using this list of requirements, prepare a list of questions so you make sure that you cover all important points during an interview. Make copies of this questionnaire so you can record the answers of applicants for your quick reference when you need to make your decision. In addition, make sure to ask each candidate about their expectations of the job.

Once you have screened applicants on the phone, the next step is to personally interview those that have made your short list. It is important to meet your prospects and introduce them to your child so you can observe how they are together. Look at how they interact with each other. It is very crucial that your child is at ease with the person.

Just like in the screen process, you need to prepare a list of interview questions. The tone of the interview does not have to be very formal. You can simply have a conversation around the topics that are important to you. Do not ask close-ended questions or those where the applicant will only answer either yes or no. Encourage discussion by being friendly and polite.

Once you have made a decision, it is imperative to do a background check to avoid unpleasant surprises in the future. You want to be secure in the fact that you have made the right choice in a full time nanny.

Almost all busy, working parents need a nanny to take care of their child and, sometimes, their household chores. Finding a nanny is not an easy thing to do. You may have to go to an agency, put an ad in the newspaper or ask for help from a friend in finding a nanny.

Below are some tips on finding a nanny:

When finding a nanny, you need to identify the number of hours that you will require the nanny to work. If you are that busy and if your schedule frequently changes, you should make sure that you will inform your nanny beforehand if you need her to stay with your child overtime so that she can make the necessary adjustments in her personal life. This is very important for a live-in nanny. The nanny may feel mistreated if you are constantly requiring her to work more than the hours you agreed upon when you hired her.

It is important that you decide on the pay right from the start. Consider the amount that you can afford before finding a nanny. Ask people you know who have nannies how much pay they provide so you have a realistic basis. Live-in nannies get pay weekly including board and lodging. Some families allow nannies the use of a car and other perks such as gym membership, paid vacations and etcetera.

Nannies that are not live-in get paid by the hour. You can also hire a nanny from another country for a lower weekly pay. However, you would need to pay for their travel expenses. When finding a nanny, you also need to consider the fact that you will become an employer so you need to take care of completing all of the necessary legal employment documents required by the government and pay all necessary taxes, Medicare and social security. Both you and your nanny will have to pay certain taxes.

In finding a nanny, it is important that you and the nanny are in the same page when it comes to disciplining your child so make sure to discuss with your prospects what is acceptable and what is not and be sure that all of your terms are understood.

Another consideration in finding a nanny is the schedule of rest days. A live-in nanny and any type of nanny also needs a time off like any regular employee. At the same time, make sure to pay your nanny for overtime work or of you asked her to work during her supposed time off. If there is a need for the nanny to travel along with you and your family, you should cover all of her expenses plus her regular pay.

When you make an offer that shows a prospective nanny that you respect their profession and value their services enough to give them honest pay and good working schedule, then finding a nanny should come easy.


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