10 Tips for Evaluating Nanny Recommendation Letters
Hiring a nanny means turning your most precious commodity over to a total stranger; for most parents, the prospect is harrowing. One method of assessing a prospective nanny’s fit for your family is to study her recommendation letters carefully. The trick is to evaluate not only what they say, but also what they don’t say, by reading between the lines and asking yourself these questions.
- Who wrote the letter? Did both parents of nanny’s last charge have input, or just one parent? Look for words like “we” to tell. If dad was extremely enthusiastic in his praise of nanny but mom’s input seems suspiciously absent, maybe nanny was a bit too familiar with just one family member.
- Is the letter from nanny’s last workplace? If your nanny-to-be doesn’t have a letter from the last family she worked for, ask her why. Gaps are suspicious.
- Is it TOO enthusiastic? In an overly obvious case, if the previous “employers” have the same last name as nanny, they may be relatives writing a cover letter for her.
- How long was she employed? If she worked there a week, statements about her reliability and trustworthiness may be suspect, since the employers didn’t have time to get to know here well enough to evaluate either.
- Does it give specifics? A good letter of recommendation will include real information about the nanny, such as specific tasks she performed well or things she did with the children, not just generic comments about what a good person she is.
- Are her references work related? If the only reference a nanny has is from a family member, throw it in the trash. Most reputable agencies won’t even bother with this type of reference.
- Does the letter contain subtle hints? Wording such as “worked well under supervision” or “with guidance” or “on occasion” may indicate problems that the previous employer doesn’t want to fully indulge but that may have been issues.
- Can you follow-up with the reference? A reference that includes a telephone number so you can call to verify information is extremely helpful and also indicates that the reference is eager to give a good recommendation. Or she wants to tell you something over the phone that she doesn’t want in the letter. Either way, it’s valuable information for you.
- Is the reference relevant to your situation? If this nanny has never taken care of an infant and you have one-month-old triplets, her references may not help you evaluate how well she’ll be able to handle your situation.
- Does it seem sincere? This isn’t always easy to evaluate, but if you read several recommendations, you’ll discern the difference between a “going through the motions” letter and a true letter of recommendation.
You truly cannot be too careful with your children. Take the time to really evaluate all the information you have before hiring a nanny.
