Searching for a nanny - on Craigslist?
Categories: Babies, Toddlers, Money & work, Life & style, In the news, Playground bureau, Weird but true, Childcare, Mommy wars, Mommy musts, Resources
Recently we all got a good laugh, intentional or not, from a mom who posted on Craigslist looking for a nanny. For those of you unfamiliar with Craigslist, it's a now international site where one can post or look for anything from a job to household goods (used baby clothes too!) to a hot date, and everything in between. Hence, it should come as no surprise that someone would post looking for a nanny.
Finding a good nanny, especially in a city as big as New York, can be daunting at best. Sure, there are many to choose from, but they're expensive and trolling through their credentials can be arduous. All the good ones seem to have been snatched up by a neighbor uninterested in doing a nanny share. Finding affordable daycare, however, can be twice as hard. There are waitlists and questionnaires long enough to boggle the mind. All the good ones are very expensive, and few if any actually provide a discount for siblings (often they will give your child preference over another if you already have a child in regular attendance).
I find myself in this very situation right now. To live in New York, I have to work full-time, so childcare is a necessity for me. I am a Brooklyn mom so things in my part of New York should be less expensive than, say, the Upper East Side (from whence the poster looking for a nanny hailed), but it's still eyepoppingly absurd how much everything costs. If I were to put both my kids in daycare it would cost more than my new mortgage. Yep. So a nanny seems like a good idea, if I could just find a good one that wasn't too expensive and that didn't need to live with me. I, too, have thought about posting on Craigslist. Perhaps not in quite the manner in which the other mother posted, but it's certainly crossed my mind. After all, folks post for everything else so why not?
Would you post for a nanny on Craigslist or any other site or is that a crazy idea? Also, if you happen to be a nanny or know of a good one in the New York area, please let me know. My kids are NOT a pain in the ass. They're cute.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jenni 9-01-2008 @ 1:26PM
You advertise for a nanny in a newspaper and other places, why not on Craigslist? It just means that you have to do a bit more background checking than if you went to a nanny service agency.
I don't see the big deal.
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Allison 9-01-2008 @ 3:18PM
I'm in Seattle and I've found almost all of my best babysitters (and nanny shares) through craigslist. No big deal at all. I screen, I call, I check references. Oh, and by the way, have you noticed that those lame nanny agencies that charge so much advertise on craiglist as well? Everyone's on craiglist.
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Lindsey 9-01-2008 @ 4:23PM
I actually found my nanny on Craigslist after searching for more than 3 months with some scarily painful interviews. We had resorted to hiring a bunch of nanny agencies (finder's fee of 10-20% of the annual salary!), when she became available and responded to our ad. She's been with us 1.5 years and was a great find.
Finding a great nanny is a difficult process. I wouldn't limit your options by avoiding Craigslist. Though I would recommend making your ad as specific and detailed as possible, along with asking for specific information in their reply, to avoid a mass response that would take days to review.
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Courtney 9-01-2008 @ 4:44PM
There's nothing wrong with this, I know lots of people (and nannies) who have posted on craigslist.
As a current full-time nanny, I know how hard it is to find quality child-care, but different internet sources are a great resource. You might also want to try enannysource.com, gonannies.com, sittercity.com, and care.com. All of these have a trial period I think, but even if they don't the membership for parents I think is around $20, and most of them are able to make background checks available for you at around $8-10 a pop, and some of them (care and sittercity) give the sitters/nannies the option of providing the background check with their profile, I've found that it gets more inquiries that way.
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Ancileesboutique 9-01-2008 @ 5:34PM
I think it's just like anything... example= newspaper, internet, agencies, neighbors, so called friends?..you get what "you" hire!! If you don't investigate the person who will be taking care of your children then you are one lame parent.
Look, you could get a total freak watching your kids if you do not do the work involved in being a great parent. And these days, that is what it takes to keep your children safe, well cared for and alive at that!!! Craigs List is just like anything else in life...a gamble.
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Pavlina 9-02-2008 @ 12:08PM
I found my old babysitter on Craigslist and I almost hired a nanny from there, but used enannysource.com instead.
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Belma 9-09-2008 @ 11:43AM
Childcare With A Cultural Twist
With more dual-working and single parent families in New Jersey than ever before, local parents are finding it difficult to balance life, family and work. For busy families, an important part of this juggling act is finding the right childcare for their children. Families need a trustworthy caregiver that can offer the flexibility a busy family requires. There is one flexible and affordable option available to parents that is gaining popularity in New Jersey--hosting a live-in au pair.
Since 1989, the U.S. Department of State has issued a limited number of student J-1 visas to young people from abroad to work as childcare providers in the United States. The au pairs, ages 18-26, care for the children of American families in exchange for a small weekly stipend, the opportunity to take courses at local universities and the chance to experience our culture first hand. Au pairs provide up to 45 hours of childcare per week for the average cost of around $325. This price remains the same no matter how many children a family has, making it a very affordable option for families with two or more children.
During their stay in the U.S., au pairs provide live-in childcare and help their host families more easily balance their busy lifestyle. A host family can set their au pair’s working hours according to their hectic schedule, often having the au pair drive the children to and from school or to appointments, as well as supervise the older children during after-school hours and vacation breaks. And a great help to the family, au pairs also assist with light household responsibilities, such as preparing meals, the children’s laundry, and helping the children keep their rooms and play areas neat.
As a local childcare coordinator for Cultural Care Au Pair, I have the chance to meet many of the au pairs who join our program. These au pairs are adventurous, educated, young people from abroad who choose to leave their life at home for one year to share their love for children with an American host family. Au pairs are excited to become part of an American family and experience American culture by living in our communities, volunteering and taking classes at local colleges.
About the Author
Belma Bostanci is a local childcare coordinator for Cultural Care Au Pair in Millburn, NJ. She loves connecting New Jersey host families with au pairs from around the world, helping families find flexible and affordable childcare. Belma welcomes your questions about the au pair program and can be reached at 973-379-2628 or BelmaBostanci@aol.com. For more information, please call or visit:
http://b-bostanci.local.culturalcare.com
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