UltimateMama realizes that many parents do not work 9 AM until 5 PM.  While some parents need a few more hours on
the earlier and later side, others need a whole different schedule
altogether.  Be upfront with the hours
you expect your nanny to work on a weekly basis.  Do not be afraid of scaring them or driving
them away.  You need to establish an
honest dialog from the start or else you may be disappointed when you find
out that the nanny cannot alter her schedule to fit yours. 

You may be surprised to discover that you will find certain
nannies are quite happy to work non-traditional hours because they can spend
their “off-work” hours with their own families, furthering their education, or
working in another capacity. 

If you expect your nanny to work non-traditional hours you
should think about the following:

– do the non-traditional hours impact her ability to commute
to your home? (bus schedules, train schedules)

– how many hours total do you need the nanny each week?  will you need her to work “overtime”? (if
YES, then perhaps adjust her pay accordingly)

– what is your back-up plan if the nanny gets sick or cannot
come to work for some reason? 

– are you expecting her to sleep over in your home?  (if so, then you must provide her proper
accommodations)

– will your hours “rotate” day to day, week to week, or
month to month?  (detail your schedule
upfront)

– will you let her watch your child (children) out of her
home? 

– do you expect your nanny to be “on-call” to your needs and
completely flexible with your schedule?  (if
this is the case, make sure you hire a nanny that is extremely mature and
dependable)