Nannies to the Wealthy: Are Home Invasions on your Radar?
November 20, 2007According to the following article Home Invasions are on the rise. The most recent FBI data reports that residential robberies, which include home invasions, rose nearly 13% in 2006 from 2002, even as violent crime overall decreased 0.4%. Last year, 64,000 residential robberies were reported.
If you are a nanny, whether for the extremely wealthy or not, this article provides excellent tips on safeguarding against home invasion. I also think it reiterates the importance of a live, real-time home monitoring system like we endorse at BestNannyCam.com.
Article: Home Invasion Wave Alarms Wealthy
Posted in Industry News | Comments Off on Nannies to the Wealthy: Are Home Invasions on your Radar?Nanny Survey: Nannies, it’s time to Speak Out!
November 18, 2007Nannies, It’s time we hear from you. What are your opinions on your chosen career? We’d like your feedback on why you have chosen the nanny profession, what you like and don’t like about it and any advice you have for new parents.  ÂÂ
http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e26fabkef7maa1ac/start
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Nanny Insurance: Injury on the Job? Avoid Unnecessary Pain
November 17, 2007The Mistake That Was Prevented
We usually begin with a serious mistake which triggers lawsuit. In this case, we’ll highlight a lawsuit that didn’t happen. A potentially expensive, time-consuming, and relationship-ending mistake was prevented by a family’s decision to purchase a workers’ compensation policy.
The Law
What is a workers’ compensation policy and what benefit does it provide? Workers’ compensation is not a payroll tax and is not included in the payroll withholding or tax remittance process. It is an insurance policy and must be purchased through the state or a state-licensed insurance provider. Workers’ compensation provides financial assistance to employees who suffer job-related injury or illness. The benefits assist with lost wages as well as medical expenses.
In addition, it protects employers from lawsuits; when an employee who has been injured on the job accepts workers’ compensation benefits, she forfeits the option to sue her employer.
Household employers are required to hold a workers’ compensation policy on their household employees in approximately 30 states. (Note: Many families are already covered under their current homeowners insurance policy. If they are not already covered, they can usually add a rider over the phone.)
The Mess
· A nanny slipped on her employer’s front steps and broke her ankle.
· After a trip to the emergency room to confirm that the ankle was broken and to seek medical treatment, the nanny approached the family with the following demands:
1. She demanded payment for all medical treatment, since the injury occurred on the job.
2. She informed the family that her husband was considering a lawsuit against the family for lost wages.
· The family, a Breedlove & Associates client, contacted us for guidance on how to handle this mess. They did not want to lose their nanny nor did they want an expensive lawsuit. However, they did not feel they should pay for medical treatment and lost wages just because the injury occurred in their home.
· The family lived in California, a state in which household employers are required by law to have workers’ compensation. We explained that workers’ compensation benefits would address all of the issues of this case successfully. The family could not remember if they had purchased a workers’ compensation policy, so we instructed them to check with their homeowner’s insurance representative to see if the policy was simply a part of their annual insurance premiums.
The Outcome
· The family did indeed have a workers’ compensation policy that they
established when they hired their nanny. It was a part of their annual
insurance premiums and thus easy to forget.
· The nanny filed a workers’ compensation benefit claim. The benefits covered her medical expenses. The benefits also provided compensation for lost wages while she was away from work. In accepting the benefits, she and her husband forfeited the right to sue. The employment relationship was salvaged, and the nanny returned to work.
To help you explain this part of the tax law to your clients, we have developed a one-page educational flyer entitled “Worker’s Compensation: What it is, Why it’s important, and who’s required to have it.” The flyer can be downloaded from http://www.breedlove-online.com/partners/library-of-educational-literature-helpful-tools along with our other helpful resources. Or feel free to invite your clients to call us for a complimentary, no-obligation phone consultation. In about 10 minutes, we can assess their situation and give them comprehensive financial and legal guidance.
If you would like hard copies of our “Worker’s Compensation” flyer, just send an email to info@breedlove-online.com.
Posted in Nanny Taxes | Comments Off on Nanny Insurance: Injury on the Job? Avoid Unnecessary PainNanny Gifts: Need Ideas for Your Super Nanny this Holiday?
November 16, 2007Show your Super Nanny how much you appreciate her with a gift from the Nanny Gift Shop.
