How to Spot a Fake Nanny Reference

It’s important to conduct thorough background checks to make sure your potential nanny is both fully qualified and competent enough to look after your little ones. But, in an attempt to cover up a bad experience with a previous employer or to appear more experienced than they actually are, some nannies will fake their references, either by writing their own reference or asking a friend to pretend to be a parent on the phone.

The statistics are scary and we know that not every parent has the luxury of having an agency screen nanny services for them. As a parent, you’ll have a rough idea of what your child’s routine is like when you’re not there, based on reports from family members and any previous nannies you may have had. Naturally, if the referee can’t go into detail about what their children’s routines are, the alarm bells in your head should start ringing. 

Fake nanny references tend to list out responsibilities, typically describing a normal day with little to no detail about each activity. Spotting them is very important, so you can ensure that your children are cared for by only the best nannies. 

To see exactly what we mean, here’s an example of a written reference :

If you do stumble across a nanny reference like this, we recommend chasing them up via phone call and asking for specific details. If the parent only states the obvious - for example, the child woke up, played for a bit, watched some television and then had lunch - ask them to go into detail. For example, do you have restrictions on screen time, and did the nanny adhere to them? These are basic questions that are asked about all types of nanny services. If there’s an obvious hesitation or the referee starts to get flustered, you know that this is not a real parent and that you’ve caught them in their lie.

Details like this can determine whether or not the nanny reference is fake. Not only can you tell by how they answer - as mentioned above, it is highly unlikely that a parent would get the year their child was born wrong - but also in how they react to each question. With detail-specific questions, if the referee needs to stall for time it’s likely they’ll ask you to repeat the question or will say they can’t hear you. If they’re really stuck, sometimes they’ll just hang up!

When it comes to asking for details, ask them to confirm things like birthdays, start dates, what year they’re in at school, etc. Some parents may be a little reluctant to give out personal information about their child at first, but will nonetheless be able to answer confidently, perhaps saying August 2015 rather than 8th August 2015. With questions like this, confidence is key.

Lying about the length of placement is usually the result of a nanny trying to claim that they’re loyal, committed and able to stick around for a while. Spending a long time in one placement also justifies asking for a higher salary, as it shows they have had experience working with children over a long period of time. 

While there are nannies and even maternity night nurse out there that have had long placements, there’s nothing wrong with looking into this. When you first speak to the referee, make sure you double check the dates, asking what the nanny’s schedule consisted of on a day to day basis and how it changed over the years as the children got older. Similar to the points above, try to get as much detail out of their responses as possible. 

Another thing to keep an eye out for when reaching out to long-term former employers is how they would like you to contact them. After working together for so long, it’s highly unlikely the nanny would lose contact with the family altogether.

At this point, we recommend using the email address provided to ask for a phone number, so you can arrange a phone call. Question the length of the message they send you - this one would have taken approximately five minutes to type out, long enough for them to say the same thing in a verbal reference. If they ignore your requests to speak over the phone, much like this referee did, odds are you're dealing with a fake.

We touched on this briefly in the point above, but this is a big red flag. Even if you have a phone number, sometimes the referees will not pick up, choosing to email or WhatsApp you instead.

The first place to look if you suspect something is in their written references. How do they write? Is the referee’s writing style similar to the nanny’s? How do they describe the nanny? One way to check the facts is to look up the parents on LinkedIn. Does the email address on their account match the one the nanny has given you? Does their position and location match up to what you’ve been told by the nanny?

The next red flag comes if the parent is reluctant to schedule a call, or can only call at a specific time on a specific day. It’s entirely plausible that the parent has a hectic schedule and needs to set aside some time, but it’s worth pushing for that phone call to investigate your suspicions. Look out for their excuses; if their excuse seems too generic or completely false altogether, it’s worth examining further.

The Four Pillars of Childcare - Best Nannies

It’s almost time to go back to work and you’ve decided you need an extra pair of hands to help you with your little ones. The question is: what childcare options are out there? 

Too often parents find that they’ll go down a certain childcare path recommended by a friend or an online forum, only to find it doesn’t work for them and their family. 

There are typically four categories of childcare available: childcare companies, childminders, nannies and family or friends. In this article, we’ll be breaking down each type of childcare along with their pros and cons to help you find the best solution for you and your family.

