Hi all. As some of you know, I recently had my first baby. I have been home with him for the last 3 months, but now I need to find a job. I would very much like a job that would allow me to take the Sprout with me. A nanny-type position would be ideal.
I have a lot of qualifications that make me a desirable candidate. I speak fluent English, I’m college-educated, I have a car, etc. I also have many interests and skills that employers would want. Fortunately, I live in an affluent area. I have made several calls so far to people who have advertised in the newspapers, but it seems that few are willing to accept a nanny who wants to bring her own child. I am also asking top dollar, which disqualified the one person I talked to who was amenable to having another baby around.
I’m confident that there are many families around here who would like to have a nanny like me. The problem is finding them. I’ve called the listings in local papers. I’m going to put my own ad in this coming week’s local free paper. I tried a couple of agencies, but they told me that they don’t place nannies who want to bring their own children.
So I am looking for advice. Any advice or suggestions you all may have regarding nanny job hunting and/or any aspect of nannying would be most appreciated.
Have you considered doing daycare at your home? Depending on where you are, the state requirements may not be too demanding if you are only going to have a couple of kids besides your own. Here in CA, I think there aren’t any special requirements at all if you only have one or two children in addition to yours.
You could try putting an ad in your local paper. In my area, a nanny is a live-in position, so maybe if you tried to find work as a babysitter you would have better luck.
I sent a link to the OP to a friend of mine, who was a nanny for several years before she had a child of her own, and who now does in-home daycare. Here’s her reply:
“I was going to suggest that she take a child or two into her home. That is what I did with (her child). Not a lot of people are looking for a nanny who wants to bring their own child. She may also need to accept a little less money for the added privilege of staying with her child. That is where two can help make up the difference. Also she may want to consider doing afterschool care for several children and having the majority of her day free to be with her child. Or even picking up a half day kindergartner or two. I am curious as to her reasons for wanting to go to someone else’s home rather than staying in hers.”