Looking for a nanny or child minder

When looking for a Nanny or child minder you can either advertise for one using a range of media such as local newspapers, shops or you can use a Nanny agency.

Whichever route you take there are a number of factors you may wish to consider before making your final choice. The advantage of using a nanny agency is that you should get a personal service. Using a Nanny agency can definitely take away some of the hassle and help maximise your chance of securing the most suitable nanny or childcare provision for you.

Most reputable Nanny agencies have websites to provide you with information about their services. Use them to get an idea about the services they offer and the safeguards they have in place in terms of child protection. Do they have any awards or are the quality assured by other organisations? Do they have any recommendations or testimonials from other users of their services?

The Nanny agency should be able available to provide you with answers to any questions you might have about the role of a nanny or other child care provider. This is usually done through the clients completing an initial registration form highlighting what they are sort of child care the family are looking for. A good nanny agency will then arrange to meet you to establish precisely what sort of child care provision you are seeking. They will also be able to advise you about, the hours, duties and responsibilities and importantly the rates of pay, tax and national insurance expected by nannies and child minders. By planning ahead for your initial meeting with the Nanny agency representative you will be more able to assist them to get a clearer picture of the sort of nanny you are looking for. Try to be clear about what hours the nanny will be required for? What sort of personal qualities, experience, knowledge or skills sets are important for you and your children? You should think about whether you need a fulltime or part time nanny or housekeeper? Try to work out exactly what you would want the nanny to do.

Looking for a nanny or child minder – tips and tricks

What makes a good nanny? A good nanny is likely to have experience of working with children of different ages and in a variety of different child care settings. A good nanny should be able to plan and arrange safe, fun learning opportunities for the children in their care. Planning a preparing healthy meals and snacks may also be a significant part of a nanny’s role. A good nanny will have had first aid training and preferably a qualification. They should know what to do for both minor bumps bruises and scrapes and in potential emergency situations such as choking, scalds and burns. They will need to have the contact numbers for key family members, GP surgery and hospital. An important criterion for your nanny may be being qualified to drive with children (yours) in the vehicle. Having just passed their test may not give you the reassurance you want in terms of experience and also the issue of the nanny’s motor insurance needs to be considered.

Good nannies share a number of key personal skills and personality traits. They will need to have good organisational skills as there will be times when they will be required to multi task. They may be preparing a meal, entertaining one or two children and washing clothes following an outdoor activity. Websites suggest that one distinction between a good nanny and a merely competent one is the level of interest they show in the children as individuals. This goes a long way to reassuring you as parents and building a positive relationship with the children in their care. Good nannies tend to be confident and have a positive personality. This can be reflected by their choice of words when discussing everyday events involving the children. Good nannies and child-minders use terms of endearment, give praise and reward positive behaviour. You can see they are relaxed and enjoy being with the children in their care. They have the knowledge and experience to recognise changes in the child’s physical and emotional development.

So whether you are looking for a nanny or child minder like ‘Mary Poppins’, ‘Super Nanny’ or even a ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’, using a nanny agency makes sense. We believe that Family Connections ticks all the right boxes, so sign up with us and let us help you to find the perfect nanny.