It’s important to remember a few key things when answering adverts for childcare positions, be it on uktemps, gumtree or
any other classified site you need to be cautious and smart. Consider a childcare job as you would a first time date, would you always go straight around to someone’s house for a first meeting, here are some tips on how to be safe when looking for work :
1. Be careful who you share your phone number with through email.
2. Try to go via an agency that will vet any potential employers prior to sending you out.
3. Do some investigating, look them up in the phone directory and see if the name they have given you matches their number, also try to always get a landline.
4. Ask to speak to both parents, if there are excuses for her absence, do not pursue the job any further, if the mother still lives with the family then she’ll want to meet the carer of her child, believe us on that!
5. Check family references, 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 childcarers and call them.
6. 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.
7. Babysitters, meet in a public place for your first interview along with the children.
Click here to see all childcare jobs on uktemps.
Please be aware of scams such as the one below, this was sent to the Nanny Avenue inbox. He even attached photo’s of his so called “child” BE AWARE!
Hello,
My name is Steve Howe and i am from Hull,England.I work for a Petroleum Company and i am just transfered to Africa to work on some broken oil pipes which is my area of specialty.It was very urgent then so i had to go My 2 year old boy whose name is Scott Howe.Work has been very busy now so i had to let him go back to United Kingdom.I saw your profile and i will be needing your services to take good care of my son for the next 2 weeks till i get back to United Kingdom.I am offering you £1000 for the service and the payment will be sent to you from one of my client in Wales as soon as you get back to me with your full mailing informations i mean your contact adress with your contact phone number and the tracking number of the check will also be sent to you if you need them.But just one thing that i need to clarify right now is that after the check has cleared,will you be able to send the remaining ammount to the Travelling agency ??? and so i will need your contact adress with your contact phone number so that i can make the check available to you very soon.I will be so glad if you can get back to me as soon as possible with your full info and please tell me more about you….await your reply now and you will need to tell me if you want to take care of him in your house or if you want to come to my house in hull just chose any of it..
Thanks.
Regards
Steve Howe