Families seeking part-time childcare often have a difficult time finding well-qualified candidates who meet their needs, exceed their expectations, and can commit to working for their family on a long-term basis. Especially in a competitive market where there are fewer job-seeking nannies than ever before, it can be very hard for part-time positions to compete with full-time positions for the best-of-the-best candidates. While it can be challenging to attract and retain amazing candidates for part-time positions, it’s not impossible with some intentional forethought and planning.
Here are our top 5 tips for finding, hiring, and keeping a professional part-time nanny!
1) Offer a Consistent Schedule
Creating a consistent schedule that stays the same from week to week will allow your nanny to go to school, work for another family, and/or have another job. Most professional nannies need to work full-time, so making it easy for them to work a second position will also make it easier for the nanny to stay with your family long-term.
We have also found that families find more success when offering nannies at least 20 hours per week, as their nanny may only need to work one additional job instead of two or more. The more outside positions a nanny must work to make ends meet, the less availability they can offer your family!
If you don’t need (or can’t guarantee) at least 20 hours each week, you may need to get even more creative—we’ll go over that in “4) Consider All Qualified Options”!
2) Offer Guaranteed Hours
Professional nannies expect a regular schedule and consistent pay, and this is especially important when only working part-time with a family. If their paycheck varies from week to week based on a family’s schedule changes that they have no control over, they may need to seek out a new position that can offer more consistency. Guaranteeing a minimum number of weekly hours based on the schedule you need is key in attracting and keeping a professional nanny.
With Guaranteed Hours (a standard benefit for all nanny positions), your nanny is paid for all hours they are available for and contracted to work, even if they are not needed. This will ensure their paycheck is not impacted by any of your schedule changes—they will still earn their Guaranteed Hours on the weeks your family is on vacation, when they are sent home early, when grandparents are in town, and any other time they are planning to work and you tell them they are not needed.
3) Offer a Lucrative Compensation Package
Offering a competitive and lucrative total compensation package with a legally-paid, above-market hourly rate and standard nanny benefits will help you attract a larger pool of well-qualified candidates during your search. It will also help ensure the nanny you hire isn’t swayed by future offers of full-time employment elsewhere.
Part-time nannies should be paid at least $2 more per hour than one would offer a similar full-time position. This shift premium encourages your nanny to prioritize your family’s schedule each week and discourages them from seeking out a full-time position with another family, as they are likely making more hourly (and therefore weekly) working for two families than they would just working full-time for one!
Part-time nannies should also be offered the same benefits as full-time nannies, as working fewer hours each week does not mean they aren’t entitled to the same professional work benefits. These benefits include Guaranteed Hours, two weeks of PTO equivalent to their weekly Guaranteed Hours (ie. a nanny hired for 20 hours/week will earn 40 hours of PTO annually), one week of sick time equivalent to Guaranteed hours, paid holidays if/when the holiday falls on a day nanny is scheduled to work, and mileage reimbursement for all miles driven in their personal car when on duty with your children.
4) Consider All Qualified Options
While searching for your part-time nanny, there are some less-conventional options to consider that may help you attract and retain a high-quality professional nanny, especially if you do not need at least 20 hours of care each week. If you only need very part-time help, consider hiring a traditional college student or an experienced and well-qualified nanny who brings their child to work with them. These candidates often intentionally seek out part-time positions, are often able to commit to fewer than 20 hours of work each week, and hope to maintain these positions for as long as possible.
Traditional college students will have more entry-level experience, but will bring a high level of playfulness and energy into their time with your children. Depending on their school schedule and your family’s needs, they may only be able to stay a semester or two until they need to move on, but if you have flexibility to adjust your weekly schedule to accommodate their classes and eventual internships, it could be a win/win for all parties until they graduate!
Nannies who bring their child(ren) to work with them often work only one part-time job each week and therefore can offer a high level of flexibility and reliability to that one family. This can be especially helpful if you have a work schedule that needs to change regularly and you are not able to offer someone a consistent schedule from week to week. If you need someone who can give you 60+ hours of weekly availability and be happy only working 20 of those hours, a nanny who brings their child(ren) to work with you will be your very best option!
5) Use a Reputable Nanny Agency
Nanny agencies exist to help families search for, screen, hire, and retain the highest caliber of professional nanny. Finding the very best nanny for every family and every position is what they specialize in! Nanny agencies have extensive experience placing part-time nannies in a plethora of different schedules, and that experience translates into creative suggestions and effective solutions to help you create a lucrative part-time position that any qualified professional nanny will be excited to apply for! They may already have the perfect person for your family on their roster, just waiting for the perfect family to need them!
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Ready to start your search for a high-caliber part-time nanny? Have questions about how to attract an amazing nanny to work an unusual part-time schedule? We’re here to help!
We would LOVE to help you brainstorm childcare solutions for your family, and would be honored to take the lead for your part-time (or full-time!) nanny search. Email Jaynie at jaynie@minannysolutions.com to start a conversation!