Mind proofing this (parents)? UPDATED
Hey guys, Im trying to get a nannying job...I want to post this on Craigs list, but need your imput first. I know its already pretty long, but Im wondering if I should post what sort of special needs I have experience with (Autism spectrum, Downsyndrome, seizure disorder, behavioral issues (ADD, ADHD, etc), paralysis, non-verbal, brain injury, cerebral paulsie, g-tubes....probally more I cant think of right now...) If you saw this ad (and had a need for this sort of care) would you hire me? What would you want to see as a parent? Feel free to berate my spelling, gramer, sentance structure, the content or whatever you see is wrong with it. Heck, I wouldnt even be offended if you rephrased the whole thing. Im looking for any suggestions. THANK YOU!!!
(heading) Special Care for Your Special Needs Child
We both know that only you can provide the best care for your little one, but when you are not able to, I'm a pretty close runner up. I am a 22 year old mature college student seeking summer work as a nanny for your child with special need in the L****, W***** or W******** area. I'm patient and fun-loving, I love reading to children, doing crafts and enjoying the out-doors. I have several years of experience working with kids with and without special need (as a preschool teacher, special education assistant, nanny, and babysitter.) I am certified in CPR and First Aide. I have also been a certified nurses aide for 5 years and have experience giving meds, completing at home physical therapy, using breathing treatments (nebulizers, inhalers, oxygen, etc.) Assisting with activities of daily living (bathing, dressing, meals, etc.) Putting on, removing and helping with assistive devices (leg braces, arm braces, walkers, wheelchairs, DynaVox, etc.) I can also use basic American Sign Language and Sign English. I have some experience with allergies including giving EpiPen injections, reading labels for allergens, and the like. I currently follow a meat free, egg free, dairy free diet and am willing to abstain from other foods that can induce anaphylatic reactions. I am a non smoker.
I prefer a live-out position but am willing to consider other arrangements. I'm available for any shift. I'm flexable and easy going so let me know how I can help you. If your child has specific needs I would be more than happy to learn about those needs and to work to accommodate them. Please email me for my phone number, references or to set up an interview. My rates are negotiable depending on what sorts of services you need and what family abilities are.
I am not going to give any advice on your actual writing but as a mother of a special needs child ..I would hire you! ( or at least call you and check your references :P) The skills that you have are so important when leaving your child with someone. My husband and I never went out and I didn't work because I never felt comfortable with leaving him with anyone.
Your extensive experience speaks volumes and I would definitely give you an interview! The best of luck to you in finding the perfect nanny job!
I know this might not matter to a lot of people, but I'll edit it for grammar/spelling (if it needs it!) I'll do edits in bold. I almost got a job as a nanny (non-special needs), but it wasn't enough pay for us to live on. I didn't even have that much experience (just working a few months at a daycare), but I think it "speaks volumes" if you love children, are open to their ideas, and just be yourself!
(your message with edits in bold)
(heading) Special Care for Your Special Needs Child
We both know that only you can provide the best care for your little one, but when you are not able to, I'm a pretty close runner up. (I don't know if this first sentence is 'necessary,' and the tense is a little off...but I'm picky about these things) I am a 22 year old mature college student seeking summer work as a nanny for your child with special need in the L****, W***** or W******** area. I'm patient and fun-loving, I love reading to children, doing crafts, and enjoying the out-doors. I have several years of experience working with kids with and without special needs (as a preschool teacher, special education assistant, nanny, and babysitter). I am certified in CPR and First Aide. I have also been a certified nurses aide for 5 years and have experience giving meds, completing at home physical therapy, using breathing treatments (nebulizers, inhalers, oxygen, etc.), assisting with activities of daily living (bathing, dressing, meals, etc.), and putting on, removing, and helping with assistive devices (leg braces, arm braces, walkers, wheelchairs, DynaVox, etc.). I can also use basic American Sign Language and Sign English. I have some experience with allergies, including giving EpiPen injections, reading labels for allergens, and the like. I currently follow a meat free, egg free, dairy free diet,and am willing to abstain from other foods that can induce anaphylatic reactions. I am a non smoker.
