Finding and employing a nanny while visiting or living in Nigeria can be a painstaking and overwhelming process. From weighing the very safety of your children to judging the person’s personality to know if she/he will be a good fit for your family, you are required to make many critical considerations. Even more, with the frequent release of videos showing nannies in Nigeria and other parts of Africa maltreating their wards, it is important that parents remain sceptical when making a choice.
To help the visitors looking to engage a caregiver in Nigeria, Jumia Travel shares five tips to help them not only hire a nanny while visiting Nigeria, but also remain confident about the situation afterwards.
- Keep your expectations real
Before you contact that hiring agency or post your adverts for a nanny, make a list of your expectations and consider them to know if they are real or far-fetched. You must first decide on the kind of nanny you are looking for, disciplinary practices, demonstrated ability of any potential nanny to care for more than one child. Ask yourself questions like: What days/hours do you need your nanny to work? Are you looking for a live-in or live-out nanny? What time will the nanny arrive and depart? What hourly rate can you comfortably afford in your household budget? Ensure you create a thorough list of “must haves” for your nanny search. Knowing your priorities will not only help you attract the right candidate, but also make the right decision
- Interview the candidates
Even if you have employed an agency to contract the nanny on your behalf, ensure you first interview the nanny before going any step further. Pick the best three to 10 candidates and arrange a meeting at a neutral location, like an eatery or restaurant. Alternatively, you can interview them via video phone or Skype. This gives you a chance to consider each one with an eye towards professionalism and experience. You also get answers to such questions as: Do they have experience? Do their qualifications match your needs? How well do they convey why they want this job?
- Conduct an in-depth reference check
After the interview, do not just rely on the information the nanny has given to you by the nanny agency’s background check. Conduct your own research. Contact the nanny’s past employers and make inquiries. Do a thorough criminal background check and identity verification. If hiring a nanny on your own, you can contact a private detective to do these background checks. Most importantly, ask her for her medical records and ask her to take vital tests including HIV test, hepatitis and other tests to ensure she is healthy enough to work for you and your children are not at risk of any sort of infection from her.
- Arrange an initial meeting with your family
After the interview, go ahead and cut the list down to your top two candidates and invite them to your home for an in-person interview. Ask detailed questions about her background and child care philosophies and give them a chance to meet your children to see how she interacts with them. Take close note of how the children interact with the nanny. Is the nanny comfortable and acting natural? What is the children’s response to the nanny? If they are old enough, ask them for their opinion. In all, do not be overbearing, rather, trust your instincts. If you do not think the nanny is the perfect fit for your family, keep looking. However, if it seems to be a good pairing, then move forward with the negotiations.
- Include a trial period in the contract
After you have concluded on terms of employment with the nanny, draft a contract and ensure she signs it. However, it is important to include a trial period before full hiring. It could be a period of four weeks to about 12 weeks. During this trial period, you train her and stay back for a while to see how well she gets on. If you are satisfied, you can seal a more permanent deal.
Contributed by Nkem Ndem, PR Associate, Jumia Travel
Skype: live:nkemndemv, Twitter: @ndemv, Instagram: @kem_dem
