Q "I am having my second child in six weeks time and am
thinking of hiring a nanny to help with my three year old.
What is the best way to go about it?"
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A Although you can hire a nanny or caregiver by placing
advertisements in newspapers, I don’t recommend it. If you
take this route, make sure that they have a CORI, DMV check
and solid references. If they have lived in other States tell
them that you require a criminal background check from those
also. Don’t forget you get what you pay for!
A good idea is to network, ask other Mother’s if their
nanny/caregiver knows others who may be looking or changing
positions. Find out why they want to leave their current
position, it may be a clash of personalities or it may raise a
red flag!
Make sure that you list the duties you want the
nanny/caregiver to perform, being very specific can be helpful
if problems arise later. Nothing is too small to put on paper;
it makes life easier later on. Hours and pay should be
negotiated from the beginning with a contingency for
increases etc. Also, barring any complications on both parts,
ask for a year’s commitment. Even though you may treat your
nanny as part of the family, she is in fact an employee. This
makes you responsible for paying taxes. The good news is
that there are legal and tax advantages to pay your nanny
legally. A good company to look at for house hold tax
problems is www.breedlove-online.com
I would recommend going through an agency even though it
may be pricey, all the background checks are done by them
and you don’t have to worry! Certain agencies only have
professional nannies and have their reputations to worry
about. Make sure the agency is bonded and has been around
for a while. I place long term nannies for an agency here in
Boston www.bbbabysitters.com and can tell you that we turn
down more nannies than place them because of the quality of
the nanny. If you decide to use an agency start now before
your second child is born and you don’t have the time!