It's important to manage expectations on both sides from an early stage. We want all of our nanny arrangements to succeed! So here are the key points that should be covered at the first meeting:
Get to know each other:
Have a read of their profile again and ask some questions about their experience. This helps to get the conversation going and makes the nanny feel more comfortable. Questions you can ask are:
How long have they been working in childcare for?
What was their favourite childcare role, and why?
What is their favourite age of child to work with, and why?
What is their favourite activity to do with children?
It's good to also start off with the basics:
When you'll need them to start (and if there is any set end date)
Days and times needed, and any drop-offs and pickups
Is any driving involved? (Pro tip – make sure the car will fit car seats!)
Chat about your parenting style and the kind of environment you'd like the nanny to foster for your child. Good questions for this could be:
Ask the nanny what their childcare philosophy is
Whether you believe in any form of discipline, and if so how it is enforced
Talk about your child's developmental stage
Our nannies always have lots of ideas for fun activities. It's good to discuss their ideas and see which ones the kids would enjoy most
It's useful to run though the routine and schedule, including any activities your child regularly attends
Mention arrangements for holidays. Be aware that nannies usually get 20 days annual leave, plus 8 public holidays. We recommend that you split these days, so that the nanny chooses 10 of these days and you choose the other 10. Of course you can vary this, it’s just a suggestion. Make sure you let the nanny know about any holiday that you have already booked.
Let the nanny know if you'd like them to help with babysitting or any ad hoc activities outside of their regular hours. Don't worry we'll take care of all the admin for this and your nanny will be paid as normal for these hours.
Discuss your expectations of the role — would you sometimes expect them to stay a bit longer if needed? Are they happy to do some washing, tidying…?
How you do things e.g. foods/treats, screen time, discipline, routine