$850 per week, travel around Europe, live in Las Vegas or New York City, health insurance, paid holidays and vacation, use of car... these are just some of the benefits listed in recent nanny job postings to the I Love My Nanny Bulletin Board. US News and World Report designated Nanny as a "Hot Job Track" with salaries ranging from $10,300 (entry-level) up to $48,000 for experienced nannies. Nanny New's spring survey reports that 11% of respondents earned over $500 a week, while 40% received the use of a car off-duty, 41% received health insurance, and 100% were entitled to paid vacation. Wages for premium nannies have been increasing steadily over the last couple of years.

What it Takes to be a Nanny

What skills and experience do you need to be hired as a nanny or to be considered for the top tiers of the nanny business? Obviously, the first criteria is loving children. Experience working with children is a must (babysitting counts). For positions caring for infants, documented infant care experience is often a requirement. A degree in Early Childhood Education or Elementary Education, or some coursework in either area, is a significant plus. The more education and experience you have, the higher your earning potential. The English Nanny and Governess School offers a certificate program including courses on child behavior and development, child care, and cultural development. Several references will typically be required, along with a valid driver's license. Some organizations, like EF au pair, provide a for their applicants prior to placement.

Nanny Job Listings

How can you get hired as a nanny? You will find nanny job listings in the classifieds of most majors newspapers. However, many nanny positions are filled by agencies. If you do decide to work with an agency there should be no fees charged to the prospective nanny - all fees should be paid by the employer. The International Nanny Association has published guidelines that member agencies should follow. When working with an agency, review these guidelines to make sure your agency is handling your application and placement appropriately. Don't be afraid to request references - ask to speak to nannies who have have been placed by the agency you are considering using.

If you are interested in working internationally, visa restrictions apply in many cases. The agency you work with and your sponsoring family should be able to help you obtain the required documentation. Escape from America Jobs Overseas has employment, immigration and embassy information for a lengthy list of countries.

Nanny Job Opportunities:

Nanny Jobs - from your About.com Guide.

Source : http://jobsearch.about.com/od/nannyjobs/a/nannyjobs.htm

Finding a babysitter in a busy city like Melbourne is not an easy task. Parents should put some effort and time on hiring a new babysitter and parents should not forget that they are going to leave their loving kids on the hands of stranger for some time when they are not at home. That clearly indicates, how important the process of finding a babysitter is.

In Melbourne, you can find lots of babysitters who are teenagers who need to earn some money on their spare time. Hiring such younger people is not harm, but you have to ask more questions as that is the case. It does not mean that there are no or less experienced babysitters in Melbourne area, there are huge number of experienced sitters looking forward to work in Melbourne. But, how to find them, how to reach them, where to search for babysitters in a crowded city such that Melbourne, is the trouble for parents, but it is not....... There are various ways to reach potential sitter for you. By asking your friends, family members, neighbors or co-workers for some references. Other that those references you may post 'nanny wanted' advertisements on your local area newspapers or library notice board. But these days, internet makes the process of announcing your nanny vacancy much easier. You may find lots of online nanny services which help you to find sitters around your area with a small membership fee (just Google to find such services). There are local nanny agencies too exist who can help you to find your sitter easily. So, there is no trouble on reaching your target employee pool.

Then, you may have to design your advertisement, you have to include your requirements in very clearly; you may have few things that the sitter should do, some other things which a sitter should not do. It is always better to mention all these things early as possible on the advertisement. You can mention the duties to carry out, like take kid to swimming classes, drive elder son to badminton practices and wait there until he will finish his session and etc.

Once you will start to get responses, applications for the post of sitter for your kids, you have to carefully check each and every applications. First of all, you have to decide, whether you are going to hire young babysitters? Some parents do not like to hire young ones. But anyhow, even if they are young babysitters they might have good working experiences as a nanny and your friends might refer them to you. As it the case, you do not have to worry about your sitter's age. Anyhow, getting help from a young sitter who has no experiences may put you in risk.

