The Child Care Job Guide: Child Care Job Satisfaction and Performance

If you will be working as a nanny, au pair, or long-term babysitter, and anticipate that you can work well with both the child you will care for and his parents, and that you will be comfortable with all the job requirements and conditions, then you will want to have a written contract to clarify expectations. In addition, you'll want to communicate frequently with your employer so that you'll be sure the job is meeting your own needs as well as hers.

Contract

An effective contract should include:

• what you will be expected to do each day
• provisions for sick or vacation days
• specification of how you will be paid, at what rate, and how often
• the hours you will work, and whether or not they will vary from week to week
• the length of employment: Is it for one month, one year, or open-ended?
• how much notice either party expects for changing hours or schedules
• information about handling taxes, health, and other benefit payments
• what terms will be required to end the contract, such as a verbal warning, then a warning letter, before any termination action is taken
• exactly what privileges you will have, if any, such as use of the internet, phone, car, or TV
• if you will be driving the child, information on which car to use, what to do about gas purchases, etc.

Communication

It will be very helpful to set up a specific plan for how frequently you will meet with your employer to discuss how the job is going for both of you.

• Consider starting your job off on a trial basis. Two weeks to one month is a good length for a trial, since the child will need more than a week to adjust to the new routine and you. Only after the adjustment period will you be able to tell if you and the child will do well together and if you and your employer will get along.

• Establish a clear process for communication. Do you prefer to communicate with your employer in person or by phone? Set up a communication schedule so that you can resolve any issues that arise. The goal is for you to be comfortable on the job and for your employer to be comfortable with your performance. Raise any aspects of the job that are uncomfortable for you and see if you and the employer can resolve them. Listen carefully to any issues your employer has and come up with a mutually agreed-upon plan to resolve them.

• Have a protocol for emergencies. Know what to do in case of emergencies. And have a backup plan (and a backup to the backup plan), as well.

Good communication is the key to any positive job experience. Keeping to the agreed-upon communication schedule with your employer will help you to be clear about her expectations and her to be aware of yours. Working together, you can create a job that you can succeed at and enjoy and that will meet your employer's needs, as well!

Ronnie Friedland is an editor at Care.com. She has co-edited three books on parenting and interfaith family life.