While is agreed that hiring a domestic work is different from filling a vacancy for a typical office role, this is actually the reason why it is important to take the hiring process even more seriously. It is very important that you take time and ensure you pay attention to all the little details.

Lets now talk about how you can avoid the most common mistakes you must avoid when trying to find a perfect help for your family and kids in Nairobi.

1. Doing only one interview

The most common mistake most people make is to do only one interview. Needless to say, one interview can never be enough to get to know about any potential employee. Plan to interview multiple candidates, and if possible more than once for each candidate.  You might want to do the initial interview over the phone to get a sense of the person’s personality, experience and child care skills. With this method, you don’t waste time meeting candidates in person whom you don’t want to interview further.

After the initial interview, you can then decide if it is worth making a one-on-one interview with some or one of them. Further, you may even conduct different interview with children being present and another with the rest of the family members. You also have time in between interviews to check references, too, which we talk about next.

2. Failing to check references

Even if a candidate seems perfect to you, still make it a point to call the references find out whatever they have to say about the potential house help. It is essential to call references and conduct a background check. Ask about their character, childcare skills, how they got along, discipline etc.

Ask if they were punctual coming back from their off days and if they had to ever deal with any emergency. The information you receive from a background check can vary, but it will be much help when picking the right person.

3. Settling for someone when you run out of time

So far, the mistakes I have mentioned are often made when you don’t give yourself enough time to find the right house help! Employers then resort to doing only one interview, skip the background check and references . Don’t settle for a house help that you’re not completely happy with because you’ve run out of time.

Start looking for a house help as soon as you know you’ll need one. For example, maybe you already employ a full-time house help who’s planning to leave. Begin your search for a replacement now. Prepare to read a lot of resumes and do a lot of reviews. When you start as soon as you can, you can mentally prepare yourself for the hiring process to come.

Of course this advice may not sound helpful when a house helps quits abruptly or fails to come back after taking some days off duty. In such case seek help for emergency care as you prepare to start the proper hiring process.

4. Not Paying Well Enough

Unfortunately, many families in Nairobi do not pay their house help the legally mandated wage – minimum wage. The current minimum wage in Kenya is Kes. 13,572/ per month. Be the one that pays your house help fairly. Besides ensuring that they are able to work for you satisfactorily, you will be avoiding any potential mess that might arise. It is not only necessary, but also good, to be a good employer.

5. Not Employing a trial period or working interview

In theory, a trial period or working interview lets a house help prove her childcare skills to her potential employer. However, some parents replace multiple interviews and reference checks with only these trial periods, judging a house help at face value rather than putting in the hiring work themselves. It’s not fair to a house help who doesn’t have time to get to know a potential employer, nor is it fair to the family who may not get the most accurate impression of a house help’s quality of care and personality.

A trial period works if you’ve already run through the interview process, and you’re almost sure that you want to hire a house help. Maybe you need a house help to spend longer periods of time with your child to be sure they’re the right fit, or if you’re hiring a live-in house help, everyone needs to feel comfortable with the decision. If you do decide to use a trial period, just make sure you’re not replacing any other part of the hiring process with it.

Now that you know the mistakes to avoid when hiring a house help, you might also consider getting help in the process.  The house help hiring process can be long and exhausting. Why not let an experienced house help agency work with you to find the right person for your family? Nairobi Nanny matches each house help according to a family’s needs to make sure both parties are happy. Contact us here for help with hiring house helps in Nairobi.

1. Search for suitable Candidate

2. Set up Face to Face interviews

3. Conduct a Background Check

4. Do a Trial Run

Let us delve deeper into each step to learn more.

Step 1: The Search for A Suitable Candidate

This being the first step, it is important to get it right. Still, there are a few options when it comes to conducting the initial search of the potential employees – DIY, Friends and Relatives and agencies.

