It’s Sunday night, you’re closing out a great weekend with a chilled drink and a movie. Your mind wonders to the coming week and a dark cloud suddenly comes over you, and your energy disappears.
You dread having to go to work for whatever your valid reason may be. You are more than ready to resign and leave your nanny job, but you just are unsure what is the right way to go about doing it while also feeling a bit guilty for leaving. Let’s talk about how to go about resigning from a nanny job.
Find a New Nanny Position
My mother always quotes ” Make sure you know where you will hide, before you start running” meaning have a plan set in place before taking action. Tho it would be great to quit on the spot and not work for a while, the reality is with the average pay a nanny makes, you will need to find another job as soon as possible.
Have an exit strategy set in place as soon as possible, the reason being is although there are a fair share of parents looking to hire nannies, it will take a while to find a great family that will fit your needs.
Update your resume and apply to as many nanny postings as possible. Ask fellow nannies to keep an ear out on potential new opening. Once you do have a family reach out for an interview keep in mind that a new job Interviews can go well with the promise of a call back and yet still fall thru. So do not turn down potential job interviews until you have signed a contract with a new family insuring that you are a hired employee.
Give Enough Notice
Contracts are great because it set the guideline on what is expected of both parties and also list the amount of time the parties have agreed to give in case the working relationship comes to an end. A month notice is typically the standard.
Once you have signed a new contract with a new family be sure to follow the rules set on your current contract on the agreed amount of time you are to provide the family with a notice to resign.
If there is no contract set in place, be sure to give the family a minimum of two weeks’ notice as they will need time to find a replacement and other arrangements.
Resign in Person
Imagine picking up your phone and sending your current nanny family a simple text that says ” BYE! see you ah..never” would be great right ! Sadly as great as it would be , it is not professional.
Be sure to resign in person, having a face-to-face conversation with the family though uncomfortable will insure nothing is lost in translation. Emotions both positive and negative can at times make you forget your train of thought and the points you may have wanted to state. Be sure to have a written resignation letter with you to ensure that your resignation is clearly stated.
When resigning be sure to thank the family for welcoming you into their home, list the positives of having worked with them, the positives of the children and so on. In the case the family was just horrid to work with, just fake it girl! and get it over with. Be firm that you are leaving in case the parents try to talk or guilt you into staying.
Quit on the spot
As great as it is to be able to give your current nanny family the proper notice of your resignation, help the family in finding and training a replacement, often times circumstances call for you to quit on the spot.
If you do find yourself in a position where you have no choice but to quit on the spot, simply state to the family ” I Quit effective immediately” . You do not owe the family an explanation as to why you are quitting if you do not wish to do so. Be sure to leave peacefully and respectful to ensure not burning any bridges.
Conclusion
Good luck on your new journey! Having heard it from dozens of nannies and as a nanny myself, I know how heavy of a weight it is to no longer want to work with a family and yet not know how to resign or if to even resign due to the fact you have come to form a bound with the children and/or the parents.
Resigning doesn’t have to end in yourself and the family no longer communicating. You are now free to form a friendship instead of a work relationship if both parties are open to the idea, giving you the change of keeping in touch with the children.