work for the amount you are offering if it is too little. If you are firm on your price, then you should list it. If you want some “wiggle room” then you may want to leave the price out.

What phone number should you use when placing or answering an ad?

If you have two phone lines, a great idea is to designate one specific phone number for all nanny employment calls.

You may get deluged with calls, and it’s easier to not mix your personal and work calls with the nanny calls you receive. Put an answering machine or an answering service on the phone and let the service or the machine accrue your responses for you.

If you use one phone line, you will run the risk of missing call-waiting nanny calls that don’t get picked up by an answering machine or service. If you have only one phone line, be prepared to let the answering machine or service pick up for the two weeks following the placement of your ad.

Leave a message on the machine that says the caller has reached the answering machine of the employer currently hiring a nanny, and that they should please leave a name and a phone number as well as a good time to reach them, and you will be calling everyone back within the week. By leaving a message validating that they have reached the number for the ad, you will avoid a lot of “clicks” and hang-ups.

You should also turn the volume off on the phone in case you get so many calls that the constant ringing is bothersome. Check your message counter or your voice mail every four or six hours because your machine may fill up with messages very quickly, and you will want to record them on paper and clear the machine or the voice mail service to allow new messages to come in.

An example of a newspaper ad you place when looking for a nanny might be:

Nanny wanted. 3-9 p.m. six days a week for twin boys, age 9. Must have valid driver’s license, 3 yrs Experience and references. $400/week.

Domestic Employment Agencies

Agencies are an interesting choice for finding a nanny because they have a pool of candidates for you to choose from and often guarantee a back up nanny if the nanny you hire from them doesn’t work out. The advantages of using a nanny agency is that they only get paid their commission if the agent you are working with actually finds you a nanny that you decide to hire. Therefore, they have an incentive to try and find you someone. Sometimes they will bring the nannies to your house for the interview. They also do all the leg work for you, so you don’t have to run around and use your word of