Option 1: DIY – Search For A House Help
There are many house help bureaus in Nairobi. Some are good and some not so good. However, if you do not want to use the services of a house-help agency to find one, you could search for a house help on your own. It is doable. But how do you find a good nanny by yourself?

The internet is the best place to begin. With so many digital platforms and social media forums, you will easily get help. You could join some of the face-book groups that are related to house help or nanny issues and post your needs. You are likely to get people that are interested making contact and from there you can create a list of candidates to interview. That is just one way. However, with online space, anybody could be anyone.

Option 2: Circle of Friends, Relatives, Neighbourhood
The other place to go looking for a house-help is your circle, your network and your neigbourhood. Your church members, your phone contact list, and the local preschool can also be great resources of trustworthy house helps. You could also ask your family members real-life friends and social media friends for referrals. You may find that you can trust their recommendations better than anyone else.

Option 3: Engage a House Help Bureau
The other option of getting someone is by contact a bureau or agency. A good agency. One very important advantage of working with a bureau to get a house help, is that you might be able to get pre-screened applicants. You would simply have to discuss your house help job description and specific needs and requirements with the bureau, and let them match you with someone. A good agency will normally take care of the initial formalities that go a long way to find a good house help safely and efficiently.

Step 2: Setting Up Face to Face Interviews

This is the second step of finding a good person to help you at home. Once you start receiving applications, immediately read the applications and start identifying potential candidates. Eliminate resumes that reveal negative distinctions about the person. Once you have done that you may want to schedule separate interviews with at least two to three candidates. Do not hesitate to ask as many questions as time allows. The interview will help you decide whether the applicant is likely to be a good person to work for you and get along with your children.

Step 3: Run Background Check

Generally, the process of getting a good house help must always INCLUDE a careful and thorough background check. If you start this process right, then it would not matter which method you employ in the process of getting a domestic help.

If you go with the option of looking for the candidates by yourself, some of the places you might get help when it comes to running the background check would be contacting the previous employers, or the friends or relatives who may have referred the candidate. In some cases, this might be just good enough.

A good nanny agency will also usually perform some basic background checks on the candidates. However, proper background checks and screening calls for checking police records for any history of criminal offenses.

The best background check is the one undertaken by licensed professional agencies like Darubini or by the relevant government department. In Kenya, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations office, is a semi-autonomous directorate of the National Police Service provides a more extensive access to criminal record information through the issuance of the Certificate of Good conduct.

At the end of the day, while one can always rely on friends’ recommendation, contacting a house help bureau like Nairobinanny, that can facilitate deeper screening (at a fee), is probably the safer way to find a good reliable house maid.

Step 4. Do a Trial Run

The final stage. A trial run gives you time to consider hiring the house help for long-term employment. It should be agreed during the interview stage. Some potential employees may not be agreeable to that. The trial period gives both of you the chance to become familiar with each other and decide whether you are a good fit. You will never uncover someone’s true identity until you live with them. More than appraising the chemistry, the trial period gives you the opportunity to assess the employee character and level of expertise – according to your expectations. If you are comfortable with the candidate, make sure to draft a work agreement before hiring them, and list the terms of your agreement in detail.

Now that you know how to go about finding a good nanny, you can productively focus on your work whilst having peace of mind knowing that you have a reliable person taking good care of your children back home.

If you decide to go about searching of the house help by engaging an agency, please feel free to contact us – Nairobinanny. Our agency keeps a database of highly-qualified, experienced house helps that can provide full-time or part-time care to your family. A placement specialist can be reached at 0708518470 or 0733801766 or email us at info[@]nairobinanny.com to share more information about our services. You can also complete a contact us submission form for someone to reach out to you directly.

The year 2021 has not been what many people had expected it would be. If you ask around, a majority of people had predicted that this year would be different from last year in terms of ‘normalcy.’ But what really is ‘normal?’ We have been confined to a certain way of living for a long time that we have settled for it to be normal, such that we get disoriented when forced to live differently.

