How to Hire a Nanny in Auckland in 2024

In 2024, it’s getting harder and harder for families to manage the juggle of children without some form of support. Working parents have to balance their own professional lives with all the activities, responsibilities and (let’s not forget) sickness that come with having young children.

More and more families in Auckland are now looking to hire a nanny to help them with that juggle. A nanny in 2024 looks a bit different to what most parents might expect and the hours can range from a few afternoons a week through to a full-time nanny.

Understanding Your Needs

Start with a Job Description

It might seem a little bit backwards to start by drafting a job description, when you haven’t even found a nanny yet. However, we recommend to start by building a job description for your prospective nanny. Why? This allows you to draft and document exactly what you’re looking for and helps you to attract the nanny that’s right for your family.

The key things that you should include in your job description include:

• Outline your needs - Start with bullet points around your family, schedules and what you are actually looking for in a nanny.
• Job Summary - Draft a job summary and introduction of the expectations of what you’re looking for from your nanny.
  
• Duties and Responsibilities - What are the day-to-day tasks and responsibilities that are required from your nanny
  
• Qualifications -  If you need specific qualifications from your nanny, make sure you document these. Do they need prior experience? First-aid certificate? ECE qualification
• Parenting Style - Do you have a specific family style or things that are important to your as parents, that you want a nanny to emulate? If so, make sure you are clear on what they are - i.e no screen time, healthy snacks only.
  

Another benefit of building that job description is that you are able to then use it to discuss with an agency, friends and families or turn it in to a job post for Caresies.

Decide where it should be live-in or a live-out nanny

Before progressing to beginning your search for a nanny, one question a family should consider is whether to hire a live-in nanny or a live-out nanny. In Auckland, a live-in nanny is often referred to as an au-pair and the term is used interchangeably with live-in nanny.

There’s pros and cons of hiring either a live-in or live-out nanny but it’s important for parents and families to consider exactly what’s right for them. The key points which a family should consider:

• Finding a local live-in nanny is often difficult in Auckland, so many families tend to hire an au pair for a fixed period. The au pairs tend to be foreign, young and use the job as a form of overseas experience. Au Pair Link is a great agency in Auckland that specialises in finding au pairs.
• An au-pair tends to be more cost-effective than a nanny as you are able to provide board and lodgings to them as part of their remuneration package. For more information around the pay for au pairs works, Pay The Nanny can help support.
• Having an au pair often provides more flexibility than a live-out nanny because they live with you meaning that it’s easy to arrange that odd date-night and you’ll always have someone more available when the kids are sick from day care or school.
• If you don’t have a need for as many consistent hours, a live-out nanny can sometimes be more appealing. The hours can be more flexible and the schedule can work around your existing professional and personal commitments.
  
• A live-out nanny doesn’t require food, lodgings or as much ongoing support as a live-in nanny might. A lot of nannies now tend to be career professionals and go about their jobs as such.
  
• Having a live-out nanny means there is a clear separation between you and your nanny which can be a benefit for some families.
  

What works for one family won’t necessarily work for another family so make sure you weigh up all the pros and cons before deciding on exactly what you’re looking for. If you are looking for a professional agency to help with recruiting an au pair, we'd recommend Au Pair Link.

Starting Your Nanny Search

Start with your personal Network

Before reaching out to platforms, agencies or external parties, start with your own personal network.

Hiring a nanny is a daunting prospect so getting recommendations from friends and families on how they’ve found nannies or even, if they know prospective nannies, is a great place to start.

New Zealand is renowned for having two degrees of separation. So, reach out to your existing network and ask for recommendations on where people had success finding a nanny, or if they know any nannies that are available.

Using social media, platforms and agencies

In Auckland, there are a number of great resources for finding a nanny. There’s some great Facebook communities, childcare platforms and nanny agencies available for parents to use.

Each of them have their pros and cons so, as a family, it’ll be important to consider what’s best for you. A platform will give you access to the widest range of candidates and allow you to work through the process yourself whereas an Agency will provide a more personalised service for you.

Best Childcare Platform to Use

Overseas there are a number of platforms available but in New Zealand, the options are a bit more limited for local platforms.

Caresies is the leading platform for find nannies and babysitters in New Zealand.

Best Nanny Agencies in Auckland

If you need a more personalised service and recruitment support, we’d recommend these agencies in Auckland.

 - Dream

 - Red Robin

 - Au Pair Link

 - NZ Nannies

 - Karitane

Best Facebook Groups in Auckland

If cost is a factor and you don’t want to use either an agency or a platform, there are some great Facebook groups in Auckland too.

