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A surprising discovery in the FCCC study was how mothers chose their childcare. Penelope Leach said mothers planning to return to work gathered information from the media, leaflets and friends. 'However, as maternity leave passed, remarkably few used the information they had collected. Many didn't go looking for childcare at all until the very last moment. A surprisingly large number of women didn't ever look for childcare, but just let it happen to them at the very last moment.' Her research found that few mothers asked about references or training, and many didn't understand the differences between nannies and au pairs. Sound familiar, from your recruitment experiences? All the more reason for a nanny to put qualifications and experience up front at interviews, and to use only agencies that do proper background checks on their job candidates - since sadly, many parents don't.

Sound familiar, from your recruitment experiences? All the more reason for a nanny to put qualifications and experience up front at interviews, and to use only agencies that do proper background checks on their job candidates - since sadly, many parents don't.

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