How can you avoid finding yourself without a reference letter when you have been working for the same family for several years and it ends tragically?
Have you ever been in this situation: you work for the same family for several years, everything goes well for a long time and then it ends dramatically and the family does not want to write you a reference?
And are you wondering how to avoid this situation?
Here’s a little tip that might partly solve the problem: to avoid finding yourself in this situation, we advise you to add a clause to your contract stipulating that the family must provide you with a written reference each year, either on the anniversary date of the contract or at the end of each calendar year.
For example, imagine you work for a family for 3 years and when you leave your job after 3 years they do not want to provide a written reference. With such a clause in your contract, you still won’t have a written reference from them stating that you worked for them for 3 years, but at least you will have 2 other reference letters from that family for your first 2 years with them.
There is also no obligation to wait until the end of the year or the anniversary date of your contract. Some very experienced nannies ask for reference letters every 3 or 6 months because unfortunately things can go wrong in less than a year…
This little trick unfortunately does not completely solve the problem, they can always refuse to provide a verbal reference, or provide a negative one, you will still have to explain to the agencies that it did not end well with this family and that they refuse to give a verbal reference, but your CV will be more credible thanks to the reference letters that you will have accumulated each year.
Again, asking for annual letters of recommendation isn’t a magic solution, and it won’t stop parents from refusing to provide a reference letter when things go wrong.
But these annual letters of recommendation will allow you to document your work history, and if the parents refuse to be contacted for a verbal reference or if they try to provide a negative verbal reference, at least you will have evidence that for a while they were satisfied with your work!
Here is an example of a clause you can add to your contract:
After each employment/calendar year, Family will provide Nanny with a written letter of reference detailing their performance and duties from the past year.