 - Au Pair, Nannies and Babysitters Auckland 

 - Auckland Childcare, In Home Care and Babysitting

Screening and Interviewing Candidates

Conduct background checks

If you’ve started the process, found a perfect nanny and ready to press hire, it’ll be important just to take pause before you progress to finalising everything.

Hiring a nanny is a big step and you need to be confident that the nanny you want to hire is trustworthy given that you’ll potentially be leaving them in sole charge of your children.

• Conduct thorough job interviews - Ask questions about experience, qualifications and emergency handling
• Reference Checks - Complete a minimum of two reference checks from both a character and employment reference
• Vetting Checks - Complete a police vetting check. Caresies and agencies will be able to assist with this
• Right to Work Checks - Check that your nanny has the right to work in NZ 
• ID Verification - If you are using Caresies, all Carers must complete an ID verification before they are able to actually apply for a job.

It can be tempting to skip these steps, particularly if you’re under time pressure,  but they are crucial in ensuring that you hire  a successful and trustworthy nanny. If you’re not confident on completing these steps yourself then reach out to us contact Caresies. Alternatively, Dream Nannies in Auckland provides a private nanny screening service where they can complete a thorough background check for you.

Formalising the Hire

Making a job offer

Before progressing to formalising an employment contract with your nanny, send through a job offer.

If you are using Caresies then you are able to send through a job offer easily through the platform on your job post. The job offer formalises the intention for you to hire your nanny and make sure you are both on the same page.

The job offer should include:

• The proposed start date
• The hours your nanny is intended to work
  
• Proposed hourly rate
  
• Working pattern
• Key job details
• Any other information

With Caresies, the nanny can accept the job offer easily on their dashboard after you’ve sent it to them. If you are looking for guidance around how much to actually pay a nanny, this article here might be useful.

Employment Agreement

One of the key misconceptions is that a nanny can be employed as an independent contractor. Our friends at Pay The Nanny wrote a great article around this link here and we’d recommend checking it out.

If you are hiring a nanny on a permanent, ongoing basis, we would always encourage families to do the right thing and formalise it via an employment agreement. An employment agreement is just as important for a nanny as it is for any other type of employee.

If you are using an agency, they’ll likely help you with an employment contract. If you are hiring the nanny yourself, Pay The Nanny, has a number of templates available. Your employment agreement should include at a minimum:

• Hours of Work: Specify the working hours and any expectations for overtime or flexibility. This is essential for managing both the family's and the nanny's expectations.
• Duties and Responsibilities: Clearly outline the nanny’s responsibilities, including child care, meal preparation, and any applicable household tasks. The job description that you prepared earlier will be useful for helping with this. 
• Compensation and Benefits: Detail the hourly, payment schedule, and any other benefits like Kiwisaver.
  
• Duration of Employment: State the contract's duration, whether it's for a fixed term or ongoing, and outline the conditions under which the contract can be renewed or terminated.  
  
• Confidentiality and Privacy: Aspects of privacy important to discuss and formalise. New Zealanders tend to be pretty laid back around most things but if you’re concerned around photos on social media etc, make sure that you clearly outline this in the employment contract  
  
• Holidays: If you have holidays planned, where your nanny won’t be required, make sure that those are clearly articulated so both parties are aware

In addition to this, families should make sure that any employment agreement adheres to the minimum requirements in New Zealand. The Employment NZ website has a number of great resources available for this.

Payroll And Taxes

As an employer in New Zealand, you’re responsible for ensuring that you pay taxes, manage leave and all the other complexities that come with being an employer. After all, your nanny is an employee and deserves to be treated the same as any other employee in New Zealand.

There are a number of great payroll software available in New Zealand if you are comfortable to prepare payroll yourself. If you need support, then we recommend getting in touch with Pay The Nanny who are a specialist nanny payroll provider in New Zealand.

Conclusion

As we navigate the complexities of modern family life in Auckland, the role of a nanny is becoming increasingly pivotal. In 2024, with the dynamic demands of parenting, professional commitments, and personal time, finding the right nanny is not just about filling a position, it's about enriching your family's life and ensuring your children have nurturing, reliable care when you're not always available.

Throughout this guide, we've explored the essential steps from understanding your unique needs and drafting a precise job description, to selecting the right type of nanny arrangement, and rigorously screening candidates to ensure safety and compatibility. We've also highlighted the importance of a well-structured employment agreement to foster a clear, professional relationship with your nanny.

As a family, hiring a nanny is a big step and we encourage you to take your time, utilise available resources like Caresies for broader reach, or consult agencies for personalised services. No matter which path you choose, ensure that your approach is thorough, from the initial interview to the final hiring stages.

If you need support and aren’t sure where to go, get in touch with us and we’ll happily guide you through the process.