Taking on the services of a high-quality Italian nanny has the potential to be an absolute godsend for any Italian family living and working in London. These days, actually finding a great nanny or Italian au pair in London is technically pretty simple as there are so many online resources and agencies in operation for exactly such purposes. But at the same time, it should never be taken for granted that the process is foolproof or that modern nanny recruitment services can be relied on as flawless.
So with this in mind, what follows is a brief introduction to five of the most common mistakes made by Italian families in London seeking quality nanny services. Be sure to avoid the following at all costs and the rest will more often than not fall into place quite naturally:
Rushing Or Skipping The Interview Process
First and foremost, to overlook the importance of the interview process is to roll the dice with fate. It really doesn’t matter how highly recommended the nanny is or how great they appear to be on paper or even how extensively they have been interviewed by the agency – you still need to carry out a full and comprehensive interview. The reason being that there is so much to be said for compatibility which often goes above and beyond things like qualifications and experience. Quite simply, if you are not compatible with the nanny, it isn’t going to work – precisely why skipping and rushing the interview process is a very bad idea.
Not Looking Fully into the Nanny’s Background
Another hugely important part of the vetting process is that of carrying out the necessary background checks to ensure that the nanny you are interested in doesn’t have one too many skeletons in their closet. Again, it is common to assume that what is there on paper in front of you is the gospel truth and that the nanny track record speaks for itself. Nevertheless, unless you personally look into their background – up criminal record checks etc. – or have this done on your behalf, you really have no way of knowing whether or not they really are as safe as they appear to be.
Not Putting Things in Writing or Having a Contract Prepared
It might be new territory for most and can seem a little bureaucratic for those not used to such things, but it is nonetheless of crucial importance to have a full contract and job description prepared ahead of time. The reason being that you need to have something down on paper which documents each and every task and requirement of the nanny and is therefore the document that represents the agreement between the two parties. The contract needs to include literally everything of importance from agreed rate of pay to sick leave policies to vacation pay and everything else across the board – it is often a good idea to speak to the professionals to help get a good contract drawn up.
Providing Insufficient Training and Instruction
Another exceptionally common mistake made by families looking to hire nannies for the first time is that of falling into the assumption that the nanny will know exactly what to do and how to do it. Needless to say, if the nanny has plenty of experience, chances are they will know their way around the average household and will be more than adept when it comes to looking after kids. However, as your household, family and general way of doing things will be somewhat unique from every other family on the planet, you need to assume that your nanny will not in fact know a thing about how things are done in your household. As such it is important to start from the bottom and work your way up, as it is better to offer more training and instruction than necessary than to offer too little.
Favouring Professionalism and Experience Over Compatibility
Last but not least, while the subject has already been touched upon it is important to emphasize the fact that while professionalism and experience count, there is very little that counts more than compatibility. They could have all the qualifications in the world and have been working as an Italian nanny in London for several decades now, but this does not necessarily mean that you and the kids will be able to get on with them. Unless there is a real and genuine click between all parties right off the bat, chances are the arrangement will go nowhere.