If you are going through a babysitter agency, usually they do all kind of verifications and background checks. Anyhow, once you select a certain amount of sitters to interview who fits closely with your requirements. It is always recommended to do all verification and background checks by yourself regardless of from where sitters are referred to you. Because you should not risk you loving child. Once all the checks are done, you will have clear details about the sitters whom you are going to interview.

During interview, first of all, give an introduction about your family and ask the sitters to tell about her you can use your already verified reports about her and do cross-questioned to determine that she is telling the truth and she is a trust-worthy person. Also ask her,

• Why does she choose to work as a sitter?
• What are her motivations on child care career?
• About her previous job experiences
• The worst case she faced during her past employment
• What she will do in case of child tantrums?
• What she will do if someone at door?
• What she will do in case of fire?
• What she will do, if child is very sick?
• Does she know the emergency police number?
• Does she know the ambulance service number?

Think different scenarios and ask different questions, even if the sitter do not give perfect answers, you can judge on the way of answering and decide to hire her or not. Other than these questions, always clearly explain your requirements once again and ask her whether she is comfortable with those needs and will she be able to do all those things in the list? Also, do not forget to keep your child with you during interview – That will help you to note how the sitter is dealing with the child.

Once you selected a sitter to go ahead with, ask her to do some short sitting with your child when you are away for very short time, like going for a shop near your home, your short visit to your neighbor, your busy hours in your backyard or etc. That will give you more clear ideas on what is going on? At any point, do not ignore your child's reactions. Always observe your child's actions when you are at home.

If you are happy with the sitter and offer the employment, do not forget to have unexpected visits to your home, so that you may notice how she is sitting your kid. Try to call at least twice a day when you are away and check what is going around. Also, check out your child's behavior and reactions. It is always highly recommended to setup a hidden nanny cam in your home, so that you have a record on what is going on and do not forget to check it out if you feel anything suspicious.

As with any job, the key for a successful interview is preparation. Here are some helpful hints and tips from Tinies to help you prepare.

However, the most important thing is to try and relax and be yourself.

How should I prepare and how should I dress?

• Plan your route. It is important to plan for the interview and to ensure that as part of the planning that you know exactly where you are going. Always obtain clear instructions regarding the location of the house, with the exact address and telephone number of the family you are visiting. Make sure you have a map or A-Z with you, and plan your route before you leave as it is difficult to find a house name or number in the dark. If you become lost or delayed, ring to let the family know. Our advice is to arrive 10 mins early for your interview.
   
• Detail of the job. Make sure you know from Tinies the exact details of the position and the name of the children.
   
• Smart appearance. Your appearance should be clean, smart and tidy. If you wear piercings or jewellery, we advise that you keep these to a minimum. If you know you are going to be playing with the children, then be sure that you are dressed comfortably.

What should I take with me?

• Contact details. Take the details of the family, and a map or A-Z of the area so you can find the address.
   
• Documents. Have all your relevant documents with you, in a smart folder or file. The parents will have received your CV that Tinies have prepared. If you have a portfolio of your own documents, we would advise that you take it along with your certificates, written references etc.

Read more http://www.tinies.com/childcarers/advice-childcarers/info/nanny-interview-tips.html

Use these questions to guide your search for the perfect nanny for your child.

Experience & Training: Look for a nanny who has taken care of children before — you don't want your kids to be her guinea pigs. She doesn't necessarily have to have many years of experience, but she should know what she's doing. Ask if she has a resume (although don't be surprised if she doesn't have one).

• How long have you been a nanny?
• How old were the other children you cared for?
• Do you have any formal early childhood development or childcare training?
• Would you be willing to take classes to further your education in childcare?
• Do you have emergency training? In CPR? In first-aid?
• If not, would you be willing to take CPR classes and first-aid training?
• What would you do if my child was sick or had an accident?
• Would you mind if I ran a background check on you?

Philosophy/Approach: Make sure a nanny's philosophy about childrearing is in line with yours. Ask each candidate why she's a nanny and what she likes about the job — you need to know that she's in the field for all the right reasons, and that she enjoys children.