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T-shirts
- Sweatshirts
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Totes
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Coffee mugs
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And so much more…
Humorous. Thoughtful. Perfect for today’s nanny. SHOP NOW http://www.cafepress.com/4nanny
Posted in Nanny Shopping | Comments Off on Nanny Gifts: Need Ideas for Your Super Nanny this Holiday?Nanny Agencies: Is the Internet friend or foe?
November 16, 2007Matching the right nanny with the right family is what separates the successful agencies from the also-rans. But with the growth of numerous online nanny registration sites, many would-be employers are bypassing nanny agencies in the hopes that they can do the job themselves The question is: How do nanny placement agencies compete with these potential competitors? The answer actually lies in the old adage: If you can’t beat them, join them.
Online nanny registration sites such as www.nannyclassifieds.com, are actually helping agencies place more nannies and find more parents looking for help in securing dependable child care.
Listings, Listings, Listings
The first step, of course, is finding eligible nannies. Many nanny agencies conduct their search via multiple media – including newspaper ads, listings on their own websites, college and community job boards, and more. Lately, however, more and more agencies have been expanding the ways in which they use the Internet both to market their nannies and to find them.
NannyClassifieds.com, for example, has recently reported that an increasing number of agencies are signing up for their services in order to supplement their recruiting activities.
“Some agencies see it as competition – but it’s not really competition,†says Alicia Torchia, a Placement Consultant with Careful Caregivers in Skillman, NJ. Why? It’s all about specialization. “Only so many caregivers will fit a certain position,†Torchia explains. “With NannyClassifieds.com, I can specify on my profile exactly what I’m looking for in terms of experience.â€Â
Merrilan Kougias from Choose the Right Nanny in McKinney, TX also makes online recruitment a part of her greater recruitment plan, one which includes numerous media and methods. “We began with just a website, but quickly learned that you have to ‘drive’ clients to your location,†Kougias says. “We began utilizing Web-enhancement tools like Google very soon after and Nanny Classifieds over a year ago. We like how we can put in our own selection criteria… Every morning we have new resumes in our e-mail to review!â€Â
Especially when serving families with very specific criteria, an online search allows agencies to post openings based on those particular needs. The result is a more qualified candidate pool and a much greater chance for a successful match. “There are many days when we will have 10 resumes or more,†Kougias says. “Not all of the candidates will meet our criteria, but the way I figure it, if even one does, and we are able to place that candidate, then my advertising dollars for that month have been well spent.â€Â
To assist agencies in meeting their recruitment goals, NannyClassifieds makes it easy to post targeted ads, whether one’s market is regional or national. Agencies can post up to four ads at a time, have unlimited access to nanny contact information, and receive notifications each time a nanny signs up in their area.
Of course, good old-fashioned word-of-mouth is important, too. “I can’t tell you the number of times that I have been standing in a line at the grocery store or the post office and people will notice my name tag and ask what it is I do,†says Kougias. “It isn’t uncommon for me to hand out several cards to people who are interested in becoming a nanny or better yet, they are in the process of searching for a nanny!â€Â
In today’s marketplace, an integrated marketing plan is the surest path to success. Interested in expanding your recruitment plan with NannyClassifieds.com? Click here to learn more.
Posted in Nanny Agency Information | Comments Off on Nanny Agencies: Is the Internet friend or foe?Families, Give Us Your Feedback
November 13, 2007In our never ending effort to offer the best in nanny recruiting on the web, we are asking parents for help in figuring out exactly what it is that you want and how we can do it better, faster, cheaper, you name it. Please take 5 minutes out of your busy day to fill out the survey linked below and help us provide better services to you and to families like you in the months and years to come. Thank you.
http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e25k0t8of5nsvfmc/start
Male Nannies: Mannies and Families, Reality TV is Looking for You
November 1, 2007Are you a full-time, preferably live-in male nanny, (a.k.a. Manny) for children of a wealthy and outgoing family?
Do you think you have what it takes to be one? Or maybe you’re a family that leads a fabulous, busy lifestyle with a fantastic Manny that cares for your children.
If you already have a Manny, or you’re interested in hiring one, let us know. We’re searching for Mannies, and their respective employer families, to star in a new reality series for a major cable network.
