Our recruitment process
The recruitment process
Knowing who to recommend as a nanny is more complex than you may think.
Which is why a nanny recruitment agency based in London, Kent, or Surrey can help you find someone who fits your exact needs.
But how does our nanny recruitment process work? We explain below.
Nanny recruitment with Hummingbird Home Staff
1. Reviewing the candidate pool
Once you have made contact with Hummingbird Home Staff, we will discuss with you your childcare requirements. This can be over the phone or during a home visit if you prefer. From this, we can advise you on the options available and type of nanny you need, and we can start to look for the nannies that best suit you.
You may be looking for someone full-time to take on most of the childcare tasks, or you might be looking for someone to both take care of the school run and cook dinner in the evenings – whatever your requirements, we’ll go out to our pool of highly qualified candidates and find the best fit for you.
We meet and fully vet the nannies that register with us, so we can be sure of their qualifications, experience and references but also to understand what their requirements are for their next role. It also gives us the chance to get know them better as a person and to see the things that a CV does not show you. From this, we can write a short profile that will add some colour to the CV and can help when deciding to interview or not.
Nanny qualifications
Ideally, we like our nannies to be qualified in childcare and have a minimum of 3 years’ post qualification experience. However, sometimes we come across outstanding individuals who started in childcare with no training and have, down the years, built a strong career and experience every bit as good as a qualified nanny. We will look at the individual when considering qualifications and experience and ensure we only recommend the best.
We expect our nannies to have a current DBS or to have one in process to be completed before they start with their new family. They will also have to supply full written references or contact details for previous employers. As part of our process references will be taken up or checked and verified by us.
2. The interview
Once you have reviewed the information sent to you and made a decision on who to meet, Hummingbird Home Staff will arrange the interview with the nanny for you at a time and place that suits you best. We would recommend that first meetings are without your children if possible and that they are kept to around one hour.
It is important to have a natural chemistry between the nanny and the family and only you will know if it ‘feels right’. This person will be working in your home, and it is crucial that the chemistry between the family and the nanny is there from the start.After you have interviewed them, we will be in contact to receive your feedback on the nanny you have met. They will also provide their feedback and if there is a potential match between family and nanny, we would suggest arranging a second meeting, this time with children and for a longer period of time. This is a good opportunity to observe her with the children and to get a better feel for her as a professional carer.
3. The Decision
Once you have decided to offer the position to someone, we’ll be on hand to help with the offer of employment, looking at potential start dates and advising you on the next steps that you need to take to get everything in place.
If you need advice on employment terms and how to pay tax for your nanny, get in touch with us.
Get in touch with us today to start your nanny search
Ready to kick off your nanny search? Get in touch with us today to begin your journey to a happier, stress-free home life.
As an expert nanny recruitment agency in London and beyond, we understand that you want only the best for your children. With over twenty-five years of experience in finding household staff for happy clients, we are ideally placed to help you find the best care for your children and family, whatever your specific needs.