Tag Archives: nanny placement

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 Prep for First Appointment:

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. 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, to know your commute, plan ahead if weather is supposed to be bad, the subways are slow, etc.

4. Make sure to take your shoes off and wash your hands immediately. Discuss with the family if wearing a mask is required in the home and any other Covid protocol that is needed.

5. Rates are set at a market minimum. If you are not comfortable with the market minimum please contact [email protected], as all jobs are processed with these rates. Any sitter that proceeds with a booking confirms they are comfortable with the rates set forth below.

Sitter Checkout Process:

NEW! How To Check Out Video

1. When you get the BFC checkout notification email, click on the blue highlighted link that says “CHECK OUT”.

2. This link takes you to the BFC login page. Login.

3. Go to the upper right hand corner and click on > Sitter Profile > View Profile.

4. You will be on your main calendar page. Scroll to the bottom to see your list of appointments that are ready with 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. If you worked less than 1 hour, add $5 to Misc. for a short appointment.

  • Add Transportation: Cab/Uber/Lyft/Car Service fare home up to $20 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. 

5. Once done, you will receive an email that lets you know you’ve successfully checked out.

6. Setup PayPal and make sure your account is verified. If your account is verified it will say “Your profile is at 100%.” If your account is not verified that means your account is missing information. You will not be able to receive funds from a vendor (the family) until your profile is 100% complete.

7. The family will pay you via PayPal 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 contact us at [email protected].

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!