Hiring a nanny for your child is not a simple process and can be quite stressful. While you can contact reputable recruitment agencies through online platforms like ServiceMarket to employ a nanny, the hiring process does not end here. In order to employ the right person for your kids you need to not only interview the potential candidates, but to avoid some of the common mistakes that parents are apt to make. In this guest post, ServiceMarket, UAE’s leading online platform for home services, lists some of these common mistakes:
Parents Do Not Feel the Need to Contact Previous Employers
Parents usually do not bother to get references from the nanny agency. Let alone contact the previous employers or families that the nanny has worked with. It is important that you get in touch with these families to get their opinion and feedback on a particular nanny. This helps you to make sure the that there are no red flags before you hire them.
Parents Usually Offer a Low Salary
Offering a lower salary than the market rate not only undermines the nanny’s commitment to you. She can leave you in a lurch if she finds an attractive pay offer elsewhere. This sudden abandonment will leave you stranded without anyone to look after your kids. So make sure to find out the market salary for a nanny and offer it to your new hire.
Expect Nanny to Do Housekeeping and Cleaning
Light housework and keeping areas that are usually used by kids in order, tidy and safe is expected from a nanny. But some parents expect a nanny to wash clothes, mop floors, dust the house and cook. This is not only unrealistic, but quite unfair. Besides, if they are required to do these household chores all day long, they are apt to neglect the kids and not fulfill the duties for which they are employed in the first place.
Parents Do Not Provide a Contract
A Contract of Employment outlining the basics such as:
- – salary.
- – job requirements.
- – remuneration for any extra duties.
- – schedule of payment i.e. daily, weekly or monthly.
- – duty hours.
- – number of leaves allowed is essential.
The more detailed your contract, the better. Most parents avoid this important part of employment which create problems and misunderstandings later on and prevent them from maintaining a good nanny-family relationship.
Parent Neglect to Explain Their Parenting Style
Every family has its own policies and ideas of parenting. Often, parents forget to explain their parenting style and expectations regarding discipline, play, study, eating habits, sleep timings, screen time etc. to the new nanny. Your child needs disciplinary consistency for a good upbringing. Therefore, it is essential that you relate your policies of childcare clearly to the nanny to avoid confusion.
Parents Fail to Compensate When the Family Goes on a Vacation
Many parents fail to compensate or plan for the nanny when they go on a long vacation and the nanny is not required for the children. This negligence may result in your nanny moving on to a new job. An agreement beforehand for the period when the nanny is not needed can help you avoid this problem.
It is advisable to invest time and effort before taking a decision on hiring a particular nanny. Extensive research on nanny agencies is the first step in the process. You can browse nanny agencies on ServiceMarket. After you had selected a few, call in some nannies for interviews. Education, past experiences, references, legal status, disposition and age all play an important role in the selection of a suitable candidate for your children. Avoid all the above-mentioned mistakes and you are likely to end up with your very own ‘Mary Poppins’ as your kids’ new nanny, who will not only be committed to the family, but your kids will love her.
