Tag Archives: nanny placement

Sitter/Nanny

How to Check Out of a Sitter Appointment or Nanny Trial

Make sure you have your Stripe account set up. This is how a family pays you. Enter all your personal information correctly. This should take 5-10 minutes. 

Step 1: Log into your BFC profile, go to UPDATE APPLICATION on your calendar page & then click on PAYMENT SET UP tab. Click on the RED link (example below) and follow the prompts. Do NOT go to www.stripe.com to set up your account. 

You must have Stripe set up prior to getting paid.  Setup to receive payment through Stripe.

Step 2: How do I know I set up Stripe successfully?  Log into your BFC profile, go to UPDATE APPLICATION on your calendar page and then click on PAYMENT SET UP tab you will see “Great job, you successfully set up your Stripe account” if you did it successfully.  That indicates you are done! If you don’t see that copy and you see this instead: You have some pending requirement for accepting payment. Click here to learn more  click on the link to enter the missing information. 

Step 3: Depending on your bank, it can take a few hours, days or weeks for your account to reflect ‘verified’. When your account reflects ‘verified’ that means that you are now able to receive funds. Be patient, it will be verified soon and you’ll be paid.

Now Checkout!

  1. When you receive the BFC checkout notification email, click on the blue highlighted link that says “CHECK OUT”. This link takes you to the BFC login page. Login.
  2. Your main calendar page will appear. Scroll below to find your list of appointments with PROCESS CHECKOUT links. Be sure to click on the correct appointment you just completed. This will take you to the page where you enter your hours, expenses, etc. 
    • – Make sure to double check that the dates are correct for start/end time (i.e., If you work past midnight, make sure the dates are correct as 12:30pm will be the NEXT day).
    • – Make sure you add the correct number of children and the times you worked with them. If you cared for a different amount of children for different hours, make sure you break down your checkout. Sometimes the family is okay with you checking out for the total amount of children they have, regardless of exactly when you were with them.
    • – Petcare: ONLY click this box if you are specifically asked to care for the family’s pet. This does not mean playing with the pet around the home that naturally lives there, but actual pet care duties such as dog walking, or feeding cats/dogs, etc. Many families ask for these services without remembering the fee exists. If asked to do petcare, please remind the family that there is an additional $20 charge so they are not surprised at checkout.
    • – Add Misc. Expenses that were known and preapproved by the family. If the family said they would reimburse you for buying the child snacks or they offer to order you dinner and would like it put on the checkout, add this as an expense. If you have multiple expenses, you can continue to click “add” to create a list of expenses.  If the family said to add a tip, you can also add that amount to your Misc. section. 
    • – Add Transportation: IN THE TRI STATE AREA ONLY Cab/Uber/Lyft/Car Service fare home up to $30 shall be added for appointments that begin before 7 a.m. or end after 9 p.m.  Keep a photo of your receipt if the family requests to save it. Occasionally, a family will offer to order you a car service on their private account/credit card, which is also acceptable at which point you would not charge them separately for transportation. 
  3. Once done, CLICK SUBMIT you will receive an email that lets you know you’ve successfully checked out.

Note rates are set at a market minimum. If you are not comfortable with the market minimum please contact us, as all jobs are processed with these rates. Any sitter that proceeds with a booking confirms they are comfortable with the rates on our website.

The family will pay you within 3 business days per our terms. If they are late, they receive a reminder email to complete and all checkouts are typically complete within 48 hours. If a delay persists, you may email us.

Sitter/Nanny

How to Prep for a Nanny Interview or Trial

  1. Check in with the family via email or text as soon as you get the confirmation email to say hello and that you’re looking forward to meeting them.
  2. During this exchange, reiterate the start and end time and location to ensure that all the details you received on the confirmation email are accurate. 
  3. Review the family’s profile for special notes and/or job conditions to have a good understanding of the family’s background and needs. If you have any questions you can ask BFC prior to meeting the family.
  4. Dress appropriately. Wear attire that is both childcare friendly and professional. Look presentable as this is the first impression you are making on the family.
  5. Show up on time! On time is 5 minutes early so that the family does not begin to worry if you’ll be late. Use a GPS device to get directions ahead of time and plan ahead if the weather is supposed to be bad, the subways are slow, etc.
  6. Make sure to greet the family upon meeting them and proceed with asking if you should take your shoes off and wash your hands (if it is a trial and you are working with kids).
  7. After the interview, send a thank you email or text thanking the family for their time and tell them it was great meeting them.

IF YOU CHOOSE TO CANCEL: There is a ZERO tolerance for no shows.  If you need to cancel for any reason, you must give at least 24 hours notice before appointment start time. Families rely on their providers to give them calm. If a nanny cancels her interview or trial, it tells the family that they will cancel on them in the future and may not be a candidate to further consider. 

Sample Nanny Interview Questions – Practice these at home prior to the interview!

