Assessing Your Needs

• Live-in vs. Live-out
  • The overall cost of having a live-out nanny is nearly double that of having a live-in nanny
  • Live-in nannies will generally have more flexible hours
  • For a live-in nanny, you must be able to provide a room for nanny to live in
• Legal or illegal
  • Illegal nannies may be cheaper up front, but then you cannot claim the $7000/child tax deduction from Revenue Canada for the expense
  • If you have an illegal nanny and you want to take legal action for something they did, you would be in a difficult position
• Local or Overseas
  • Hiring from overseas would be either through an agency, or if you sponsored someone specific on recommendation of someone else
  • To sponsor from overseas you need to provide proof to Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC) that you could not find someone here to do the job (i.e. place an ad in a local newspaper)
  • Sponsoring from certain countries i.e. Philippines is slightly bureaucratic and can take nearly 4 times as long (1-2 years) as sponsoring a nanny from Hong Kong (3-4 months)
  • Sponsoring from overseas is an act of faith in that you are sponsoring someone who you do not know and have never met, but you just make the best choice you can on the information you have
  • Remember that if the nanny arrives from overseas and isn't what you expected you just fax a letter to HRSDC (Tel 416-954-3111) explaining that you do not require her services, and that is it
• Childcare only vs. Childcare and housework
  • What are the potential nannies experience i.e. were they only a nanny in the past
  • Nannies who come from Hong Kong are generally trained to take care of the children, and work efficiently enough to do housework as well
• Demographics
  • Age
  • Married/Single
  • Previous experience as a nanny
• Reserved or outgoing personality
  • Remember that this person will be living under your roof, so they need to mesh well with your family
• Previous education
  • Many nannies, especially from the Philippines may have previous degrees often in the health sciences like nursing