Completing a family profile for use during the process of finding a nanny can make quite a difference in the quality of applicants that respond. By including certain information, you can discourage unqualified responses and narrow the field considerably; these ten pointers can put you on the path to a great family profile in no time.
- State the Number of Children – Many nannies are only comfortable working with a certain number of children, or have experience in the area of multiples or large families. Without this information, some childcare providers won’t even respond to a posting.
- Give Approximate Ages – The in-home childcare industry is becoming quite specialized; there are infant-care specialists, newborn experts and those with a focus on school-aged children. Parents with privacy concerns need not list the exact ages of their children, but using terminology like “infant,” “pre-schooler” or “elementary-aged” can help clarify.
- Specify Live-In or Live-Out Preferences – If you’ve got your heart set on a traditional, live-in nanny, you should be sure to say so when creating a profile. Nannies with families of their own may not wish to work as a live-in, while younger nannies or singles often prefer such an arrangement.
- Provide Scheduling Information – While it’s difficult to provide a set-in-stone schedule, it’s a good idea to make an estimate. At the very least, you should specify whether you’ll need a full or part time care provider.
- Education Requirements – If your nanny’s education level is an important hiring factor, you should state your minimum educational requirements on your profile. This will discourage those that don’t meet your expectations from applying.
- Special Needs – Children with special needs often require caregivers with special skills, so it’s best to provide that information. Some nannies have medical training or other certifications that make them an ideal fit for your family, but they may not apply if they don’t know that you’ll be needing their services.
- Experience Requirements – The minimum level of experience that you’ll consider should feature prominently on your profile in order to prevent those that are just starting in the industry from applying if you’re not willing to accept such applicants.
- Household Chores and Expectations – Nannies generally only provide services related to the care of the children in a home, but there are those who are willing to provide other services for an increase in pay. If you’ll require housekeeping or meal planning services, be sure to state those needs.
- Salary and Benefit Information – It’s not necessary to quote a dollar amount in your profile, as this should vary with experience level and competence. However, it’s important to let applicants know if you’ll be providing paid vacation or health benefits as many professional nannies will not accept a post that doesn’t offer one or both of these.
- General Location – Publicly sharing your home address can sometimes lead to trouble, but you should always give potential employees an idea of your area or neighborhood. If you plan to hire a live-out nanny, this is especially important in order to allow her to estimate her commute time before responding.
The ability to tailor your profile to meet the needs of your family makes it one of the most effective ways to find the right childcare provider for your family.
