Please note: While some references in the article below are to Australian law, all observations and recommendations apply equally in the United States.
I was recently interviewed* about the ‘ins and outs’ of hiring a nanny, during which I summarized five important things that need to be remembered during the hiring process. While many readers will be familiar with some or all of these, I thought it might timely to go over them again, as a reminder for those who might be about to hire a new nanny, or a guide for those looking to employ their first nanny.
1. Start by being really clear about why you are hiring a nanny, and having a clear job description. A nanny is someone who will provide proactive, professional child care for your children in their own home. She is not a housekeeper, a personal assistant or a home renovator. She is not even a babysitter – in the sense of someone who passively minds the kids. It is amazing how often this is misunderstood. A clear job description is essential, right from the beginning, in order to avoid potential confusion and misunderstandings. (We can provide help with compiling this if you need it.)
2. Be careful to screen applicants properly, including reference checks. This is obviously really important but as it can be time consuming there’s a tendency to cut corners. Make sure that you are shown the originals – not copies – of documents like a current Working with Children Check and written references. It is always a good idea to check references with a phone call as well. Obviously we will check these documents ourselves if you are hiring through us, but there’s nothing to stop you asking to see them yourself as well. It’s also wise to agree on a trial period to make sure that all the various parent/nanny/child relationships look like they are going to work. This benefits everyone involved.
3. Nannies must be formally employed – by the child’s parents or an agency – and paid the award wage as a minimum. Many people don’t realize that nannies are not independent contractors working under their own ABN. This is because contractors, under the ATO definition, must be operating as if they were a business. That means setting their own working conditions, such as hours of work and job description, and replacing themselves with someone else if necessary. Obviously none of these apply to in-home child care.
4. As employees, nannies must have their superannuation payments, work cover insurance and ‘pay as you go’ tax instalments managed by their employer. All this can get complicated and time consuming, which is why many people choose to use an agency like ourselves with a full payroll service. It’s just simpler. However, whether you employ and pay your nanny yourself or through an agency, the important thing to remember is that she is an employee and so entitled to the same rights as any other employee.
5. Include plans to give your nanny professional development opportunities. Being a nanny can be a lonely experience in many ways. As much as all nannies love working with their children, they need adult conversation as well. Most don’t usually get to even speak to an adult except at the start and end of the day, and interaction with others in their profession can be very rare indeed. For this reason we put a lot of emphasis on creating frequent professional development opportunities for all our nannies. They give carers a great chance to bounce ideas off one another (while keeping details, including names, confidential), as well as keeping them in touch with all the latest thinking in child care and related areas. Professional development keeps nannies energised and excited about their work.
Of course there is so much more to employing a nanny than just these five things, but these are the most important things to consider at the start. Having hired your nanny, the single most important things to remember are respect and communication. I’ll come back and talk about these in a future issue.
Did you know the International Nanny Association publishes the INA Nanny Employer Handbook?
Available to members and the general public, this handbook offers expert tips on:
- Interviewing Candidates
- Negotiating Salary and Vacation Time
- Writing A Work Agreement
- Identifying and Managing Problems
- Employer Tax Obligations
- Sample job applications, performance review forms, home emergency templates and more
Publication of the Nanny Employer Handbook supports the International Nanny Association’s educational mission. If you too support excellence in in-home child care, we invite you to support the International Nanny Association.
A special thank you to INA member Louise Dunham for contributing this article.
Louise is the Managing Director of Placement Solutions, a nanny referral service in Melbourne Australia.
Louise also serves on the INA Board of Directors and chairs the Ethics Committee. She is the only international member to serve on the INA Board.