Back in 2010, Glenda Propst wrote an article called Surviving a Bad Reference as many nannies are looking for jobs right now I thought it might be of value for several.
Recently, a good friend emailed me for advice on what to do. She had decided to leave her “not so great job” and try to find a new family. She called her agency, filled out the paperwork, listed her references and waited for the phone to ring.
She went on a few interviews but nothing came of any of them. Even the ones where she felt she really connected with the parents she never got a call back.
Finally, one day her agency called and asked her if she knew that her former employers were giving her a bad reference. She had been with the family for 2 years, and even though things were not perfect, she could not believe the parents were giving her a bad reference. The nanny was fortunate that she was working with an agency that knew her and knew what kind of nanny that she was and gave her the heads up on what was happening. This is why working with a reputable agency can be a benefit.
She asked me for advice, and I turned to my panel of experts, a list for parents, nannies and agencies that I co-moderate on Yahoogroups.