In no particular order and obviously the list is not exhaustive…
☆ You are seen as difficult when you have limits and want clear boundaries
☆ If you are married or have children, you are often labeled as unreliable or unable to commit
☆ When it’s the nanny who wants to leave without notice, they are made to feel guilty, whereas families rarely feel guilty when they fire their nanny without notice
☆ If it’s the nanny who’s late for the interview, they’ll be immediately considered unprofessional. On the other hand, if it’s the family or the agency that keeps the nanny waiting, that’s perfectly normal!
☆ Agencies sometimes ask for 5 or 10 years of references from nannies, while they often don’t even vet the households where they place candidates
☆ Nannies’ references are checked almost every time they apply for a new position, when they should only be checked when a job offer materializes
☆ Agencies often blacklist candidates based on their attitudes, even though they themselves have the same attitudes that they do not accept in candidates
☆ Nannies cannot call agencies out of the blue regarding their application, however, agencies often call nannies out of the blue, even when they know they are likely at work and busy with their charges and know they probably won’t be able to answer the phone…
☆ Nannies can’t ask any questions they want in interviews because they risk coming across as unprofessional or rude, but families and agencies often ask nannies inappropriate (or even illegal) questions during interviews.
☆ When a nanny has a concrete job offer that falls through, they have no way of being compensated for the inconvenience. The same isn’t true for agencies… some have a clause in their terms and conditions stipulating that if they believe they have lost a client because of the candidate, they can claim compensation from the candidate.
