The very nature of the nanny industry is such that the ideal nanny will always be the kind that sticks around long-term. After all, it takes a good amount of time to build the kinds of bonds that see the nanny become more a part of the family than an employee – the last thing you want therefore is to have to start the process again from scratch.
These days, a high-end London nanny agency can help enormously when it comes to finding a world-class nanny with the skills, talents and experience to go above and beyond in every way. But at the same time, actually holding onto that same nanny long-term is something that comes down to the hiring family.
So if you’d prefer to stick with the same nanny for as long as possible and make the most of the bonds you’ve built up, here’s a quick overview of the ten golden rules for making it happen:
1 – Respect
First and foremost, your nanny is above all else a trained and experienced professional and should be treated with respect. If at any time you cross the line into talking down to your nanny as you might to one of your children, you’re on the road to disaster.
2 – Trust
It’s impossible for any nanny to go about their duties with confidence if they do not believe they have the full trust or the hiring family. As such, it’s important to show faith in their judgement and not to question their methods unless absolutely necessary.
3 – Feedback
As is the case in any job, your nanny can only be expected to improve the services offered and the general way they go about their duties if given the appropriate feedback. Be sure to offer plenty of praise where due and constructive criticism where necessary – all with a positive tone, of course.
4 – Be Accessible and Caring
Your nanny should know that when and where they need to, they can talk to you and confide in you. This means you need to be as open and accessible as you can possibly be, showing genuine care for their needs, concerns and any questions they may have.
5 – Job Description
In order to avoid any possible disputes in the future, it’s of the utmost importance to create a written job description that’s agreed on by all parties involved. This way, everyone knows their responsibilities and there’s no room for pleading ignorance or making unrealistic demands.
6 – Overtime Pay
Sure, it’s a pleasure for the nanny to hang around a while longer than necessary and help out with the kids, but they are still at work and therefore should be paid for every hour they put into the family. It’s when a nanny finds that they are slowly but surely working more and more unpaid hours that the cracks often begin to show.
7 – Privacy
For those with live-in nannies, there’s nothing more important than respecting their off-duty privacy and never calling upon their services outside their hours of work…unless it is an emergency, of course. Without the necessary downtime to unwind, relax and switch off, even the best nannies will lose their patience soon enough.
8 – Communicate Expectations
At the earliest juncture possible, you need to get across to the nanny your expectations when it comes to the way they approach childcare and the enforcement of discipline. You simply cannot expect them to instinctively know and follow your own ideas on the subject – you have to communicate them and make sure they’re understood.
9 – Schedules and Times
Once again, it’s always dangerous to make any kinds of assumptions with regard to the times and schedules your nanny will follow. After all, their prior hiring family may have put the kids to bed at a totally different time than you do, so you can’t expect them to know your rules and follow them unless you tell them. Of course, the easiest way of making sure all such schedules are followed is to write them down and display them in a prominent place.
10 – Pay Well, Pay on Time
Last but not least, if you pay below the standard national average for nannies of the calibre you take on, they’ll spend half of their time with you looking for better opportunities. By contrast, if you make sure you pay well and indeed pay on time, they’ll have little to no reason not to stay loyal to you for the long-term. Just a little bit above the standard average can make all the difference – it’s an investment that’s more than worth considering.
