With so many new nanny vacancies coming up at Nannies of St James every week, it’s a good moment to pause and think about how to put your best foot forward in a new role. Here are our top tips for starting a new nanny job – whether it’s your first ever position or if you’re a seasoned professional.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: We’d never let you get this far without a fully binding contract, which states – alongside your salary and terms of employment - that you are authorised to care for the named child(ren) as well as being permitted to administer medicines if need be. If you’re UK-based and your employers haven’t already organised your tax and NI they’ll need some documents from you. You should have a P45 to give them, but if it’s your first job, if you’ve lost your P45 or if you have an additional job then you’ll need to complete a Starter Checklist that can be downloaded from HMRC’s website. Due to the sorts of clients we work with, lots of our nannies also have to sign NDAs before starting a new nanny role. We can talk you through all of these things.
Names and Numbers: You should know where your charges’ red books are if you’re based in the UK, and you must know how to get hold of parents and other family members or emergency points of contact before you start your first shift. It’s also worth knowing where the family keeps contact numbers for dentists, family doctors, school and nursery. Depending on how highly staffed your employer’s household is, it’s sometimes a good idea to get hold of contact details for plumbers and electricians in case of domestic issues – and to know where fuse boxes, water mains and gas meters can be found. Finally, you should ask whether your employers want you to hold a set of house keys and if they want you to know the codes for house alarms and contact numbers for security services.
Children’s Routines: Seems obvious, but whilst you may have a great idea of what your new charges’ likes and dislikes, hobbies and interests are, it’s just as important to know what their day looks like before you start. A handover period with the outgoing nanny will enable you to suss out everything from waking times to breakfast rituals to best practice for successful naps, baths and bedtimes - but if there’s no provision for this then ask the parents to write out a detailed plan for the day. Whilst sticking to routines and your charges’ daily ‘framework’ is important, do not fret about doing other things differently and don’t try to be a carbon copy of your predecessor.
Orientation: If you’re new to the area, do some research before arriving so that you know where all your nanny landmarks can be found. Study Google maps and know where the parks and playgrounds are (or beaches and shopping malls) as well as the nearest shops, pharmacies, doctor’s surgery and A&E department. Whilst your employers might already have a set of baby groups or toddler classes they’d like you to attend weekly, others will be open to your own suggestions, so do your research and come up with a list of possible weekly activities to run past your employers when the time is right.
What have we missed? Head over to our Facebook page and let us know your essential tips for hitting the ground running in your new nanny job!