Having just fired her au pair, Bernie Dixon of Farmington, CT needed to find a caregiver for her children quickly. Like many working parents these days, Bernie turned to the Internet for help. "If I am scouring through a newspaper or the yellow pages at my desk, it looks as if I am not working. But searching for information on my computer screen looks productive to my co-workers and is just a lot more convenient way for me to get things done."

Bernie, who is the Chief Information Officer for Hamilton Standard, began her child care search from her desk. She used the Alta Vista search engine and typed in "Nannies, Au Pairs and Children." In an instant, Bernie received links to sites for The Nanny TV show, the NetNanny software which guards questionable websites from your children and the I LOVE MY NANNY, INC. site (http://www.ilovemynanny.com/), a nanny placement agency. She immediately visited the latter site.

"I was instantly impressed with the professionalism of the site. I used the comments button and emailed the agency asking how long it would take to find a nanny. That was in the evening on my way out of the office, and the next day at 7:30 am in the morning, there was an email response waiting for me at the desk. Now that is what I called responsive."

The I Love My Nanny website is owned by Jackie Williams of Hartford, CT and places professional nannies in the U.S. and abroad. As the "pioneer of internet nanny recruiting," the online service details how the agency works, provides articles on hiring and communicationg with nannies, outlines information on the industry, provides online applications for nannies and families, and offers a weekly bulletin emailed to subscribers about which nannies and jobs are currently available.

Within two hours of that mornings email, Bernie was interviewed by phone; 24 hours later a list of candidates was faxed to her, and three short days thereafter Bernie was interviewing prospective live-in nannies. "This is the way I like to do business," Bernie continued. "Not only was the agency responsive but the candidates were the most highly educated I have found. Because I am raising my kids to be computer savvy and business smart, it is a real bonus to find a nanny who is not only nurturing but also computer literate."

Of her new nanny found through the Internet, Bernie claims, "She's a blessing, a modern day Mary Poppins who is a vital element of our family team." Bernie concludes that the online placement service charges a slightly hirer placement fee, but it was worth it. "It was easy to find the agency on the Internet, and the quality was obvious -- both in terms of the company responsiveness and the highly educated candidates. That's what's important to working parents."

Creative Commons Source: http://ilovemynanny.tripod.com/ilovemynanny/index.blog?entry_id=28026