  • On being a nanny
    • Why are you a nanny?
    • Why are you looking for a new position?
    • Why are you interested in this job?
    • Describe your ideal family/employer:
    • What do you like least about being a nanny? Answer this in a positive light!
  •  On working with children
    • What are your beliefs about childrearing?
    • What do children like best about you?
    • How do you comfort children? How do you deal with separation anxiety?
    •  How do you discipline children? Give me an example of a previous discipline problem and how you handled it.
    • What are some of the rules you’ve followed in other households that you think worked well?
    • Which rules haven’t worked for you?
    • Would you be willing to follow my rules and disciplining/comforting strategies even if they’re different from yours?
Mom

How to Conquer Motherhood With 4 Kids

Going from three to four kids is a lot. People told me it’s much the same as going from two to three kids, but I think it’s harder! So, how does one manage a lot of kids? A lot of patience, love and help!

I found that getting childcare and household help assists me in being a better mother, friend and wife. 

A part time nanny can bring consistency to the family and offer a regular schedule of coverage. For my family, we use a part time daytime career nanny. This allows me to work from home consistent hours four days per week, grab lunch or a coffee once in a while with a friend and attend my workout class every Wednesday. I get to mingle, check off my weight bearing exercises and leave the house!

My nanny also helps me tidy up the kitchen and folds the children’s laundry — a BFC Family Helper would also be great at things like this!

For date night, when I need additional coverage during the day or weekends or for overnights when my husband travels, I book a BFC sitter. I use a sitter at least once per week as something always pops up in our schedule.

I love being a mom. I also love being a good wife, daughter, sister and friend.  I found outsourcing to reliable childcare providers is the best way to enjoy the many hats we mamas wear.

Looking to hire a babysitter or nanny? Bell Family Company provides fully vetted & FULLY VACCINATED on demand babysitting, including full and part time nannies, baby nurses, temporary care and more! Learn why BFC is the best childcare agency, with childcare providers available across the U.S. (on-demand service available in the Tri-state & Dallas areas). Contact us today to hire.

Sitter/Nanny

Prep & Etiquette Tips for a Childcare Interview

We know prepping for a childcare interview, or any interview, can be a stressful time. To help ease the nerves, it’s a good idea to do some pre-work to ensure you put yourself in the best possible position to get the job. Here are some interview preparation tips along with etiquette best practices to get you started in the right direction.

Sitter & Nanny Prep for First Appointment or Trial: 

1. Check in with the family via email or text as soon as you get the confirmation email to say hello and that you’re looking forward to meeting them.

2. During this exchange, make sure you have the right start/end times confirmed between both of you and the right address.

3. Review the family’s profile for special notes and/or job conditions to have a good background of the family’s needs and prepare any questions you may have.

4. Dress appropriately. Wear attire that is both childcare friendly and professional. Look presentable as this is the first impression you are making on the family.

5.  Show up on time! On time is 5 minutes early so that the family does not begin to worry if you’ll be late. Use a GPS device to get directions ahead of time and plan ahead if the weather is supposed to be bad, the subways are slow, etc.

6. Make sure to take your shoes off and wash your hands upon meeting them for the first time.

Bell Family Company

Bell Family Company’s Unique Vetting Process

Bell Family Company takes pride in providing the best childcare providers in the business. Each childcare provider on our team has been carefully selected through our unique screening process, where they are 1) directly referred by someone we know or recruited from one of our trusted sources, 2) college educated, working professionals, students or career childcare professionals, and 3) prescreened through an extensive online application (it is over 60 questions).

Our recruitment team reads through each application and then does a preliminary interview over the phone. Once the candidate passes through the preliminary, then he/she is scheduled for an in person (Facetime for non-local candidates) interview.

At the in person interview, the candidate completes a Nanny Assessment Test that examines both their emotional and psychological responses/answers to each question. The test is graded according to our standards. Each candidate must pass, and if they do not they are not accepted.

Then, the candidate meets a member of our Nanny Services Team to complete the interview and work history form, which includes names of all employers, their address, phone number and information about the job (ages of children, schedule, what they did at the job, etc.).

Our team member and the candidate then review their resume and the candidate provides proper legal documentation (two forms) along with a photo. Each candidate completes and passes a national background check, which we subsidize to bring cost down for them.

Next, we complete a social media screening and three of their references are called via phone by our team member who was an educator for 30 years. Each reference must be a childcare reference and pass through acceptable criteria set by our Agency.

Upon completion, the nanny candidate is accepted to our Agency and is in communication with our team about jobs that are a fit for them. Each candidate has the opportunity to attend our bi-annual CPR and First Aid Training, as well as receive on-going coaching, prepping and check ins to stay up to date on all childcare information.

We continually review the candidates’ profile based on family feedback and their communication with us. We only work with the best nannies in the business. If a nanny does not pass through our Agency’s criteria or proves to not be a fit for our Agency based on our team’s or family’s feedback, we will remove that candidate from our Agency.

To learn more about the Bell Family team, click here!

Looking to hire a babysitter or nanny in NYC? Bell Family Company provides fully vetted on-demand babysitting, including childcare for when a child is sick, full and part time nannies, baby nurses, temporary care and more! Learn why BFC is the best NY Childcare Agency servicing the tri-state area. BFC is the best in the business! Contact us today to hire a nanny in NYC or to book the best babysitters in NYC!