I thought I should write a little about how to find and keep that great nanny job which directly ties into how to keep that great Nanny. A little insight for parents and nannies alike! Just like any relationship, the more you give the more you get. It's a little different from moving up the career ladder in most jobs, but not much. Like any job, you want to be invaluable to your employer. The more they realize they can't live without you, the more they will want to do to keep you. I will give some examples of what I did to make myself invaluable and in return what was given me in appreciation and incentive to stay at one nanny job for 13 years!
It begins when you search for a job. First, find a family that is willing to pay more for you than they thought they would pay. This is totally relative. It depends on the families income, location, and thoughts about childcare. When searching for my first job, I asked for more than a beginning nanny would have asked for in 1994....$350 a week (I specifically wanted a "salaried" job, not hourly) with health insurance and room/board. I expected them to take out taxes, unemployment, and Social Security. I quickly found a family that was hoping to pay around $300, but were willing to meet my demands. They wanted the best and that meant paying more than they thought.
[side note: after 13 years with family #1, my salary increased exponentially and I was able to save $24,ooo in an IRA account for retirement]
Now, my current job, I was asking for $350 again (13 years later with 13 years experience). I had moved to a struggling part of the country with a very high unemployment rate. Family #2, having their first baby, were hoping to spend about $250. We settled for $300 (salaried once again, but now that I was married, health insurance and room and board were not needed). They do take out the taxes, unemployment, and social security. This seems so weird, doesn't it. Making so much less with so much experience, but I was living in a different part of the country and interviewing with people making much less than my last employers. Relatively speaking, they were paying me as much as when I started with family #1. And they also were willing to pay me more than they thought they were going to have to pay. That told me something about them and how they would ultimately treat me. With both jobs, I got paid vacation time. Secondly, I specifically looked for a family that wanted me to be a nanny...not a house keeper. If the children aren't their first priority, how can they be mine? I was willing to keep the children's toys straightened and laundry kept up, but the children were always my first priority. I didn't want my job hanging on the fact that I took great care of the kids, but I didn't finish the laundry. I wanted the expectation to be childcare only.
Unlike most jobs, you don't move up positions as a nanny. To move "up", you usually have to find a new job in a part of the country that pays more for childcare. As with my experience, starting over with a new family can mean starting with a lower salary and working your way up all over again. But, families aren't looking for 1 or 2 year nannies. It's hard to find a nanny, time consuming, and very difficult on children. It's no picnic for nannies either to integrate into new families. Ideally, families need to "promote" you with pay, bonuses, or other incentives. Raises with more children is a given. My family #1, gave me yearly raises, Christmas bonuses, generous gifts, and after a few years, gave me a trip to England and later a cruise. Family #2, is always giving me gifts and yearly raises.
Now, what did I do to earn the loyalty of these families? First, I always gave 110%. Priority #1, is always the children. But, my second priority is to help the family as much as I can so they can concentrate on being a family when I leave. When the children are napping, at school, or even busy eating breakfast or lunch, I find things to do to help the family. Family #1 worked lots of hours and needed lots of help. It was easy to become invaluable. After a few months, I could see where they needed help. Things as simple as emptying the dishwasher or filling it up, straightening, keeping everyone organized and communicating, and being flexible with my time. I was a live-in nanny with fam #1, so helping with dinner and cleaning up after weren't expected, but so appreciated. Family #2, is not as busy, but with 2 smaller children, it only took about 2 weeks to see they needed help with their towels being laundered weekly and dishes emptied daily. Remember, the kids always come first, but 9 times out of 10, I get those things done. You can't imagine how appreciative they are for such little things. Second, I'm always there and on time. If I'm not there, they can't work. There isn't a substitute nanny hotline. I have never missed a day of work because of snow or illness. It has snowed (I lived in Colorado and Michigan) and I have been sick (if I have it the children already have been exposed or vice versa), but never sick enough to not show up. There have been days that I've left my house 2 hours early to make sure I get through the snow and traffic in time for work. Reliable childcare is a must. Working parents are stressed enough without having to worry if their nanny is going to show up and you won't keep your job long or get a good reference if you can't consistently show up for work.
Simple enough, right? We live in an age where serving others is seen as demeaning. It's hard to find yourself working for a small salary and doing more than your job description, but it's the best advice I can give you. It's how you get ahead not just as a nanny, but in life. Nannying, ultimately, is more than babysitting children, it's caring for the family unit that has taken their most important job (parenting) and given it to you. Quite a responsibility! And quite rewarding!!
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