Option 1: Childcare companies

Childcare companies include kindergartens, creches and nurseries. Children are typically dropped off by a parent and cared for all day by the nursery staff, and take part in activities with a focus on learning and development, such as drawing, playing and interacting with other children of similar ages and singing songs. Most nurseries have a “key worker policy”, meaning your children will be looked after by a particular member of the nursery staff who will report back to you at the end of each day. 

Nurseries are Ofsted regulated and regularly inspected by official bodies to ensure they meet a certain standard of safety and staffing. All staff working in a nursery have been inspected by Ofsted and will have been DBS checked and trained in paediatric first aid. 

Many parents opt for a nursery because of their potential for social interaction. Your child is taught to share and play with others (which is especially important if they don't have any siblings) and become familiar with the nursery staff, giving them a sense of structure and familiarity outside of the home. It also allows you as a parent to connect with other adults, which can be helpful if you cannot pick up or drop off your child one day. 

However, nurseries have set opening and closing times, and often charge extra if you are late picking up your child. This can be a problem if you work shifts or have long hours, or even if you have a commute where getting stuck in traffic is a possibility. 

Another issue that comes with nurseries is that one-on-one interaction is not always a possibility, leaving some children without the extra support they may need. They may not always get on with the other children either, which may make them dread going each day. 

While many see nurseries as an economical option, this is only the case if you are enrolling one child. Costs can very quickly add up if you have two or more children in the nursery at the same time.

Finally, as nurseries mean your child will be interacting with other children, they are more likely to get sick and bring infection into your home. This is especially so in the current coronavirus pandemic, which has seen nurseries across the country close. Nurseries will also not admit sick children, which may leave you needing back-up care at the last minute.

Option 2: Childminders

Similar to nurseries, childminders work with children from different families, but this time from the comfort of their own homes. They are all Ofsted inspected, DBS checked and have checked in with social services. They can be found on social media groups and through the local council and government websites.

As childminders look after different children, it means that your child will be with children of different age groups, which much like nursery sees that they will be able to develop their social and interpersonal skills. Childminders are also likely to have their own children, which means that they will be able to empathise with you as a parent and better meet your child’s needs. 

Childminders also look after far fewer children than nurseries, meaning that your child is more likely to get more attention and will be able to develop a relationship with their childminder. 

However, childminders cannot always guarantee back-up care if they are unwell or on holiday, which may leave you without back-up care at the last minute. As childminders are normally part of a network they may recommend another childminder for this time, but this is not always the case. 

With childminders being based in their own homes, there is no guarantee that they will be flexible when it comes to picking up or dropping off at after school clubs. There is also no guarantee that you will be able to come across a good childminder in your local area. Reputable childminders are likely to be booked up for months and that’s providing there are childminders in the area, both close enough to your child’s school and to your place of work, so that drop-off and pick-up won't interfere with your commute time too much.

Option 3: Family Members

Family members are a popular option for those who are in the enviable position of having them close by, whether it's a grandparent, an aunt or uncle, or even a (much older) sibling. Family members are usually happy to look after your children for free, and provide a familiar face when you are away. If an aunt or uncle has their own children of a similar age, it can be a great opportunity for the children to develop the social skills they would in other childcare settings.

However, many working parents are likely to have moved away from their families for work, meaning that this option is not always available. Even if they do have family members close by, there is no guarantee that they will be available to help out, especially if they are working too. There is also the risk of spreading illnesses to elderly relatives and factors such as shielding may mean they are unavailable.

Option 4: Nannies

Nannies provide one-on-one care for your child in their familiar home surroundings and are entirely focused on tending to their needs, from feeding and cleaning, to educational activities and play time. As this is in the child’s home, the nanny can cater towards the child’s schedule, ensuring they are as comfortable as possible.

A nanny is also a familiar face and can very quickly come to feel like a part of the family. This is especially the case with our best nannies at myTamarin. As we focus on matching parents and nannies by both objective and subjective criteria, we’ve seen placements last 2.5x longer than the rest of the market.

There are also logistical and scheduling benefits associated with hiring a nanny, especially if your nanny is live-in. By having a nanny around constantly it means there is less worry if there is a traffic jam or you need to work late, and nannies can be especially helpful in putting your child to bed if need be. You also won’t have to worry about taking time off work for trips to the dentist or doctor, and nannies will generally be flexible when it comes to picking up from after school clubs and events.

