Looking for a nanny in Barcelona is not an easy process at all. Finding a good nanny can take you weeks, months even years! You may ask for your friends’ recommendations of good nannies, but who was a perfect candidate for one family, not necessarily will be perfect for another. You can employ babysitters over and over again, but still can’t find the right person. It happens and very often. But don’t get frustrated as for everything there is a solution.
One stop solution to make your life easier
At Kakdoma BCN, we are get used to complete the most unusual and the most complicated requests. Finding a right nanny is so complicated because there are no standard and easy solutions. It’s about letting the person you don’t know to become a part of your family, a part of your life. The decision must be of maximum importance and maximum responsibility, because wrong choice can really affect your family wellbeing. We helped many families to find a live-in, part-time, weekend or hourly nanny. We know the problems, we know the possible solutions. Being the necessary nexus between the family and the nanny, we help to resolve conflicts or help to avoid them. And we happy to share these useful tips to help families who are looking for a nanny in Barcelona.
Tips for Finding the Perfect Nanny or Babysitter
Identify your priorities
First of all, think of who you are and what you need, decide what you want. Talk to your partner about what your ideal nanny would be like. Do you want someone older who’s mature and experienced? Is a nanny with a degree in early childhood education your top choice? How much independence do you want your nanny to have in caring for your child? Do you want a caregiver who will be responsible only for feeding, bathing, and providing transportation? Or do you want a nanny who will be more of a parenting partner? Make a list you can refer to when you start interviewing applicants or talking to nanny agencies. Start the process early to give yourself enough time to find the right match–It can take about four to six weeks to hire a nanny.
When the Personal Assistants in Kakdoma BCN work very closely to the client for a long period of time, they may know their personality even more than themselves. The experience helps them to provide the best solutions for many their requests.
Specify and quantify
Determine the hours and days you’ll need care, including potentially working additional hours on evenings and weekends as needed. To start the search, check current hourly rates for nannies in your area to ensure your childcare budget can pay a livable wage. Remember that nannies are hourly wage employees and must be paid for all hours worked, including overtime.
Then, determine the amount and kind of childcare experience you’d like required. Set realistic expectations about responsibilities and prioritize these. Establish clear conditions of employment—maybe you want your nanny to have current CPR/First Aid certification, a valid driving license, clean driving record and receive criminal background check clearance.
Get appropriate referrals
Referrals from someone you know are the best source of finding a nanny or babysitter. Ask friends, relatives, co-workers, current nannies or babysitters or anyone you know who has had a nanny or babysitter or done babysitting in the past. You’ll need to be patient and resourceful, and consult everyone from friends and family to nanny agencies to find possible candidates. Put a notice in school newsletters and post on your local online parenting message boards or chat groups. Kakdoma BCN team has a huge network of contacts after 10 years of work with local services providers for international clients.
Save time on research
Don’t stop with the referral. You must do your own research on the potential nanny or sitter to make sure they are a match for your family and will be a safe choice. You can also contact a private nanny placement agency. These firms screen candidates before agreeing to represent them and can help you find candidates who meet your criteria. They verify a nanny’s work experience and should check for any driving violations or a criminal record. Some also require nannies to have a physical exam including blood and tuberculosis tests. You’ll have to pay a hefty fee for this service – from 1000 eur or more, depending on where you live and which services you want – but they can help you to save time.
Personal Assistant or Personal secretary from Kakdoma BCN can do this research for you: check the benefits of using agency services, compare the fees, negotiate, etc.
Make Your Advertisement remarkable
Attractive and Clear Advertisment will help you to get closer to your goal. Write up a job description using the schedule, responsibilities and requirements for employment.
There are many online sources, websites such as https://topnanny.es/ and https://www.babysits.es/, Confio App etc. Online nanny referral services like these – which post listings from parents and prospective nannies – are less costly than local agencies, but not free. Fees start at less than 100 eur and go up from there, depending on how long you keep your listing active and the type of service you need.
And if you’re interested in hiring an au pair, remember that au pairs differ from nannies in the kind of care they provide. For example, au pairs need adult supervision when caring for infants. If that works for you, try newaupair.com or aupaircare.com.
Advertise your position. As a last resort, advertise online or in newspaper classifieds. But realize that the flood of responses from strangers can be overwhelming. If you go this route, be very specific about what you’re looking for and list anything that would disqualify applicants. (For example, make it clear if you require a nonsmoker.)
Smart Interview and Trial by Rules
Ask the right questions in the interview. Listen carefully, and you will hear if they have a love for children.
Make sure you do a thorough screening for every candidate—review resumes for relevant childcare experience, talk to at least three references. Ask specific questions about their work experience and childrearing philosophies as well as personal interests, after-work activities, driving record, and background. Do a video call prior to any interview and let the applicants interact with your kid/s during the interview. It becomes very easy to see which applicants have a natural way with children and will bond well, and which ones are not suited to the job. Listen to your gut. If it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.
Once you’ve narrowed it down to a few good applicants, call their references – even if they’re from an agency. If you already did this as part of the prescreening process, feel free to call again and ask more detailed questions or for additional references. Be sure to ask former employers about the nanny’s strengths and weaknesses and why they no longer employ her. Don’t skip this step – you’ll want to hear how she has and hasn’t worked out for other families.
For the candidate you most prefer, go through a couple week trial period to see how your family and the nanny work together. There’s no better way to make a decision than to see for yourself how a nanny is on the job. During the trial, your nanny will also your health, safety and background check requirements. If it feels like a good fit, you can draft and present a written contract that includes their schedule, responsibilities, compensation and benefit terms. At the end of the trial, review and sign the contract with your nanny if everything goes well.
Create a ‘Rules of the House’ policy statement on safety and communication so expectations are set from the start. Make sure your nanny knows (you may put this in the contract) your child is never to be left unattended, go with anyone, anywhere, in any car or house unless you know ahead of time and give explicit permission.
Collaborative working relationship
Recognise that nannies strive to create positive relationships with parents and with the children they care for. If the nanny-parent relationship is healthy, then good care happens.
You are working together to ensure your child gets the best care possible. Look to them for ideas, opinions and advice and let them know you appreciate how they care for your child. Above all, talk openly and respectfully about your working relationship, particularly the schedule, compensation and your child’s behaviour. Remember that both sides need to be flexible and adapt to the new situation.
Learn from any experience
Don’t blame yourself nor anyone if it didn’t go well. You got a valuable experience and now you know what you really don’t want or what can be improved so it doesn’t happen again. The key to finding the right nanny for your child? Be willing to keep looking until you discover the person who will be the best fit for your family. Be realistic and flexible with a situation and good luck will come to your home.
For PA services for Nanny Search or Personal Secretary services please send your request to kakdoma@kakdomabcn.com
Source:
https://www.babycenter.com/
https://www.thebump.com/