HELP, I NEED SOMEBODY
TIPS ON SECURING A CAREGIVER WHO'S NOT JUST ANYBODY
Navigating the tricky waters of securing childcare can be enough to make you want to scream for a lifeguard.
Regardless of whether you’re looking for a nanny, an au pair, or a part-time babysitter, finding someone trustworthy,
reliable, and most importantly, one who will care for your child in a manner as close as possible to the way you do can
be challenging without knowing all of the ins and outs of your different options. Below, we’ve highlighted the differences
between in-home childcare providers. Choosing which route to take is up to you.
Nannies
The International Nanny Association defines a nanny as an individual employed by a family—on either a live-in or live-out basis—to undertake all tasks related to the care of children. Many people pay to use a professional nanny locator service to find a nanny, an option offering an experienced pool of applicants who have been thoroughly screened and whose backgrounds have been checked. According to the New York Family Guide, professional agency-recommended nannies, tend to be women between the ages of 18 and 50, usually hold a degree in early-childhood development, and are often members of unions and organizations like the International Nanny Association. At the same time, many families rely on word-of-mouth, the newspaper, or websites like Craig’s List to find a nanny. While this option is more cost-effective, finding a nanny without using an agency presents you with candidates who have not been through a lengthy screening process.
A nanny’s responsibilities are determined between the employer and the nanny. Many agency-referred nannies will commit to at least two years of service, and work about twelve hours daily, often starting with a child’s drop-off at school and ending at bedtime. Most agency-referred nannies request that two weeks of paid vacation and three personal days be added to their contract. While some incorporate housekeeping duties or errand-running into their services, others remain providers of childcare only.
There are many financial factors to consider when employing a nanny. If you secure your nanny through an agency, expect to pay a placement fee of between 12 and 15 percent of the nanny’s first-year salary, which, the New York Family Guide estimates, averages between $350 and $600 per week, or $12 to $18 per hour, depending on a family’s number of children. If you don't use an agency but would like to run a background check on a candidate, you will need to factor in the costs and time of conducting such screenings. A nanny’s salary is considered taxable income, so you will either need to pay her taxes or factor that amount into (or out of) her base salary. For help in discerning the federal taxation policies regarding nannies, refer to the IRS’s "Household Employers Tax Guide" (Publication 926), which provides all pertinent information, and will also provide you with the necessary household employee tax forms. If your nanny lives in, you also need to consider the cost of providing her with meals and shelter. If she is a live-out nanny, you may need to pay her transportation costs.
Though the process of searching for a nanny may seem overwhelming, it’s important to be as thorough as possible when conducting your search, as you are searching for someone to care for you’re your most valuable assets: your children. The beauty of using an agency is that they do the majority of the grunt work for you. However, as long as you follow a few guidelines, forgoing the agency option can also yield a quality nanny. When soliciting applications for nannies, Ann Douglas, author of The Unofficial Guide to Childcare, advises asking applicants to submit their job applications in writing. Not only will this save you countless hours on the phone, she notes, but most of the flakier and less committed candidates won't want to bother to apply in writing. Once the resumes start to show up in the mail. Douglas recommends eliminating those nannies whose resumes reveal unexplained gaps in unemployment, an unstable work record, a lack of related experience, or those who are missing a key requirement for the position (like a valid driver's license or training in infant/child CPR).
Once you have narrowed down your list of potential candidates, Douglas advises scheduling interviews with at least three candidates so that you'll have a few to choose from. “Make sure that your child is on hand to meet these candidates so that you can assess whether the two of them are going to hit it off or not,” she suggests. However, take any such interaction with a grain of salt. If you're child is currently struggling with separation anxiety, she may give any potential nanny the thumbs down. Once you've concluded your interviews, be sure to check each candidate's references thoroughly. “Find out how long the person providing the reference has known the nanny, how satisfied she was with the nanny's overall job performance, what the nanny's strengths and weaknesses are, what ages of children the nanny is best suited to care for, and so on,” says Douglas. Finally, once you've chosen a nanny and she's accepted your offer of employment, put the terms of your agreement in writing (a sample nanny contract is available in Douglas’s book), as having a written agreement will help to eliminate any future misunderstandings.
