This is always hard...

[rivka]

My maternity leave is just flying by - I'll be going back to work in a month. So it's time to start advertising for childcare.

Here's the draft I just made of our ad. Suggestions?

PT nanny needed - Mount Vernon 21201.

We are seeking a warm, gentle, responsive person to care for our children three days a week, beginning in early May. Colin will be three months old and would be in your care all day. Alexandra is four years old and goes to nursery school in the morning, but would come home to your care after lunch.

We hope to find someone who is reliable and conscientous, who will be a nurturing and loving caregiver to the baby and a fun companion to Alex. We live downtown in a great neighborhood and hope that you would take the kids for walks, to the park, to the library, etc., especially as Colin grows.

No housekeeping is expected other than cleaning up after yourself and the messes the children make when they're with you.

There will be no need for you to transport our children by car, so a nanny who relies on public transportation is welcome. Our house is convenient to the light rail and several bus lines.

Requirements: You must be a nonsmoker, fluent in English, and experienced with infants - not just older children. Spanish-speaking ability is a plus, as Alex has learned a few words of Spanish at school and is excited to learn more.

If you are interested, please send an e-mail telling us a little about yourself and your qualifications and giving us an idea of your rates. Please note that this is not a summer job - if you will not be available in the fall, please don't respond.

Comments

[malibrarian.livejournal.com]

So is the ability to use email to communicate a requirement? It would seem to cut down on the applicant pool. Instead of saying it's not a summer job, I might add something along the lines of the fact that you're looking for a long-term committment--it's phrased in a positive manner and it might people more likely to apply.

And good luck!

[rivka.livejournal.com]

I should have specified that this is a Craigslist posting, so the ability to communicate via e-mail is assumed.

[platypus]

I do think it's really good to be direct about needing a commitment beyond summer -- where I work, we employ a lot of students, and even being crystal clear about needing people who can work during semester breaks, we'd get people who lived on campus and had to leave during breaks applying, or thinking they could fudge it and just take off during winter break anyway. While I don't really like ending on a negative note, I think spelling out "this is not a summer job; you must be available in fall" is necessary to avoid at least a few headaches.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Yeah, last time (with Alex) I wrote that we were looking for a one-year commitment and still got someone who came all the way to the interview before telling us that she had a job during the academic year. "Why did you apply for this job, then?" "I thought maybe you'd want to hire me on a temporary basis while you looked for someone permanent." And that was in July. She was only available for two months!

[hawkida.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't normally nitpick about spelling, but you've missed an "i" out of conscientious and it's a bad word to typo.

You might want to be more specific about "three days a week" - will they be the same three days constantly or will it change? You might find someone who wants to make use of the spare days for a different job if it's the same week by week, so it's good to know that info in advance.

[bosssio.livejournal.com]

having just gone through this, a few things to think about (perhaps not for the ad but for the conversations post ad).

paid sick/vacation?
federal holidays?
total hours a week needed, and rough estimated times (i.e. 8- 6 for a total of 30 hours a week).
contract?
background check?
I assume you will do w2s and everything above board and legal which is something you will need to specify before you make any sort of offer. You will need to complete an I9 for any nanny, so discussions of types of ID are always good.

[suzilem.livejournal.com]

All good suggestions. Perhaps also some form of drug screening and several references?

[green-knight.livejournal.com]

hope that you would take the kids for walks sounds a little too vague for me - it's part of what you want for your kids. I'd go with 'expect you will take the kids for walks.'

Good luck with finding the perfect nanny.

[chargirlgenius.livejournal.com]

I would suggest looking for somebody who is used to dealing not just with older kids and infants, but somebody who has had charge of two children at once. A lot of the au pairs that we interviewed were excited to hold a baby all day, but didn't really want to work with an active pre-schooler. On the flip side, some were wary about the idea of having both at once.

Many think that they can handle it, because two is just double the work of one, right? HAHAHAHAHA! Sorry! Let me catch my breath! And then they get into the situation and discover it's much harder than they thought.

Is there a reason you're going out on your own to looking, instead of a nanny search/service? You have to pay to see listings, but there might be some pre-screening involved, and they can do some of the searching for you. usagi629, who had her son a couple of weeks after Colin was born, is going through the final interview stages right now, and it seems a little less stressful than going completely out on your own.

[bosssio.livejournal.com]

btw, if you want a copy of the nanny contract we just signed with our new nanny, let me know.

Also, we use a nanny payroll service. heather set it up - we pay her through our bank account - but the payroll service calculates how much we owe in payroll taxes, plus fed/state withholding. I'll get the name if you like.

Also, you do technically need to get workmans comp, I believe, and it is strongly recommended if you don't legally have to get it.

I am curious what the going rate for nannies are in Baltimore. Around here in inflated priced Fairfax co., they are $15-$22 per hour for documented nannies with driving licenses (three kids, which is what we have with the nanny share, is never under $17).

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Were it I, "conversational English" would suffice, for a whole lot of reasons.

K.

[fairoriana.livejournal.com]

I would say that sounds very welcoming. I agree with a lot of the proposed modifications, but I like how you list the ways you are accommodating.

[saffroncisco.livejournal.com]

I think it's a great ad. I'd want to work for you. :)

- Hours? (e.g., 8:00 am to 6:00 pm each day?)

- Do you specifically prefer that the nanny *not* drive the kids places in her car, if in fact she is able and wishes to do that? It would be a valid request, just one you might want to spell out in advance.

Good luck! I hope you find someone good!