Parents faced with the task of hiring a nanny, or trying to correct the mistakes they made with their first one, may choose to go by the book. There are several guidebooks in the shops and libraries that offer them advice. Nannies can be grateful when potential employers give the matter that much thought - after all, many just place an advert or pick up the phone to a nanny agency and wait for the interviewees to come round. But are the books giving employers the information and advice that nannies want them to have? Do they give an accurate picture of nannying today?
Professional Nanny asked three nannies for their views on some of the leading books on the market.
THE GOOD NANNY GUIDE.
Charlotte Breese and Hilaire Gomer.
(5th edition, Vermilion/Ebury Press, 14.99).
Ann Ryall has been a nanny for six years in a number of live-in jobs around Cambridge. She read The Good Nanny Guide and said, 'I found this book very out-of-date, and obviously written by two mothers who have had very bad experiences with nannies! I wouldn't want a new mother employing her first nanny to read this book. You can be given too much information when looking for a nanny, and this book does just that.'
Zoe Warner-Deards has worked as a nanny for more than ten years in Somerset and London, contributed to Professional Nanny and appeared on a BBC TV series giving childcare advice to parents. Of The Good Nanny Guide, she said, 'The book covers the main priorities when considering employing a nanny. However, it is full of opinions, assumptions and generalisations that are often negative, making it difficult for parents to form their own views. It frequently refers to nannies in times past and quite frankly still gives the impression of "them and us". As a nanny myself I feel it does not give enough credit to nannies and their professionalism, and it cannot be a good idea to convey this message to parents as potential employers.'
THE TOP NOTCH NANNIES' GUIDE.
Jean and Jasmine Birtles.
(Summersdale Publishers, 4.99).
Beverly McCorriston finished her training at Norland nursery nursing college in 1985 and has since worked as both a live-in and daily nanny, a school matron and a nursery teacher in an English school in Germany.
Beverly read The Top Notch Nannies' Guide and commented, 'This is an easy-to-read, clear guide. The book covers all relevant subjects, but many are touched on only briefly and there is little back-up through examples.
'Emphasis has been placed on the initial employment of a nanny and none given to the equally important problem of retaining a nanny. To ensure continuity of care this must be a priority. The main concern of this book is to interview and select a nanny - it has little to offer on the practicalities of living with one.'
Meanwhile, Ann said, 'I would probably pick this book as the best out of the three. It is the shortest, but also the best laid-out, with short and easy-to-read chapters. The book doesn't offer any true-life horror stories, unlike The Good Nanny Guide. It leaves a lot to common sense and decency, which is what you need when interviewing prospective nannies.' Zoe also found this book 'a light and interesting read'. She commented, 'Written by the director of the Top Notch nanny agency and her daughter, the book talks to you in a knowledgeable and direct manner. It covers the basics well, from choosing your type of childcare, advantages of using agencies, interviewing, contracts, tax and National Insurance, to living with the nanny. It gives good guidelines on what you might expect from a nanny and vice versa, although possibly a little exaggerated, saying that many live-ins have a private bathroom, perhaps even self-contained accommodation with a car!
'There is a clear message to get it right the first time, by thoroughly checking experience, references and qualifications. It covers useful suggestions for interview questions and the importance of honesty by all.' THE NANNY HANDBOOK.
Karen House and Louise Sheppard.
(Simon & Schuster, 12.99).
Ann said, 'The best thing about this book is that it tells you how to keep your nanny once you have found one.
'It would also be very good for a newly-qualified nanny to look at before first-time interviews, as it has good sample questions.' Beverly said, 'It is a well researched, in-depth, step-by-step guide covering all aspects of employing and, just as importantly, retaining a nanny or au pair.
'Children have made an important contribution to the book, following the authors' warning that "any advice that ignores the opinions of children does so at its peril". Short case studies from past experiences show how to approach a wide variety of situations.
'This is a clear, precise guide which both new and experienced nannies can refer to, time and time again. I highly recommend this book for both employer and employee.'
Zoe thought The Nanny Handbook was 'an excellent step-by-step guide'. She said, 'The book concentrates on making the relationship between parents and childcarer a successful, happy one and gives ideas how to achieve this, with great sections on how to build good relationships, communicate effectively and productively and manage any problems along the way. The book is also helpful in covering the mixed emotions that go with someone else looking after your child. When the children go to school and the childcare needs of the family change, it can often seem a nightmare situation, but this book gives several simple positive solutions together with the pros and cons.
'The important issues when employing a nanny are covered in great depth, from checking CVs for gaps in employment, taking up references by phone, checking qualifications are sufficient and finding out a nanny's personal qualities through good interview techniques and questions.' Zoe, like many nannies, did not like seeing nannies and au pairs lumped together - 'although their differences are explained in the first section, doing this links them wrongly together for the same job,' she said. But author Karen House said that the publisher simply wanted both in to widen the market for the book (see below).
Looking at all three books, Zoe said they would all benefit from having the relevant childcare qualifications summarised, perhaps in a table, so employers could understand what candidates put on their CVs. She also noted that none of them covered detailed safety issues such as how to deal with door-to-door salespeople and showing the nanny where the house's electric, gas and water stop points are.
Ann said that reading such books before employing a nanny would be a good idea. But, she said, 'The only one that I would not recommend is The Good Nanny Guide. I find it very disappointing that some people are still this far back in the Dark Ages and I wonder how many nannies the authors have employed between them over the years. They say in the book that the average length of time a nanny stays in a job is a year to 18 months. A nanny will stay in a job for much longer than this if she is paid well and the work she does is appreciated.'
