I have a job

Woohoo. The family decided they would check their own references, as they should anyway, as they said waiting for the agency to, might mean losing me. Yes, it would’ve. One of my lovely employers from last year, whom I worked my butt off (and more) for, gave a glowing reference. The job was mine. Finally.

Bit late for the contract to be sorted but honestly, if I really didn’t like the job once I started all it would take would be 1 week’s notice. Temp it is, as well. I can handle temporary positions, even if I hate getting out of bed for them (if they are really that bad), as I know there is an end date.

Hours agreed. Going on holiday agreed. Duties, the usual, discussed. Pay agreed. Contract to be sorted out soon. Finish date unsure of. Hmm. Start date sorted.

I’m looking forward to it. Although I am a bit nervous as I have never met them so don’t know 100% what they are like. Or the kids. Or the house. Or the pets. Or the other staff.

It’s a tricky one taking on a job when you don’t completely know or understand the set up. I think it takes some guts to go into. Usually you have to land running. To keep the kids routine going, food on the table, clothes washed, kids entertained, parents happy. It takes some doing. Temp jobs never seem to give you a settling in time. This can be hard. With experience it is easier. Being flexible and not stuck in your ways makes it even easier. Being able to absorb and watch yet at the same time doing takes a bit of doing. I’m a ‘mucker inner’. If the dogs need letting out. Out they go. If the clothes in the washing machine need hanging, even if they are nothing to do with my duties, yet I need the washing machine, then hung they will be. And so on.

I’m looking forward to it. There seems to be enough kids, dogs, and built in entertainment to keep me busy, happy, and entertained. Here’s hoping.

Playing God

I’ve often believed that agencies can play God with us nannies. ‘Oh, I didn’t think the job was for you.’ ‘You won’t ‘fit’ their family.’ ‘You aren’t what they are looking for.’ ‘The job has gone.’ (When it’s still on their website … and … 2 weeks later, still on their website.) ‘We have no jobs that fit your requirements’, and so on. Often, because I am not stupid, I find these excuses not to be the case.

So, why do they say these things? Do they think they know me better than I know myself? I know which jobs I can do and which I won’t do. So why can’t they put me forward for them? Maybe it’s an age thing? The family want an older, younger, less experienced, naive, fitter, skinnier, prettier, foreign, speaker of other language nanny, or … the agency just fancies playing God.

Only last week I was told, by one agency I got in touch with again, ‘we have nothing that fits your requirements.’ Funny thing was on their website they had the job that I had skyped interviewed for. The job I was offered through another agency (and then un-offered as they didn’t have a clue hadn’t checked all my references when they had said they had.)

But why would I be told they had no suitable jobs then? I have no idea. It wasn’t like I changed my wants or needs for a job from one agency to the next. I never did say anything to them. Just shrugged my shoulders and thought ‘oh well, your loss.’ I know who I won’t go to next time round.

The job I skyped interviewed for was listed with about 5 agencies. The job description was pretty similar, give or take a few extra nights of babysitting, or having the monitor overnight. One agency had them down as high profile. Who? … Exactly. Another had them offering up to a certain amount for exceptional candidates. When I questioned the agency who had put me forward for the job about this, I got a ‘never will they pay that amount’ and to be honest I never would expect a family to pay that amount.

It makes me wonder what’s the truth and what’s not. It should be black and white. I have often resorted to looking on Gumtree as often jobs listed with agencies are put on there by the families too. And in this day and age the difference between getting the job and not may be due to the fact there are no agency fees to pay.

Problem is we need a job. Agents already have one. How much are we willing to put up with before we turn our backs on them?

Oh the Things We Catch from Kids

Head lice. That’s the latest. I have never in my life had head lice. Nor have I ever looked after a child with it. So how on Earth did I end up with it. Euugggh. I’m still shivering with horror. I got my hair trimmed today. 1 louse and 2 eggs later. Euugggh. Shiver. Shiver.

So what to do. I don’t like these harsh chemical things. And the hairdresser swears I am now free. I want to be convinced. But at the same time I don’t want to be host to lice. Euugggh. Tea tree oil mixed with shampoo I will try. Along with a very fine toothed comb. Fingers crossed.

The source was traced. Some children I enjoy spending time with to give their mother a break. A family of 4 children. The sweetest, kindest, loveliest, always wanting cuddles and to be close to you children. They don’t have much. In fact they have very very little. Yet, they are happy children. Constantly smiling children. Well cared for children. Today’s present for them from me were a pair of new socks each. Their present for me was head lice. I guess sharing is caring. In a way. One way.

Job Hunting

Love it or hate, one has to do it. I temp a lot. I like temping. I don’t know why. I just do. Maybe it has to do with the not liking to be bored thing I have. The not getting stuck in a rut, the liking change part of me.

I’m job hunting. I’m not fussy. I never really have been as a Nanny. I just want a job that pays well. A job where I will be respected. A job where I will be legally employed. A job that I will enjoy. A job. Maybe not just any job. But a job would be good. Money would be good.

So… I emailed a few agencies I am registered with. I even attached my updated CV. Wasn’t I good? Did I hear back from them to say thanks, got it, will keep an eye out? Nope. Don’t know why. Maybe they are just busy. I just thought it would’ve been polite of them to respond, that’s all.

I did hear back, from one division of one agency. 3 days later. With a job description. Did I like? Yes, I did. Did I hear any more? Not until a few days later…  Can you do a Skype interview tonight? Yes, I can. Questions back to the agency. Did they reply with the answers? They replied, yes. With the answers to the questions, no. Argh. So who is calling who? Actually, I can’t call them as I have no idea of who they are on Skype. I guess I will just have to wait and see.

