Chris Blattman

Search
Close this search box.

And while we’re on the subject of crazed mommy blogs…

I can’t resist passing this along.

Jeannie and I are placing an ad for a nanny, and perused other posts to get a sense of what to write.

I am sorely tempted to write simply that we are the opposite of this person. You must read to the end:

We are both working parents who are seeking a reliable, fully engaged nanny with solid references to take care of our son (who is due beginning of August). The following qualifications are necessary:

-10 plus years of PROFESSIONAL experience

-Fluency in one of these languages: Russian, Mandarin, Italian or Japanese. Fluency is defined as the full ability to speak, read and write

-The ability to follow a highly structured, energetic New York-based daily program is a must as the child gets older (e.g., museum trips, play dates, select reading list, select music list, etc.)

Please NO SOLICITATIONS if the above requirements are not met.

I mean, he’s not even *born* yet, and he has a music list. And fluency is actually *defined*, although she missed an opportunity to include the official OED definition.

How I love Manhattan.

Nanny hiring recommendations welcome. This may be my first and last activity in that market, and the value to minimized mistakes is obvious.

14 Responses

  1. If had little kids underfoot once again and needed help I’d want someone like my grandma back was when I was little – someone that has raised a generation (or two) of kids and simply ‘knows’ what to do. I think these folks are looking for a certain caliber of person and by requesting a second language and the music it kinda weeds out a certain segment of society that those types of folks consider ‘beneath them’. Still, a hilarious ad (to my segment of society…lol)

  2. I had a nanny growing up and LOVED her (though there were no extra languages, museum visits etc!) – I think the most basic thing to do (which Manhattan-ites tend to forget, or at least place rather low) is just make sure you like her as a person. She/he’ll be a bigger part of your everyday lives than you’d ever imagine, and all the qualifications in the world wouldn’t make up for someone you didn’t feel 100% at ease with. Oh and make sure Amara likes her too (at least that was the one and only requirement I had for finding a dog-walker…)

  3. I would use sitter city (or a similar type online service). Then write out a list of 3-4 questions for prospective hires (ie, 1. experience with newborns; 2. describe a typical day with a newborn; 3. are you occasionally available to stay late, etc) . Do this in the text of the ad, and then ask candidates to reply in e-mail with their numbered responses to these questions.

    Then you can simply ignore the (many, many) responses that fail to do this, and instead just sort through those who follow the instructions through all the normal routes (interview, check references, etc)

  4. Tell the candidates you will have hidden cameras installed in your house. They will be fine with this (don’t worry) and many will even welcome it. If you feel awkward, as I did, just think of what’s at stake… If you have the cameras, again, do tell them. You don’t want to actually watch the stuff, you just need it as an incentive device.

    To be sure, the vast majority of nannies are not cruel monsters that want to harm your child. But, unfortunately, many of them are not as keen on following your instructions and often come from backgrounds where it is fine to do things that you would not find acceptable.

  5. You need to be very clear about whether you want the nanny to do any housekeeping, cooking, etc. in addition to childcare.

    Also, I hope that the child for whom that ad was posted is never one of my students. :)

  6. Send prospectives to posts about your most unusual beliefs and lifestyle. That will screen people who are wierded out by a) intelligentsia; b) travel schedules; c) war and “war” stories; d) discussion of politics, economics, or any mixture of the two…..

  7. Oh great now I’m gonna have that scene from Mary Poppins on my mind all day. Thanks alot.

  8. I’ve been through it….would be happy to share my mistakes (first of which is posting ads). I can also hook you up with my nanny pimp.

  9. I imagine this is an obvious question, but have you considered hiring a refugee through IRC/IRIS – I’ve volunteered with IRIS in New Haven and hired a woman from there to help out with housekeeping and she is fantastic (and was having a really difficult time finding work). Obviously a nanny is slightly different, but the employment consultants would be able to tell you if they have any clients who could be a good match.

  10. I can’t speak for Manhattan but i know in Europe we had to be very specific. We actually didn’t want someone like the above, nor did we want a babysitter who just did a job. Because most european children (in our area) are left with their grandparents, and we’ve seen the benefits of this, we ended up with a 50 yr old widow who yearned for her own grandchildren but had no chance to have them. The reason for this is simple: it was more important to us that our children, at that age, experience ‘real life’ – simple things like errands, gardening, tea with her friends (who also take care of their grandkids therefore predestined impromptu playdates), laundry, etc – all the things they would get if granny was taking care of them. The organized activities come fast and furious later on, so why not have them spend the time learning the normal every day workings of society through daily outings? They can learn Suzuki violin at the age of 3, but will they understand how the post office or bank works? The music thing makes me laugh, because its so overthought – my kids know a lot of german folks music and classical music through her, through no concerted effort, as well as manners, social graces, dialect/languages, etc. There’s a lot to be said for ‘old school’ – our nanny will use her own will and mind to see ‘oh Natalie is growing out of those shoes’ and will take her to get a new pair – those kinds of subtleties, in my mind, are invaluable. Because we both work and both have separate travels, and also because we have no family around, I wanted someone to raise our children WITH us, not just follow a script.

    The gist of my longwindedness is that I’ve heard a lot of North Americans say that they wanted someone young, with energy and no one old. Don’t be quick to assume that younger=better, no one has more energy that a woman who has been waiting for grandchildren to love and adore. Keep your minds open and figure out the motivation behind everyone you interview. Good luck! Our nanny has been with us since our youngest was 2 months old.

  11. You are using sittercity I take it? My partner has had good experiences being hired as a nanny through the site.

Why We Fight - Book Cover
Subscribe to Blog