Nanny trial day - why is it important?

In this article we talk about: why you need a nanny trial, when to do a nanny trial, what should a typical trial day look like, how long should it last, are trials paid and more.

Once you have chosen your nanny from a list of candidates we recommend that you take the time to do a trial so that you can know for certain that a particular nanny is right for the job. Trials are also useful to give you a good comparison between your top candidates. 

Just looking at candidates’ references, and experience and interviewing them isn’t going to be enough to make a judgement about their suitability for the job. 

Some nannies will assure you during the interview about their particular abilities and skills, and will answer all the questions as you would like to hear them, but may not be able to actually perform on the job, while others may be shy during the interview but confident and competent with your children. 

A trial should look as much as possible as a regular day to give you a chance to assess your candidate in action with your children and judge their chemistry, true skills and personality. They are also a chance to provide guidance and share with your candidate as much information about the job as possible. 

Ideally, you’d like to see how the nanny copes and responds to various situations and for her to see what the job entails. 

They are a good way for a nanny to experience an actual day on the job, duties, hours and of course the commute. Does she use her own initiative? Is she comfortable with the newborns? Can she handle a long day with a toddler? Can she cope with the commute on top of a long day? The most common reason nannies quit their jobs is the hard commute to work on top of a long day. 

You may realise sooner if you don’t want to employ a nanny but it may take you longer to decide if she is the candidate you are looking for. Therefore you can do the trial for a few hours or a few days depending on how comfortable you feel about your choice. 

Please note that some nannies will take a day off from their present job and we advise our clients that trials should be paid the normal hourly rate regardless if you are going to hire a nanny or not. 

It is important to remember that a nanny may also be weighing other job options and once you made your decision it is a good idea to make an offer as soon as possible to secure your top candidate.

We hope you enjoyed this article and found it helpful, if you have any more questions or if you would like us to help you find your perfect candidate then please do not hesitate to contact us. We’d love to help you.