As for me, I take normal to be what I make it. They say when life gives you lemons, make some deliciously cool lemonade. Well, I say that when coronavirus gives you a new way of life, take what you can and make the most of it. So really, normal is what you make it to be and how you want it to be. Defining your own normal, while observing the protocols laid out by the Ministry of Health, makes it easier for you to deal with the craziness going around, allowing you to focus on one thing, HOPE!

It would be wrong to ignore the trials facing most families in the country, especially with the second movement-restriction in play. It is disheartening to witness many industries being adversely affected by the containment measures laid out by the government and the many families that are affected by the same. These events call for the strengthening of humanity. Be kind to one another, extend love and grace to each one. Be the reason someone finds hope again and be the reason they look forward to a brighter tomorrow. Moreover, most people tend to fight their battles silently, however, these are not the times to stand alone. Speak up when it gets too tough and allow those close to you to help you ease the burden. We shall overcome these tests and we shall emerge stronger eventually.

Despite the challenges carried on to the new year from 2020, we can at least breathe easy because there is an end in sight. The coronavirus vaccine is finally here with us bringing with it a light at the end of the tunnel. For the first time in several months, there is hope for a COVID-19- free world and life. The vaccine, though not a cure, will help in curbing the spread as well as easing the burden on the health system that is much near crippled. The vaccine also gives us a fighting chance against the deadly virus. This, I must say, is a win for the health sector and for the populace at large. Vaccination is currently underway countrywide and is absolutely free in select hospitals. Be sure to check out your local hospitals for more information on the vaccine. More so, vaccination is at an individual’s discretion thus giving you the freedom of choice.

We all know of the saying “tough times don’t last but tough people do.” This should be among the quotes keeping you sane during these insane times. Often, uncertainty bears fear, which in turn gives a false perception of life as it is. In as much one may be fearful of tomorrow because of the uncertainty around it, one should not let the fear take over. “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more so we may fear less,” (Marie Curie). True to this quote, understanding is what gives us courage. In periods as indefinite as this, one can seek to understand the circumstances they are in so as to have a clear vision of the way forward. Fear only binds us but strength and courage take us through any trials and lets us emerge stronger. Remember, God does not give you a situation you cannot handle, therefore, whatever you are going through, you have been granted the wisdom and the grace to fight through it. All you need to do is have faith, find your will power and put it into action.

The current situation may be speculative but there is a hope for a brighter future. The roll-out of coronavirus vaccine is one sure way out of the pandemic. However, the journey still continues. So, before we get to our destination, let us hold each other’s hands, spread love and hope and have solid faith that better days are yet to come. We shall get through this, together.
We, at Nairobi Nanny, send out our warm hugs to all of you.

Many times people tend to underestimate the role that nannies and housekeepers play in their homes. However, after the deadly pandemic hit the nation and everyone got to stay at home with all the chores staring right at them, the appreciation levels for nannies and house-helps have gone up. As you set out on the journey to find yourself and your household a suitable nanny, there are nitty-gritty guidelines that you have to refresh your minds on, which will help in your quest.

Most employers tend to expect a lot from their nannies and house-helps as they are in charge of entire households. Granted. Consequently, one of the things you wouldn’t compromise on is honesty. For you to entrust someone else with your home, you have to be able to trust them, and trust is built on honesty. Therefore, like any other employer-employee relationship, honesty is the top-most policy.

However, one thing that employers never give much thought to is that the same honesty you require from your nannies is the same honesty they require from you. Remember that the same way you are bestowing your home on a stranger is the same way they are entrusting you with their lives. As such, it would be imprudent to give false information at any point in the working relationship, be it from the interview, the onset of and during, or even after the employment period.

Before assigning a suitable nanny to you, most agencies require some information to ensure that they are handing over the nannies to safe hands, lest they deal with cases of human trafficking and the sort. Therefore, as an employer, it is frugal to answer, in all honesty, the questions asked by the agencies and provide the right information with regards to your residence and place of work among other things. Doing this will not only build trust between you and the nanny but also the agency as you might require their services in the future.

