Nanny for your child: how to find one and agree on terms
Start with what the nanny will actually do
The tasks vary: picking up from school or the creche and going to the park, cooking lunch, looking after a baby, helping with homework, practising English. A baby under one needs different experience from a schoolchild. If there are several children of different ages, give each child's age straight away: it changes both the requirements and the rate.
Also decide whether you want “pure” childcare or light cleaning, cooking and washing the children's clothes as well. Without that, misunderstandings start by the second week.
How to find a nanny through BlaBlaPrice
Instead of group chats and a dozen calls, you write one request. Nannies in your area reply themselves: a short note on experience, education, languages, free hours and the pay they expect. The request is checked before it is shown, so there will be no ads or other people's contacts in the text. You share your number only with the candidate you choose. The service is free for families.
What to put in your request
- Child's age — and how many children, for example 2 and 5 years.
- Schedule — full day, evenings, weekends, live-in; Mon–Fri 9 to 6.
- Duties — school pick-up, walks, cooking, homework help.
- Language — whether she should speak English, or help the child with a language.
- Experience — teaching or nursing training, references.
- Area — city and locality.
- Start and length — from what date and for how long.
- Pay — how much you can pay, per hour or per month.
Example: “Mumbai, Powai. We're looking for a nanny for two children, aged 2 and 5, Mon–Fri 9 to 6. Pick up the older one from school, take them to the park, cook lunch. English-speaking preferred, with teaching training and references. From 1 November for a year, pay ₹120 an hour.”
How to choose among several candidates
Hold the interview with the child nearby: you can see how she connects with them. Ask how she handles typical situations: tantrums, refusing to eat, an injury at the playground. References from earlier families matter more than a nice CV, so phone at least one.
Agree on trial days or a trial week to see whether the children are comfortable with her. Settle at once who covers when she is ill, how holidays and days off are paid, and whether there is a written agreement.
Common mistakes
- Not discussing rules: gadgets, going out in any weather, food.
- Relying on a profile alone without talking to earlier employers.
- Not leaving the doctor's number and instructions about allergies or medicines.
If you want an institution instead of a personal nanny, look at private nurseries. For care of the elderly there is a caregiver. More details are on the page How it works.
