Being a nanny can be a fun and rewarding experience. It can also provide a regular income. Some nannies work for many years for the same family, while others have difficulty maintaining steady employment. Here are five ways for someone to keep their job as a nanny.
1) Carefully Follow the Parents’ Instructions
When a nanny begins employment, parents typically give him or her job duties. Parents may also give their nanny a list of instructions along with information about their children’s health and well-being. A nanny should keep track of this information and carefully follow all instructions given. He or she should also ask questions to clarify confusing information. Because childcare involves so many issues, it may be wise to keep a journal or written notes of everything, so as to ensure the parents’ wishes are followed.
2) Do Not Interfere With the Family Rules
Parents raise children in many different ways and have a wide variety of house rules. Some parents permit their children to watch television all day long, while others do not even own a television. Some children receive a timeout when they misbehave, while others are not punished at all.
It is not the job of a nanny to agree with the parents’ way of raising children or with parents’ house rules. Rather, a caregiver should focus on keeping the children safe and healthy. A caregiver should likewise focus on following a family’s rules to the best of his or her ability. The parents will be happier as a result, and the nanny is more likely to keep his or her job.
3) Put in Extra Effort
An excellent way for a nanny to keep their job is to exceed his or job duties and responsibilities. For example, if the parents have asked the nanny to do light housekeeping, the nanny could occasionally surprise the parents by doing a few extra household chores. In addition, rather than simply playing with the children, the nanny can teach children good manners and work on their reading and writing skills. Parents will be impressed by the extra effort, and the last thing on their mind will be finding a new nanny.
4) Be Reliable
Parents hiring a nanny are busy professionals, and they depend on their employee being extremely reliable at all times. A caregiver should thus arrive to work on time each and every day and should give parents advanced notice if he or she may be late. A nanny should also give parents advanced notice if he or she will miss work due to illness. Reliability is also expected with respect to job duties, such as putting the children down for naps and feeding them at designated times.
5) Be Yourself and Follow Your Values
Parents and children will not enjoy spending time with an anxious or stressed-out nanny. Even though being a caregiver is a difficult job, nannies should try to relax and enjoy their work. Many nannies tend to lose their personality as they attempt to please their employers, but nannies that remain true to themselves are much more likely to earn the respect that they deserve. It is also important for nannies to stick to their core values, especially when it comes to their nanny work agreement. Nannies should never agree to provide any services that they do not feel comfortable performing, and they should try to eliminate any contractual provisions that are not fair.
By: Susie Parker
About the Author:
Susie Parker is a freelance journalist. She writes about child care and the opportunity of parents to put in place a good nanny work agreement.