Despite the loosening of restrictions set up by the Ministry of Health concerning the deadly coronavirus, one thing that stands out is that the pandemic is far from over. Everyone is still required to exercise caution to help flatten the curve and such responsibility begins with you as an individual. Thinking about the deadliness of coronavirus and your family’s health can cause such a headache, which is why most people require that their potential nannies have COVID-19 certificates that declare them free from the virus.

On the flip side of this concern lies the responsibility that an employer has to the nanny in terms of protecting them from contracting the virus. Most people work in jobs that require them to travel regularly, whereas the nanny’s job is to stay at and work from home. As such, you as an employer could be at an even higher risk of contracting the virus than the nanny. Therefore, what measures are you taking to ensure that your nanny and the rest of your family are out of harm’s way? Do you also follow the regulations you have set in your home to curb the spread of the virus? If so, thank you for doing your due diligence, but if not, please lead by example. This way, your nanny will know how seriously you take the safety of everyone under your roof.

Additionally, you have a duty to your nanny to provide a safe working environment. This means that apart from teaching them the safety protocols to observe within your household, you should provide added protection like gloves and sanitizers. You should also adjust your schedule to include working from home as much as possible, which will reduce your exposure.

A healthy relationship between you and your nanny will always be sustained by a trust which is built on honesty and respect. The same way you expect certain things from them is the same way they expect certain things from you. Moreover, during this pandemic, honesty will pave way for adhering to safety protocols to reduce the spread of the virus. Everyone has a role to play in upholding the safety of life and promoting good health. Therefore, both you and your nanny should do your due diligence to establish a healthy and mutually beneficial relationship.

Electricity is a form of energy resulting from the existence of charged particles (such as electrons or protons), either statically as an accumulation of charge or dynamically as a current. We should always keep children away from electricity as they do not understand the danger of electricity and electrical equipment. In their innocent and imaginative minds what seems harmful tends to go unnoticed or appear to be fun.The following are the do’s and don’ts that should be observed by parents:

DO’S

• Look around your house for potential hazards that your child may view.
• Protect small children by using plastic safety covers in all unused outlets and keeping cords out of sight and reach.
• Replace and never tape cracked cords.
• Keep all electrical devices away from water
• Place furniture in front of outlets to keep them out of your child’s sight.
• Use cord covers to tuck loose electrical cords against a baseboard so children can’t pull, chew, or trip on them.
• Know where your home’s fuse boxes and circuit breakers are and how to turn them off in an emergency.
• Fly kite far away from electrical power lines or substations
• Ask your child to ask a grown up for help when they need to use something that uses electricity.
• Look up and look out for power lines before your child climbs a tree.
• Ask your child to immediately seek shelter if lightning or thunder is present while playing outdoors.

DON’TS

• Use extension cords as permanent substitutes for too few outlets.
• Overload an extension cord with more appliances than it is designed to accommodate.
• Keep appliances close to the sink or tub, where they could accidentally fall into the water.
• Run electrical cords under rugs. Walking over cords could fray or damage them.
• Allow electrical cords to hang off counter tops, where a child might pull them.
• Don’t plug an extension cord into another.
• Never allow children to climb a utility pole or tower as the electricity carried through this equipment is extremely high voltage and could kill them.
• Don’t throw anything at wires or electrical equipment, and don’t fasten things to utility poles. Damaged equipment can be very dangerous.
• Don’t touch someone that is being shocked until the electricity has been turned off.

NB: REMEMBER SAFETY IS OF GREAT IMPORTANCE TO YOU AND YOU’RE CHILDREN

• To maintain the highest possible standards.
• To check and verify their personal documentation.
• It helps an employer build confidence and trust with the househelp.
• Reduces cases of theft, child abuse and adultery.
• To ensure competence in their work.
• Corroborate personal data and identity
• To make recruitment process easier.

