Having a nanny can be an amazing enrichment to you and your children’s lives. But you want to make sure you find the right nanny for you and your family. So it is very important, when you start your search, to know exactly what to look for in a nanny. There are many different types of nannies available so knowing what is important for you can make the search a lot easier.
So what should you be looking for in a Nanny?
Caring Personality
This might sound obvious, but an important thing to look for in a nanny. But someone can have the greatest education and knowledge – if they are not a caring person they will not be right to be a nanny. The true essence of a nanny is caring for children, and some people simply will have that more than others. It is difficult to teach someone to have a caring character, it really is something you either have or you haven’t. Things will be so much easier when someone naturally wants to care for people – children in this case. This type of nanny will go the extra mile, and most importantly, will genuinely enjoy her job.
Patience
If you have children or have worked with them, you will know how challenging it can be! Having a lot of patience is really a must for anyone working with children, especially a nanny. Children are amazing but can equally be very tiring. So having lots of patience is key to remain upbeat and to keep enjoying being around them. Key for a nanny who might be working with children full time, with long hours!
Responsible & Reliable
Another great characteristic to look for in a nanny is responsibility and reliability. They will be taking over the care of your children, maybe even doing sole care. (Meaning to care for your children when you or another parent are not there.). So being responsible is of great importance! Reliability comes down to your nanny being on time, sticking to appointments and not letting you down when you need them.
Family life can get extremely busy, so having an unreliable nanny will bring many more problems than it is worth. Of course, emergencies can happen. But if your nanny is consistently late, or cancels a lot, it affects the whole household. You want to be able to provide a stable environment for your child or children – and a reliable nanny contributes to that.
Also: do not let age fool you. Being older does not necessarily make someone a more responsible or reliable person. Make sure you really understand their personality. Someone in their early 20s can be much more responsible than someone in their 50s, and vice versa!
Organised
This goes hand in hand with everything mentioned above. Looking after a child or children can be chaotic. A nanny should be able to bring calmness and organisation. That does not mean that a nanny spends all day tidying up! But bringing structure and organisation to your child’s day can have so many benefits. From helping to keep your child calm and giving it an organised and structured environment, having a nanny giving that consistency can be a great thing for your child to rely upon.
An organised nanny can also teach your child so much about the importance of being punctual, organised and how to plan for things. With an organised nanny, you can make sure that all the planned tasks will be executed well and on time, and your children will follow a great structured day. No appointments will be missed and you don’t have to worry about birthday parties or running around to and from after school activities – as your nanny will have made a great schedule! An organised, competent nanny will not only made a difference for your children, but for your whole household.
Qualifications & Experience
A very important thing to look for in a nanny is the right qualifications and experience. Depening on your needs might depend on what kind of qualifications you would want your nanny to have. Lots of nannies or Ofsted registered which could be handy. Also, you want to make sure your Nanny has an up to date DBS to make sure they are vetted and checked to work with children.
Besides this, nannies can come with all sorts of qualifications, from childcare courses to full education degrees. Have a look to see what is important for you. Having the most qualifications and university degrees does not automatically make someone the best nanny. All the above-mentioned characteristics combined can make someone the right nanny for you and your family.
The same goes for experience. More experienced nannies will generally come at a higher salary. But again, you might find someone with a couple of years experience that might be the perfect match for you – and work for your budget too. It is all about reviewing the full picture to make the right decision!
How can Polo & Tweed Help?
Polo & Tweed know nannies inside out. The dedicated and highly experienced recruitment team spends lots of time vetting and accessing nannies from all over the world with a very detailed selection process. Making sure that only the top nannies make it to the books.
This way we can ensure to giving you peace of mind that the nannies we introduce you to have been fully vetting by us personally, and are right for you. If you would like to talk about your options or get some advice on hiring a nanny you can contact us here.