I LOVE UR CHILDREN WHEN U CANNOT: UR PERFECT NANNY IS HERE!!!

November 17, 2006 6:52 AM

How do people hire nannies in New York City?

I'm looking for a part-time nannying job in New York to subsidize working for an unpaid internship and, um, living here. Craigslist is a nightmare of abused caps lock and broken English, and there seems to be tons of agencies, but I've heard conflicting evidence about nearly all of them. What agencies have you trusted or heard to be trusted, and which ones should I not bother applying to?

For the record, I need an agency that doesn't take much (if anything) from my own salary, doesn't require a year long contract, and doesn't demand full time hours.

posted by zoomorphic to work & money (7 comments total)

http://www.nynanny.com/

That kind of stuff. Google "NYC nanny" and "NYC child care".
posted by Mikey-San at 7:19 AM on November 17, 2006

Mikey-San, I have googled that kind of stuff, it's just there's so much of said stuff, all sites demanding long applications and essays about why I want to be nanny, that I'd prefer to know what people have actually used.
posted by zoomorphic at 7:35 AM on November 17, 2006

I had practically no luck with craigslist or other online resources. Honestly, my best experiences came from word-of-mouth referrals, which doesn't sound too helpful in your case.

I recommend good old-fashioned bulletin boards in gyms, cafés, and other places where moms congregate. If you can make an interesting ad for yourself, you might generate some great calls (which will hopefully be discernable from the bad ones). Also this helps you try to concentrate on particular neighborhoods. Check around for local preschools and see if they allow ads like this posted or have and suggestions.

And as you have already mentioned the nebulous and threatening hordes of all-caps or otherwise ill-boding ads posted by seekers on both sides, an intelligent, warm ad that presents excellent qualifications is usually well received.
posted by hermitosis at 7:53 AM on November 17, 2006

I have to admit I don't understand the difference between part time babysitting versus working part time as a nanny - however, I have used sittercity www.sittercity.com to find part time gigs. The application did not seem that long, the parents pay to use the service. and you provide your hours of availability.

Also, I would still peruse Craiglist from time to time despite your intial problems. I found a tutoring gig for 40/hr there recently - the amt of time spent on outisde jobs can be minimized if you persevere.

Good luck.
posted by Wolfster at 7:53 AM on November 17, 2006

Are you in college? Did you go to a college in NYC? A friend got a pretty lucrative regular part-time nannying job through the job center at our college.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:04 AM on November 17, 2006 [1 favorite]

When my girlfriend was going to grad school, she made ends meet with a great nannying gig she got through the Bank Street College of Education bulletin. It doesn't look like it's available outside the student body, but if you know someone who's attending I can't imagine they wouldn't be willing to share it.

If not, I could ask her about it tonight as I'm pretty sure she still receives it.
posted by JaredSeth at 10:31 AM on November 17, 2006

Simple — go to the Great Lawn on a sunny day and start poachin'.
posted by rob511 at 11:44 AM on November 17, 2006