If you think you and your situation is captivating enough to be a TV show, then contact us with details, including photos, and/or a video showcasing your amazing lifestyle.
Mannies@SirensMedia.com
or call our Casting Department at: 212.542.3579
You may also visit our website: www.sirensmedia.com for more information, and to fill out a casting form. No direct phone calls, please.
Posted in Industry News | Comments Off on Male Nannies: Mannies and Families, Reality TV is Looking for YouSafe Job Hunting on the Internet
October 29, 2007While the owner of Craigslist says that nothing like this has ever happened “to his knowledge” through Craigslist, this time it did. For years now we have offered Internet Safety Tips to the nannies who use NannyClassieds.com. I think it is important to once again post them as a reminder.
Safe Job Searching on the Internet
1. Do not post your phone number for the world to see. Even if you have an unlisted phone number, it takes only seconds to access your name and address on the internet using a reverse phone directory. Be choosy about who you share your phone number with through email for the same reason.
2. Use a third party email provider such as hotmail or yahoo. If you are an AOL user and innocently filled in your profile with all kinds of personal information, get rid of it.
3. Stay away from services that are completely free to families. Online nanny databases that charge a subscription fee and monitor their subscribers will help weed out the less scrupulous.
4. Do your own investigating. Run a reverse phone directory search to see if the phone number they are using or have given you belongs to the name they have given you.
5. Be sure to exchange pictures via email or mail and make an effort to interview the family on several occasions. If the family is a two parent household and you have only dealt with Dad, ask to speak with Mom. If there are excuses for her absence, do not pursue the job any further.
6. Check family references. Yes, nannies can ask for references especially if you will be traveling a distance to accept the job. Even if you are not, it is a great way to find out what type of employer this family has been in the past. Ask for the names and numbers of the family’s previous caregivers and call them. Ask them what their experience was like? Were they treated well by the family, respected? Were they paid on time?
7. Keep track of what the family has told you in previous conversations and make sure their answers are consistent.
8. If you will be traveling to a strange family’s house for an interview, have the family send you a letter of intention to hire which would include their home address. Keep this with a family member. Bring a friend or family member with you. They can meet the family at the door and then wait in the car.
9. Try to stay with a friend in town if possible. If you have no friend to call on, ask that the family put you up in a hotel for at least the first night there and ask that a friend accompany you if you are within driving distance. Do not commit to staying in the house with them and ask that they supply the name and confirmation number for the hotel. Explain that this is for safety reasons. You should check into the hotel first and ask that the whole family including the kids meet you in the lobby for your first meeting.
10. Babysitters, meet in a public place for your first interview and ask that the kids accompany Mom or Dad.
“London Nanny” Scam
September 17, 2007Below is a sample email from someone posing as a nanny from London England. The scam is that the family sends a certified check to the “travel agency” that will get the nanny a cheaper fare to the US. The Travel Agency does not exist. This scammer went so far as providing references that the family spoke with, however, the family never was able to reach the travel agency by phone.
reneacam@hotmail.com
Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2007 9:20 AM
Hello,
Thanks for the emai.I am very ok with $400 a week.I am more excited about looking after your kids because from the information you have given me they seem fantastic and loving to be their nanny.I can’t wait to see them soon.
Corcening flight to Philadelphia,we can make an arrangements with an agency here which specialize in arranging flights at cheaper prices.They arranged my flight the last time i came to USA.I am ready to travel any time they can book me a ticket.Please you need to email them to confirm that you have chosen me as nanny for your kids and that you need me to come over asap.Their details are below.
London Travel and Immigration Services
430 Regent Street, London W1B 2UW,England
Email:lotis@london.com Phone: +44 7767082838
Fax:+44 8701354215
Thanks alot and God bless you and your family.
Nanny Night Out in New York City a Big Success
September 14, 2007The Nanny Alliance of NY and NJ enjoyed a great night out on their Nanny Diaries~ Nanny Day out in NYC to view the new Nanny Diaries movie.
To help the ladies celebrate properly, we here at Nannyclassifieds.com donated T-Shirts and Sweatshirts from our Nanny Gift Shop as well as a $100 Visa Check Card.
We hope you had a great time ladies. Lord knows you all deserve a night out with the girls.