What a weekend I had. My sister-in-law was in town, which was a hyper-intense mix of emotional intensity and general activity. I've got plenty to say about that, but right now, I'm feeling panicked.
I need a nanny. Last year, when I moved to Portland and needed a nanny, I posted a job on sittercity.com and I got a ton of responses and found someone great (who is now going back to school full-time). This year, I posted a job on sittercity.com and I have had virtually no interest.
I need someone to start on September 13. Did I mention that I'm feeling panicked?
Does anyone have general recommendations on where to look for someone besides sittercity? I have looked on craigslist (mostly saw a lot of posts that made me say eeeeek!) and community bulletin boards. I'm considering registering with care.com and cross-posting my sittercity.com job there. Portlanders, do you know anyone looking for nanny work? If you know of someone who might be interested, send me an email and I can give you more particulars about the job.
I have lived under a really lucky star as far as childcare is concerned. C'mon star, keep on shining on me. Please?
Moi
- Snickollet
- I'm a mother and a widow, and a whole lot of other things. Here, though, I tend to write about parenting, grief, and their intersection.
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27 comments:
I forgot to ask my neighbor for her information. I will get that and pass it along if she's looking. Again, I don't know her at all, but I figure you can do a background check if she seems good when you interview her. They've been good neighbors. :)
I have found nannies for my twins two ways: the first time, I posted an ad on Craigslist. It took 3 interviews, but we ended up with a fantastic nanny who stayed two years and is now a close friend.
The second time around I simply put it out there on Facebook and asked if anyone knew anyone. We're all set now with two new part-time nannies starting next week.
I hear ya on feeling panicked, though. With twins it is so much easier to have a nanny than bring them to daycare, imo.
@Megan: Thank you!
@Jennifer: My Facebook status is currently a nanny solicitation, so I'm trying that method, too. Craigslist has been off-putting to me, but I might give it a try. Hope everything goes well with your two new part-timers.
Local colleges have job seeking/seeker websites for alumni. With the job market what it is, many college grads (and graduate students) are looking for whatever they can get...that's how I found a nanny for my twins.
In our city, I use a site called Kijiji to search for a lot of different things.
When I googled Kijiji Portland, I was taken to this site:
http://portlandor.ebayclassifieds.com/
And when I searched for "nanny" there were a few ads like this pleasant-looking one:
http://portlandor.ebayclassifieds.com/resumes/fairview/teacher-looking-for-nanny-childcare-tutor-position/?ad=5247116
Good luck!!
Local teaching schools bulletin boards? Local MOT club? Don't bother with Care.com - all caregivers do both for free so you as employer only need to register with one.
Put an ad on craigslist under gigs-->domestic (not under community-->childcare). You can always do a background check and/or check lots of references.
babysitters4hire.com
I've found several sitters and nannies on this site. I hope it helps!
we've found our nanny help through a local church nursery. The girls are all undergrads who babysit at the church on Sundays for pocket money, and many are looking for more hours. Through them, we made connections to other undergrads, including some recent graduates who couldn't find work. You could always try it.
I have a friend who got her great, Mary Poppins-ish nanny, on nannies4hire.com.
i have found that the best way is word of mouth - ask a friend who has a nanny if her nanny has any friends looking for work!
I believe you work at a university, yes? I would recommend posting things in hallways, and if there's a campus daycare, asking if you can post there (our campus daycare has work study students who are often looking for extra work). Also, contact some departments and ask if they would be willing to send it out to a listserv (e.g., education, psychology, human development). Or, if you know any students there personally, ask them to post on facebook to ask their friends.
I posted a link to your blog on my facebook status. A friend in Portland is doing the same. Good luck!
People do post on Full House Moms forums. I'm not sure what kind of response they get. This would just be part time correct? What are the days/times you need? What area of town? I just got an email today from a friend who was saying her nanny is available on Wed and Fri.
Never needed nanny care (I would have LOVED it with my twins and older child!!) but did need kid sitters as they grew up for evening care and the odd mini vacation. Mostly word of mouth and we were very very lucky.
I agree with the commenter who recommends you post the position at the school in which you work. Lots of students looking for work I would imagine.
technology is obviously WAY BETTER now than when I was in college - but I got a nanny gig in college because I saw a flyer in the student-center or outside the career center, can't remember which.
My college also had a daycare where there were students who did work/study. That's a great suggestion from thellfamily above. Target audience!
Since you're on campus anyway, it's worth a shot. Good luck.
I've found nannies via our local community college as well as through our church bulletin. Good luck and don't panic! Trust the universe!
Hi. When I was looking for jobs, I checked http://www.care.com/ for available positions. Good luck. :)
I actually posted a request for a weekend / night sitter on sittercity.com, and last year got a ton of responses but not a single one this year. However, I have had great luck with care.com in the past. Good luck!
Student "temp agency" at *local* college/university...? If you have any access to students via work, you might try word of mouth method and ask around?
Check out Care4hire.com. There is a free preview of available sitters in your area. If you have questions, please feel free to contact us via phone or email:
http://www.care4hire.com/contact-us/
We found our first two nannies (well, sitters, more like) on Craigslist. We posted an ad, and it was pretty easy to filter out the crazies. The next round of people -- ones who seemed good -- eliminated themselves by not getting back to us. Those who remained were solid candidates who were serious about getting a job. Voila!
We found our latest sitter on Care.com, which is cheaper than SitterCity but just as good (as far as I can tell.)
Oh dear! I wish I had advice, but we went the daycare route in large part because the nanny search seemed so daunting!
ages ago, when I used to nanny, I posted my services at the food co-op. Maybe that would be a good place to put up an I need a nanny flier? If there is a birth center or midwifery program in your area - doulas and midwifery students are usually good bets for childcare, and the staff may know where to find good ones, too.
Try the childcare forum at urbanmamas! Or send the ladies who run it a post ... it's Portland local, good resource.
http://www.urbanmamas.com/childcare/
Try the local colleges, especially in their education or early childhood departments.
I've used care.com as well and have had great luck. Good luck!
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