07.31.08
Posted in ABC news, Professional nannies, a place for parents and nannies alike, advice, advice articles, advice for interviews, advice for nannies, advice from a nanny, blogging, celebrity, celebrity nannies, children, family, film, funny stories, funny stories about kids, helpful hints with raising kids, hollywood, i am a nanny, i need advice, job interview tips for nannys, jobs after college, just graduated from college, looking for a new family, looking to be hired, movies, music, nanny, nanny diaries, new blog, news, parenting, parenting sites, personal, searching for the right family, television, tips for nannys, working for a celebrity at 1:10 am by EnglishMajor
Permalink
07.27.08
Posted in a place for parents and nannies alike, a place to vent, advice, advice for interviews, advice for nannies, advice for nannys, advice from a nanny, blogging, children, children tv shows, family, funny lists, funny stories, funny stories about kids, helpful hints with raising kids, humor, i am a nanny, i need advice, jobs, jobs after college, just graduated from college, nanny, nanny chats, nanny diaries, new blog, parenting, parenting sites, personal, potty training, potty training tips, searching for the right family, silly songs for kids, things that make you laugh, tips for nannys, tricks for parents and caregivers, working with children, young and confused, young and out of college at 11:52 pm by EnglishMajor
10. Starbucks– The more caffeine the better.
9. The knowledge of the “poop face”. This is the face the child makes as he/she is about to or is pooping. You really need to know it when you start the potty-training process.
8. Construction paper, crayons and gluesticks- This will save you from madness during rainy/ snowy days.
7. A midday snack– by the time 10am rolls around you are going to need some sugar. I recommend something small like a 100 calorie pack.
6. Experience driving mini-vans and SUVs.
5. A HUGE Nanny bag where you can stuff everything from the kids stuffed animals to their ziplock bags full of animal cracker crumbs.
4. First-Aid kit… Boo Boos happen
3. Patience– This is not an easy job. Don’t let people tell you that you are only a babysitter. You are nanny. Nannies put up with wayyyyyy more than babysitters have to.
2. A good magazine to read during naptime. You need to regain your sanity after a morning of madness.
1. A weekend off. Don’t work too much because you WILL get rundown. Plus, a little Friday happy hour never hurts.
Permalink
07.26.08
Posted in a place for parents and nannies alike, a place to vent, advice, advice for interviews, advice for nannys, blogging, children, family, i am a nanny, i need advice, interviews are overwhelming, jobs, just graduated from college, looking to be hired, nanny, nanny chats, nanny diaries, new blog, parenting, personal, searching for a careerpath, searching for the right family, young and confused, young and out of college tagged advice, funny stories, working with children at 7:42 pm by EnglishMajor
I am so lucky to be working for an awesome family but after watching the “Nanny Diaries” I am a little freaked out. I work for a family where there is a stay-at-home mom but she is VERY involved with her children’s lives. This movie reminded me why I should not just search out families living in rich neighborhoods because this will certainly lead me down a path of long hours, terrible pay and an all-round terrible mental state. I know that this movie came out a year ago but it took me till today to sit down and watch it. I can see why. This movie has basically every horror story beat. There are the rich mothers who only care about their physical appearance. Then the “hard-working” fathers who only care about staying late at the office to finish “work” (wink, wink). And then the children who you (the nanny) feel sorry for because you are the closest thing they have to a parent and you are only 23 years old. I can see the positives to watching this movie– there aren’t many. This is a good way to know what you are getting into if you are a nanny for an upper-class family. This doesn’t have to be in NYC… this can be anywhere. I interviewed for a job in my local town recently and the parents were asking that I was a live-out nanny that works m-f 7-7 and occasional weekends. Yeah, I don’t think. The biggest redflag was when I was in the interview and the mother was telling me why their current nanny was leaving and she said it was for graduate school. Now, me being the person that likes to get to know people asked a simple question— What is she going to graduate school for? The woman looked at me with an empty stare and said, “oh, I don’t know”. Umm… this nanny worked for this family for a year and a half. It is a bit alarming to know that there is basically no contact with the parents and you are raising their children. This is a big red flag for me on interviews. I did find a normal family (upper-middle class) with two children that I will be working for. All I can say is take your time when you are looking to be hired. Don’t be fooled by glitz and glamour because more than likely you will live in the Upper East Side of NYC but you will be sleeping in the laundry room.
Permalink
07.06.08
Posted in a place for parents and nannies alike, a place to vent, advice, blogging, children, children with autism, i am a nanny, i need advice, interviewing skills, job interview tips for nannys, looking for a new family, nanny, new blog, parenting, personal, questions to ask in an interview', special needs, tips for nannys tagged advice, Being a nanny, Looking for a Job, tips for nannys at 11:10 pm by EnglishMajor
I know that when you are searching for a job (especially when you are unemployed) you aren’t too particular. Well, that is a mistake if you are looking to be a nanny. It is easier said than done to turn down a job when you have 0 income but hear me out. Interviewing for a nanny position is much different from interviewing for any other jobs. You aren’t being interviewed and screened. You also need to be interviewing and screening. What do I mean?
1. Do you get a good vibe from the family you are interviewing with?
2. Are you going to be a live-in or live-out? (this makes a giant difference in income earned and availability)
3. how old are the children?
4. How many children do you feel comfortable watching at one time? Usually the answer is 2-3.
5. Nanny-sharing… bad idea. Do not acceptable a nanny-share job unless you are being properly compensated for it. Some people try to pay just for watching 2 children when you are actually watching 4.
6. Driving the children to school and other various activities. You need to make sure that you are using the families car and not your own. The reason is that god forbid you are in an accident in your car with the children you can be sued. If you do choose to use your car, get extra liability insurance.
7. Cleaning/Extra chores. Again, make sure you will be compensated for all of this.
8. Vacation/Time off. Ask about this during the second interview.
9. Your interaction with the children. It takes time to build a routine with a family so take that into consideration when you meet with the children.
10. Special needs. If you don’t feel comfortable around children with special needs you need to be honest about that. Parents with special needs children are already sensitive… don’t string them along if you have no intentions of taking the job.
Permalink
