Looking for a Live-Out Nanny? Where should you advertise?

When looking for a live-out nanny consider how far will your nanny be travelling to work?

A live-out nanny will typically live quite local to you.  They may travel up to say 10 miles.  They may travel for up to say 20 minutes.  Once travel time gets beyond around 25 minutes, then there is more risk that things will affect that journey.  If a nanny has to get two trains to work... that is an increased risk over a nanny who only needs to get one train.   A good nanny is a reliable nanny... always arriving at work on-time.

So how will a nanny find out about the job on offer?

These days the internet plays an important part in finding a nanny job.   As a parent you should be advertising both online and offline.    Spread the word in your local community that you are looking for a nanny - word of mouth recommendations can be very valuable.   You are after someone who lives locally, so advertise locally such as in local newsagents.  Postcard ads do still work but may not be seen by that many people.   So also advertise online where many nannies look for jobs.   Websites like FindABabysitter provide a Free Trial Ad, so you can test the service they provide by posting an advert and seeing how many people respond.  You only pay to read the responses (currently costs from as low as £6.95 - which gives you 5 days full access to message other users).

Other popular nanny recruitment sites in the UK are:

Nannyjob.co.uk
Childcare.co.uk
In some cities, Gumtree.com is popular.

Manny Poppins - I'm not Mary you know!

I was contacted a few months back about being on a reality TV show called Manny Poppins. You may think that I should have been excited about that and lept at the chance of being on TV. Well alas no. This is not the first time I have been contacted about being on TV and probably won't be the last. For some reason, TV producers casting teams seems to just try contacting every male nanny out there for these things... where as if they did some research they would find out that I'm rather shy in real life and possibly on the Autistic Spectrum, thus perhaps not making me ideal reality TV show material.

Mary Poppins (as per Julie Andrews in the Disney movie) may well be the sort of person who would want to do a reality TV show... however I am not that bubbly sort of character. I am far more reserved, quiet and not the life and sole at a party.

Marble Media are producing Manny Poppins. Andrew Clover has written about doing screen tests for a production called Manny Poppins on the Sainsbury's Little Ones website. I wonder if it is the same production, or another with the same working title. Supernanny has run for at least 5 years, so maybe now is the right time for Supermanny, or Manny Poppins, or whatever the TV companies what to call it. Though I'm not sure how it will really be that much different.

Andrew wrote: To me, it’s an Extreme Parenting Challenge: two hours to fix a kid’s eating habits. I debate tactics with the producer. She’s not particularly interested, she doesn’t have kids herself. ‘We’ll fix it in the editing,’ she says.

That would be a worry to me about these TV shows. If the producer can not relate to the situation, how will they be able to get the most out of the short period of time available for filming. Reality TV in my view should not need much editing at all... if it's edited, it isn't reality. Sure cut out some time periods to speed things up but please don't "fix it in the editing". If it's broken before it's in the can, dump it - that's my view.

Andrew goes on to mention a Manny Poppins bag, a Suit and a Hat. Hmm, I am a nanny... I don't wear a Suit. I haven't ever been comfortable wearing a suit, even having one tailored for me I still don't wear it very often - a funeral is I think the occasion it was last worn.

As a male nanny... a real Manny Poppins, I wear trousers a polo shirt, a sweatshirt and at this time of year a fleece on top. I don't like having to choose what to wear, so when I buy things, I tend to get several of the exact same thing... much easier that way. That maybe a man thing... or may be an autistic thing... who knows... probably a bit of both. Anyway, I'm glad I say no to these TV shows, I would hate to wear a suit. How can you nanny in a Suit?