Once you've found a good nanny, you'll want to do everything in your power to insure her happiness so that she’ll want to stay with your family. In order to do so, Douglas advises taking sufficient time to transition her into the role of caregiver for your child. “Take a day or two off work to give the nanny a chance to get used to your child's routines before you leave the two of them on their own,” she recommends. Additionally, she advises making sure that you adhere to the terms of your agreement. For example, if you've promised to be home by 6:00 p.m. each night, honor your commitment. “If your circumstances change and it is no longer possible for you to hold up your end of the bargain, renegotiate the contract, but if you do so, be sure to sweeten the deal by offering your nanny a raise,” she says. Keep the lines of communication open so that you can deal with any potential sources of conflict before they become a problem, and continually let your nanny know how much you value her contributions to your family, just as you would hope your supervisor would regularly tell you.
Au Pairs
Au pairs typically don't make a career out of childcare work as nannies do. According to greataupair.com, an online au pair placement service, an au pair is generally a foreign-born woman between the ages of 18-26 who has basic childcare experience and is coming to the U.S. to stay with a family for a cultural exchange experience for one year. Many families and au pairs participate in government authorized au pair exchange programs where there are defined rules and requirements. Such programs authorize foreign au pairs to care for American children by the U.S. Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Qualified participants must acquire a J1 visa, and if they plan to care for a child under 2, they must have at least 200 hours of experience with children. Au pairs are required to provide up to 10 hours of service daily, not exceeding 45 hours in one week. As the stated purpose of nearly all au pair programs is one of cultural exchange and not child care, the child care experience of the au pair is generally limited, and families are rarely able to check the au pair’s references themselves.
Though they are paid workers—most usually receive a small amount of money as well as room and board in exchange for their services- au pairs expect to be treated as extended family members, hence the name (French for “as an equal”). Families must sign a written agreement obliging them to include the au pair in dinners, trips, and gatherings. Greataupair.com lists the pay range for au pairs as being anywhere from $139.05 per week to $250 per week. It is not required to pay employee taxes for your au pair, whereas you are legally obliged to do so for a nanny. When securing an au pair, placement and program fees as well as airfare costs also apply, which usually range from $5,000 to $6,000 up front. Additionally, the family pays a weekly stipend of at least $140, and must contribute up to $500 in educational expenses should the au pair choose to enroll in a college-level course.
As with many decisions, choosing to hire an au pair over a nanny has both pros and cons. Even with hidden costs for shelter, transportation, food, and occasional family trips, in general, a family would save money by choosing to go the au pair route versus the nanny route, especially if they have multiple children, as nannies often charge more for larger families. However, as au pairs are usually only allowed to work for twelve months, if you are looking for long-term childcare, an au pair may not be the best choice for your family. On many occasions, children grow attached to an au pair, and have a tough time adjusting to a new caregiver, notes greataupair.com. Additionally, unlike nannies, au pairs are not permitted to do any housekeeping work that is not directly related to the child.
Babysitters
If you’re not fortunate enough to have family close-in that can watch your kids when you and your spouse need an evening away, you’re in the market for a babysitter, a temporary childcare provider who generally watches children for short amounts of time. Though word-of-mouth is the most traditional way to find a sitter, many high school or college students advertise their services in community papers and on local parent-friendly websites. Though a babysitter’s hourly rate varies depending on age, experience and number of children, you can generally expect to pay around $10 per hour for a sitter.
If possible, try to locate a sitter who has CPR and first-aid training. Even better, find one who had taken a babysitting training course which is offered at many local hospitals. If you have a sitter you employ often, you might consider paying for her to take this course. Though the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babysitters be at least 13 years old, the American Red Cross offers its training course to kids as young as 11. While it depends on the maturity of the sitter, Dr. Denise Dowd, spokesperson for the AAP, recommends that a good rule of thumb is the younger the child, the older the sitter.
The first time a babysitter arrives to care for your kids, give the sitter a guided tour of your apartment including kitchen, baby's clothing and toys. Be sure to leave the sitter a list of the phone numbers of where you'll be, as well as a trusted neighbor or relative if you can't be reached, the poison control center, the baby's pediatrician, and your local hospital's emergency room. Just so everything is clear, you may want to leave instructions on feeding and soothing your child, putting her to sleep, changing her diaper and/or clothes, and any quirks or habits your child has. Lastly, leave cash behind in the event of an emergency. —Chelsea Kaplan