Roll on the time for the interview. 1 minute late. Hallelujah. Good start. I have heard of some nannies waiting for up to 3 hours for an interview to happen, if it happens at all. I would’ve long given up. It was my very first job interview on Skype. I was a wee bit worried. I hate to think what I look like on screen yabbering away. And I was a bit worried because our internet can choose to be very slow. Talking via video link pretty much kills conversation. I was so relieved when they said within a minute, right, got to turn the video off, internet can’t cope. Phew. I just had to talk then, not have to try to look my best at the same time. Much easier. Actually I didn’t do too much talking in the end. They did. I had to make a conscious effort to make sure I made the right utterances at the right time just so they remembered I was there. Interview over. Job offered. Always a good start.

Emailed agency. With further questions. They emailed back. With job confirmation. Further questions not answered.

I try again a day later. Questions still not answered. No sign of the contract. Instead I got the ‘can we have details of these referees’.  They had a list of names off my CV. Please give us details so we may collect references. Details given. Though bit late to be asking, no? I’m stamping my foot. I’m getting very frustrated. I’m getting a wee bit cross. Just a wee bit. A wee bit more cross the more I think about it actually. Moving on to ‘right, I’m well annoyed now’. I gave those exact same details when I registered. I was told they had been checked. It actually took you near on 4 months to check my references then, and now you are telling me you need to check them again? Hello??? Anyone home??? And even then you had the gall to come back to me 4 months later and say, OK, we can help you find a job now. Um, hello, 4 months too late. Bills needed paying, I needed work. I wasn’t hanging around waiting for you. Even when I turned up to register the person I was seeing had forgotten I was turning up. Oh deary me.

A decent agency. Well I thought so. I’ve known nannies who have had jobs through them and they haven’t said much so I figure no news is good news. They haven’t been around for ever but have grown pretty big and do have good jobs. This is why I went back to them.

So apparently these references from 4 or 5 years ago now need checking. Ones I was told had already been checked. 90% of my references I was told had been checked after I registered. Apparently that is their rule. A lot when you have done nothing but temp work for years. Jobs I was in for 1-2 weeks. Have these people moved house. Yes, 2 have. As far as I know. Do I have their new details? No. An email for one of them, nothing more. I don’t stay in touch with everyone I work for. People change emails. People change phone numbers. This is the best I can do. So now what?

Do I still have the job? I don’t know. Have they checked my latest referees from the jobs I had after registering with them. The details were given last week. No. Messages left this morning. Apparently. What was wrong with last week before I received the job details. Before I was interviewed. Before I was offered the job. Before you confirmed the job. Surely that’s not the right way round?

Yes. I got stroppy. I received an apologetic email pretty much straight away. Their fault. They are sorry. They didn’t realise my references hadn’t been checked.  Even when I had been told they had. Even when it had supposedly taken them 4 months to check. No, they should never have put me forward for the interview. No, they should never have implied to the client that my references had been checked. Yes, the client asked this question. After I had been offered the job. Yes, they were honest with the client. They kept the client in the picture. They didn’t do the same to me. The clients pay their bills. Agencies often forget it’s the nannies who the bills are paid for.

I keep asking myself. So, do I have the job? It starts next week. Apparently.

Apparently naming and shaming nanny agencies isn’t the done thing. Shame. Putting a nanny out of a promised job due to their incompetence? Do they care?

Welcome all,

Hello and Welcome to my blog. I’m a Nanny and have been for quite a few years now. Probably more than I care to count and definitely more than I ever thought I would be. But I enjoy it. I do. Every day is different and mostly fun. We’ll count the getting thrown up on, wee’d and pooed on moments as the not so fun bits. And while we’re here we might as well add in the having to deal with not so great employer and agencies bits too. So that leaves a lot to enjoy! Yay.

I guess I have wanted to work with kids since I was a young teenager. Was it the easy option? I don’t know. But it got me travelling and travelling was what I wanted to do. And I’m still travelling. And I’m still a nanny.

I think in the Nanny world I have been there, done that. I’ve had long term jobs, short term jobs, high profile jobs, maternity jobs, mother’s help jobs, sole charge jobs, shared care jobs, proxy parenting jobs, night jobs, full time jobs, part time jobs, holiday jobs, weekend jobs, travelling jobs, jobs where I never got a minute to myself, jobs where I barely got to touch the baby, jobs that I waited weeks to start, jobs that I started within half an hour of hearing about, fun jobs, not so fun jobs, exhausting jobs, boring jobs, clock watching jobs, where did the time go jobs, city jobs, country jobs, jobs in houses with more stairs than I care to remember, jobs in houses one would get lost in if they weren’t careful, jobs in flats, chalets, castles, villas … jobs with 1 baby, jobs with 2 babies, 3 children, 4 children, more children, jobs with children with special needs, jobs with dogs, jobs with cats, jobs with hamsters, jobs with horses, jobs with nursery duties, jobs with no nursery duties, jobs with housekeeping duties, jobs with mad people, jobs with entertaining people, jobs living out of suitcases, constantly travelling jobs, jobs where we never left the county, jobs with nice parents, jobs with not so nice parents, jobs with nice children, jobs with not so nice children .. let’s just say it’s been an interesting time.

And now, I feel like sharing those times and more. I hope you will enjoy.