On being a nanny

• Why are you a nanny?
• Why are you looking for a new position?
• What do you like about the job?
• Describe your ideal family/employer:
• What do you like least about being a nanny?
• Do you have any special peeves about parents/children/pets?

Read more here http://www.babycenter.com/0_nanny-interview-sheet_1450905.bc

Be Polite and Make a Good Impression
When the time comes for an interview, you must be polite! It makes a very bad impression to not use manners at a job interview. Why would someone who is looking for assistance in raising a child hire a person who has poor manners? It is important to be polite and make a good first impression!

One way to be polite is to be prompt. It isn't respectful to show up to an interview late, so be on time or even early! You should be dressed professionally and neatly. Make sure your clothes are ironed and that they are appropriate for an interview as a nanny. You don't want to wear anything too suggestive and you want to make sure your clothes are kid-friendly. If there are children present at your interview, interact with them- don't hesitate to do so. A parent will appreciate that you took the time to interact with their child. You should also remember to have a smile on your face and to make eye contact, shake hands and thank the person for the opportunity to interview. Try not to use words like, "uh, umm, like, " and speak clearly and succinctly.

Making a good first impression is key!

Check Those References
If you are interviewing for a nanny job it isn't unreasonable to ask the family you are interviewing with for references. You should readily supply your references for a family to check out and a family should do the same for you. If you are offered a nanny position with a family, before you accept you should check the family's references. If the family has had previous nannies, ask for their names and numbers so you can check to see what working for the family was like, how the kids were and why that person left the nanny position. If the family has never had a nanny before, you can ask for numbers for past child care providers, such as daycare centers or babysitters. If none of those exist, don't be shy to ask for personal references for the family. It is important to know the family's history if you are going to be living and working closely with them on a day-to-day basis. You can ask for this list of references at your nanny interview or wait until the job is offered to you. The important part to remember is that you should check references before accepting any position offered.

Read more at http://www.nannies4hire.com/tips/967-interviewing-for-a-nanny-job.htm

Choosing nanny career is a wonderful thing to be, as always we can stick with children and have a real fun environment. Apart from that, having comparability between nanny and family is very important to deliver good services as well as to gain trust on nanny. The compatibility issues should be identified during early interview stage and those should be fixed as soon as possible either by nanny or parent in order to make a peaceful environment for children. Both parties should talk the things very clearly before take any decisions. What are other things that a nanny should take into account when applying for a nanny job or getting recruited  as a nanny, let's discuss.

There are huge number of ways to get nanny jobs these days with the help of internet, you will be able to find lots of nanny services that post advertisements for nanny jobs and nannies can simply register with such websites for free and apply for the jobs. Other than this, still nannies can find job via newspaper, magazine advertisements, local forum posts or word of mouth and etc. Other than the opportunity to get nanny job, there are various sources available online to learn about nanny services, career on child care. There are many nannies who usually used to their own experiences as blogs or online diaries. There are many online forums where experienced nannies can give advices on developing a career in child care. As well as nanny online services too may give great number of articles on how to find nanny job, how to apply for a nanny job and so on. By reading all those things one can get great understanding about being a successful nanny.

When a nanny wanted advertisement is posted on online nanny services or on any other media, a nanny should look more attention to its detail part as well as the location. It is important to see, did the parent use any “must do”, “should do” things. Also, have to note how the wording is going on in the advertisement, does that make you to be comfortable?, are there basic details of kids (like age, some special behavior)  who have to be taken care provided?, what is the size of the family and etc. Some ads clearly state the duties of nannies, some do not. As it is the case, you can contact the parent via messaging on the site or email or telephone whichever is available, and get more information about the job, specially more about child as well as the duties that should do.

After getting details of the job and if you are happy to serve that family, you may be asked to attend an interview with parent(s). Usually parent(s) sit with kid(s) and observe how do you behave with kid and how kids react to you, as well as parents expect very very soft dealing with kid – so, your way of behaving at the interview is the must and you should make sure you will treat the child like a child and be a temporary mom for those kids and take care of them. If you Google, you can find a lots of interview tips to be followed.