Nannies can also help out with light housework, such as laundry and cooking (or more general household duties in the case of a nanny-housekeeper) meaning that you have more time in the evenings to spend quality time with your family.

The main reason many parents hesitate to hire a nanny is because of the cost. This is a valid concern, but only if you have one child; with two or more children, nannies can be cost-effective, and far cheaper than nurseries or other forms of childcare. 

If your nanny falls sick or goes on holiday, it may leave you without help at short notice. However, myTamarin are happy to step in here and provide back-up childcare. 

Many parents also worry that their child may not be well socialised and may only have limited opportunities to interact with other children. If this is a concern of yours, speak to your nanny - most are happy to take your little ones to play centres and parks, or arrange play dates so that they get the interaction and develop the social skills they need. 

Choosing childcare can involve making tough decisions, so it’s important to research each childcare provider thoroughly and to do what works best for you and your family. If you’re still on the fence as to whether or not you should hire a private nanny, give us a call on 020 3432 0234 or drop us an email on hello@mytamarin.com

How Will Your Business Function When Coronavirus Wipes Out Traditional Childcare?

With a significant portion of the UK workforce relying on childcare and schools, we have prepared a snapshot of the coronavirus impact on the childcare market to help businesses with their contingency planning.

While it’s unclear how exactly the coronavirus situation will pan out, one thing is almost certain — (some) schools, nurseries, childminders and after-school clubs will close. When closures do occur, we can expect them to last for anywhere between a week and two months.

When it comes to pre-school childcare specifically:

Nurseries are likely to close if schools close.

Childminders are likely to close as well, as they fall under the same regulation as nurseries.

Family members such as grandparents who are often relied upon for childcare are likely to start pulling out given they are more at risk.

Nannies on the other hand, are likely to continue to work unless travel restrictions are put in place and/or sickness occurs.

We expect that over the coming weeks (likely through to the end of April and possibly into May), 50–70% of childcare arrangements will be severely impacted or cancelled, with 95%+ being impacted in some way. This will put a considerable strain on working parents and businesses in turn.

For example, in a typical organisation where 30% of your workforce are parents with children aged 10 years old or younger, 15%-20% of your workforce may not be able to work, or their working hours will be significantly reduced due to disruptions in childcare for a period that could last up to 10 weeks.

As a business, you may already have an agreement in place with one of the traditional emergency childcare providers. If so, please note that they are already experiencing a considerable strain on their limited pool of nannies which is not ready to deal fully with the significant increase in emergency/backup childcare, that is very likely to happen.

To help alleviate the pressure, we are now making our professional team of nannies available for backup childcare and are offering a flexible corporate package.

myTamarin back-up childcare for corporates includes:

myTamarin 5-step nanny vetting

All myTamarin nannies go through our 5-step vetting process, including a comprehensive interview, verbal reference checks, status to work check, as well as criminal background and first aid checks.

Plus! additional Coronavirus precautions

1.     All myTamarin top nanny agency London have received our new practical course on hygiene and how to minimise the spread of coronavirus.

2.   All nannies and parents are being asked to self-declare (at least weekly) that they are not showing any of the known coronavirus symptoms and have not recently travelled to any of the Government listed countries. Both parties have the option to opt out.

Personalised matching of families with nannies

Our in-house psychologists and childcare specialists will match families and nannies based on both objective and subjective criteria.

Admin management

Payments are collected and paid via the myTamarin payment platform to minimise the admin burden for parents.

How it works for parents:

With myTamarin being the best nanny agency in UK, parents have a choice of nannies. With traditional emergency back-up childcare, a parent doesn’t have a choice and will meet the carer for the first time when they arrive on their doorstep to start.

1.     Parents sign up with details of their requirements

2.   myTamarin specialist discusses requirements with parents and sends a short list of suitable candidates

3.    Parents review matches and select preferred candidate(s) to interview

4.   Parents confirms which nanny they would like to hire

5.    Parents set up direct debit with myTamarin who will handle nanny payments

As a parent, you have unique needs and finding the right nanny can be tricky and time-consuming. Whether you’re looking for a temporary maternity nurse, a full-time nanny or anything in between — myTamarin understands what it takes to find the right fit for you and your family and will make your priorities our own.

We offer a ground-breaking matching approach based not only on skill-set but also on your unique personality, parenting style, preferences, values, and needs. Whether you’re looking for a long-term maternity nurse or occasional night nanny, we’ve got you covered!