Nannies and au Pairs : Hiring In-Home Child Care

by Bray, Ilona

• ISBN13: 9781413311907
• ISBN10: 1413311903
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-06-02
• Publisher: Ingram Pub Services

Summary

Whether you've got a new baby, toddler, or grade-schooler, turning your child over to someone else is a big transition. How will you find a care giver you trust? How much will in-home care cost? Will you feel forced to pay under the table? And what's the difference between a nanny and an au pair, anyway?

Author Biography

Ilona Bray is a former attorney and Nolo author who has written on practical, family-oriented topics ranging from real estate to helping family members immigrate to the United States. She lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area, California.

Table of Contents

Your Companion When Hiring a Nanny or an Au Pair	p. 1
Making the Choice: A Nanny or Another Form of Child Care?	p. 3
Beyond Mary Poppins: Child Care Options	p. 5
Budgeting for Child Care	p. 15
Hiring Part-Time Nanny Care	p. 24
Sharing a Nanny With Another Family	p. 35
Sharing a Nanny-Advantages and Disadvantages	p. 36
Setting up a Share Arrangement	p. 39
Dissolving a Sharing Agreement	p. 46
Who's Your Ideal Nanny? Listing Priorities	p. 49
The Credentials and Experience Your Nanny Should Have	p. 50
Live-In or Live-Out?	p. 54
Beyond the Basics: What Else Do You Expect?	p. 57
What's Fair, Yet Affordable? Pay, Vacation, Other Terms	p. 65
High Enough, But Not Too High: Setting the Pay Rate	p. 66
Creating a Package of Benefits	p. 76
"I Need to Fill Out a What? " Tax, Immigration, and Payroll	p. 85
Verifying Your Nanny's Immigration Status	p. 88
Withholding and Paying Taxes From Your Nanny's Salary	p. 94
Buying Insurance	p. 104
Paying With Pretax Income: Dependent Care Accounts	p. 107
Getting Money Back: The Child Care Tax Credit	p. 108
Job Available! Getting the Word Out	p. 111
Tap Your Network: Finding a Nanny Through Word of Mouth	p. 112
Read All About It: Checking Ad Listings	p. 114
Placing Your Own Ads	p. 115
Hiring a Nanny Through an Agency	p. 118
You Meet at Last: Prescreening, Interviewing, and Background Checks	p. 125
Prescreening Applicants by Phone	p. 128
Make-or-Break Conversations: Reference Checks	p. 132
Asking Nannies to Fill Out a Job Application	p. 135
Getting to Know You: The Interview Process	p. 138
Test Run: Hiring a Nanny for a Trial Period	p. 146
Is She for Real? Background Checks	p. 147
The Au Pair Option	p. 153
Who Gets What in This Cultural Exchange	p. 156
Choosing Your Au Pair Agency	p. 163
Choosing an Au Pair	p. 169
Getting Your Employment Agreement and Other Instructions on Paper	p. 175
Drafting an Employment Agreement	p. 176
Creating a List of Emergency Contacts	p. 185
Creating a Medical Treatment Authorization Form	p. 186
Assembling a Notebook of Other Important Instructions	p. 189
Day by Day: Developing and Adjusting a Routine	p. 191
Mints on Her Pillow? Preparing the Room for a Live-In Nanny or an Au Pair	p. 192
Orientation and Training	p. 194
Talkback: Creating Communication and Feedback Systems	p. 201
Conducting Formal Reviews	p. 205
Taking Vacations Together	p. 206
Taking Trips Without the Kids	p. 208
How to Keep a Nanny You Like	p. 211
The Bare Minimum: How to Keep Your Nanny in the Job	p. 212
A Little Extra: How to Make Your Nanny Happy	p. 217
Coping with Trouble, and Ending the Nanny Relationship	p. 221
Watching for Signs of Trouble	p. 223
Firing a Nanny for Behavior Reasons	p. 227
Terminating a Nanny You've Been Happy With	p. 231
Avoiding Wrongful Termination Lawsuits	p. 234
Index	p. 235
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