Good luck with your nanny career.

Canberra the capital of Australia is reported as the city with high income earning families and the unemployment rate is lower than national unemployment rates as per reports during the year of 2012. It is very obvious that parents with kids in Canberra definitely will not hesitate to spend money for their kids due to good income rates of them. Anyhow, they may struggle on finding the best care for their kid, in other words, best nanny for their kids in Canberra. Let's discuss on some useful hints and tips that are helpful for parents to find a nanny around Canberra or any other cities of the world.

When it comes to hire a nanny, many people would think on nanny agencies in high streets of Canberra (or on the cities where they are living), next thing that may come across to mind is, newspaper / magazine “nanny wanted” advertisements. Of course those are more traditional (people use these methods for long time since now) methods on finding a nanny for your family. Other than that, these days with emerge of technology, it becomes quite easy to get a nanny using online nanny services.

Why online nanny services, but not nanny agencies in Canberra high streets?

Online nanny services has wide range of choices for a parent; whether the parent is looking for a full-time nanny or part-time nanny or live-in nanny or occasional nanny or nanny & housekeeper. Such online services are not limited with a single location, for example Canberra. You can find huge list of nannies who are ready to serve you, specially, if you are in need of a live-in nanny, you can get to know nannies who are not in Canberra but in other cities and they are ready to move to work as live-in nanny. With local area nanny agencies, it is not easy to find a pool of nannies and it is not easy to find a live-in nanny from another city as well.

Offline nanny agencies usually charge massive amount of service charge compare to few bucks at online nanny services. The nanny agencies in high streets do more work for you than an online nanny services. Professional and qualified nanny agencies always do background checks, verifications, criminal record checks and all kind of required checks for a best nanny and make sure they have the well-qualified and professional nannies with good rack of records. Not only that, they interview nannies for you and filter out, and give you details of few nannies who satisfies your requirements. As a result they charge you with more money. But, who knows that your nanny agency usually check all these things with each and every nanny that they have and how to make sure that the nannies that they may refer to you are thoroughly checked and verified. How to trust those nanny agencies? - Yes, so, it is clear now that you have to do a good depth research about nanny agencies before you get register with them.

Online nanny services usually do not do all these kinds of verifications and checks. Those services, always trying to connect parents and nannies. As that is the case, parents should do all kind of verifications and checks, as well as screening, interviewing and etc as well. But, these websites usually offer useful hints and tips on how to filter nannies, how to interview nannies, what to expect, how to get prepare, how to set up initial requirements as well as links of needed tools to do verifications and checks.
 
Another reason to go with online services is, it is easier to search nannies based on your required criteria and filter nannies whom you are going to contact. For an example, you can search nannies around your area (by doing search using your post code), nannies who are looking for part-time or full-time jobs and etc.

As I said earlier, the cost to register is very low with these nanny service websites. There are websites offer initial one month or so trail period to play around with their features, post ads and etc.

Why nanny services websites over general ads posting websites like Gumtree.com, Craiglist.com?

These websites (Like Gumtree.com.au, Craiglist.com) are not specialized in nanny services, they are posting advertisements on each and every that people are looking for, so such websites may not give you more details about the nannies other than the websites that offer nanny services only.

For an example, if you take look at http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/bruce/live-out-nannies/occasional-care-nanny/1020988775 – Here there is not much details about the nanny, it is just description about her services. It is NOT good. You cannot get more details about that nanny.

But, if you look at http://www.weneedananny.com.au/caregivers/16358.html – This it the BEST listing of a nanny. You can find all the relevant and required details of the nanny in detail, like her experiences, qualifications, types of work that she is looking for, availability of police check, driving license, available days, her preference at work and etc. Everything is clear crystal there.

This is why you should always go ahead with nanny services websites but not with regular advertisements posting websites like Gumtree or Craiglist.