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.

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?