These are the most important points why employers should vet their workers. There are companies that can vet your workers in Kenya. At NairobiNanny we use Darubini Screening and Vetting Company. With their assistance you can be able to i.D Check, Finger print and photo check, confirmation of previous two addresses and other contact details and criminal record check. Always remember do not assume you know your help have him/her screened before they start working.

Why children bite

Children bite for various reasons which include:
• They are in pain because of teething which causes swollen gums and causes irritation to them.

• They want attention – older kids use this as one of the bad behaviors to look for attention when they feel they are being ignored.

• They are looking for a reaction – children are naturally curious hence want to experiment and see the type of reaction their actions will provoke not knowing how painful it is.

• Exploring their world – Children use their mouths to explore since just about everything an infant or toddler picks will wind up in their mouth.

• Imitate other children and adults.

• Act in self-defense.

• Controlling: Some children know biting is a way of getting other children – or their parents – to do what they want. They don’t always do this consciously. It may happen when a group of children are jostling to be leader. Sometimes the youngest child in the family bites to gain power.

How to stop biting

It is good to have some prevention ways that will keep your child from biting:

• If you baby is teething always have a cool teething ring or cloth on hand making it less likely to bite someone’s arm.

• Make sure to avoid situation where your child may become irritable. Observe feeding and nap times are observed to avoid the child getting cranky.

• Encourage your child to express themselves once they are older instead of biting. Giving your child a break from activities may ease frustration.

• Whenever you have time always give your child the attention they need to avoid them seeking attention by biting.

• Offer activities and materials that allow your child to relax and release tension.

• Praise them for good behaviour: Catch your child behaving well – not biting siblings, playing well in groups, not biting to get his or her way – and be generous with praise.

• Teach them it’s wrong: When your child bites, use simple but firm words. Try, “that’s biting, that’s wrong” or a firm “no”. If you’re in a group, remove them from the situation. Explain that it hurts others and why you don’t like them doing it.

We have heard the stories all too often! Horror stories of babies and toddlers harmed by those entrusted to them by their parents, innocent souls who suffered punishments meant for their parents but meted out on them since they were the defenseless targets. All of us have a story or two to share, experienced by one-self or by a relative or friend.

My worst experience was a girl who left my then 3 year old toddler alone napping with githeri boiling for the evening meal on the stove…Luckily; she left the doors open and the keys hanging on the gate. Our neighbour, then a house-wife, noticed something was amiss and came to check only to find our baby asleep, the doors wide open and the girl disappeared. She didn’t steal anything nor harm anyone directly but I always shudder when I imagine what could have happened to our baby that day. What if the food had burnt and caused a fire? What if our toddler had woken up and injured herself in the house? What if? What if? Again, we all thanked God for watching over our baby anf keeping us all out of harm’s way. Needless to say that once I arrived home, I discarded all the food that was open including the githeri that was left boiling. On reporting the matter to the authorities, I was told to consider myself lucky that nothing more serious had happened to my family!

I was indeed grateful after the realization that something worse could have happened! This got me thinking and doing quite a bit of soul searching. Where and how had I wronged her for her to abandon my baby in that manner? Why didn’t she simply say if she was that unhappy in my house and we would have parted ways amicably? Did someone incite her to abandon her job may be with (false) promises of better pay? Had she found a husband that she had decided to elope with? Why did she wait for my baby to come back from school only to leave her alone when she was taking her nap? She could have left as soon as my child had been picked by the school bus in the morning. She had been brought to me by a colleague who didn’t even know her whereabouts and was shocked (or behaved as if she was shocked) beyond words to hear about what had transpired. Well, whatever the explanation and the cause of her decision, I can’t help but believe that there is a guardian angel who watches over all children. It is the only way I could explain how my baby was miraculously kept out of harm’s way on that day.

Share your story of guardian angels with us!