I prefer a live-out position but am willing to consider other arrangements. I'm available for any shift. I'm flexible and easy going, so let me know how I can help you. If your child has specific needs, I would be more than happy to learn about those needs and to work to accommodate them. Please email me for my phone number, references, or to set up an interview. My rates are negotiable depending on what sorts of services you need and what family abilities are.
Those are just the little, picky things that I saw...but I also tend to add lots of commas. It sounds like you have a lot of experience!
I think it could only help if you include those specific special needs that you have experience with. Maybe at the end, you could say:
If your child has specific needs I would be more than happy to learn about those needs and to work to accommodate them. I have experience caring for children with autism, epilepsy, etc......(and note that it's spelled cerebral palsy).
I also think the first sentence detracts from the piece as a whole. Just jump right in and show them that you are the best runner up! Show, don't tell. That's what I learned in creative writing this semester. ;)b
Also, this sentence has a very minor problem:
I'm patient and fun-loving, and I love reading to children, doing crafts and enjoying the outdoors. (no hyphen in outdoors)
See what I mean? The items in the list have to be parallel. First you are describing yourself, then you are listing three things you like.
It sounds good! Good luck :)
You can also send your note to your local twins/multiples club...
Thanks guys! I corrected those spelling issues and grammatical things. I also went ahead and posted what I have expeince with the way that KMK said. Im glad the feed back Im getting is good though, that makes me feel so much more confident! I posted this in teh PPK forum to adn overwhelmingly got teh reply that they would not hire off of craigslist. SO I also am posting on nannyfinder websites. I will chackout the MOM groups in the area, K2...also gonna see if there are support groups for kids with special needs...I know they had one for downs syndrome in tucson...um. Well, thank you everyone!
Here're my thoughts....you want to make your ad the easiest/most pleasing to the eye for parents to read.
My basic rules for successful ads:
1) Give them the basic info first. What are your skills/qualifications?
2) Keep the paragraphs short and sweet. (ie no more than 3 sentences a piece)
3) When showing the qualifications, list them out and then have an explanation/experience following the qualification
4) If you are going to mention you're a college student, I'd mention that you're more specifically a nursing student!!
I am a patient and fun-loving 22 year old nursing student seeking summer work as a nanny for your special needs child in the L****, W***** or W******** area. I love reading to children, doing crafts and enjoying the out-doors. I have several years of experience working with kids with and without special need (as a preschool teacher, special education assistant, nanny, and babysitter.)
I am certified in CPR and First Aide.
A certified nurses aide for 5 years and have experience with giving meds, completing at home physical therapy, using breathing treatments (nebulizers, inhalers, oxygen, etc.)
Experienced with assisting in activities of daily living (bathing, dressing, meals, etc.) Putting on, removing and helping with assistive devices (leg braces, arm braces, walkers, wheelchairs, DynaVox, etc.)
I have working use of basic American Sign Language and Sign English.
I have some experience with allergies including giving EpiPen injections, reading labels for allergens, and the like.
I'm familiar with special needs diets (both eating and preparing); I currently follow a meat free, egg free, dairy free diet, and am willing to abstain from other foods that can induce anaphylatic reactions.
I am a non smoker.
I prefer a live-out position but am willing to consider other arrangements. I'm available for any shift. I'm flexable and easy going so let me know how I can help you. If your child has specific needs I would be more than happy to learn about those needs and to work to accommodate them. Please email me for my phone number, references or to set up an interview. My rates are negotiable depending on what sorts of services you need and what family abilities are.
OMG, VHZ, you want to be a nanny????
A vegan nanny would be awesome, and I have known you for a awhile now. If it was a few months later I would want to hire you! You would be the perfect nanny.
Okay, didn't proof it, sorry. I am going home now, really...serious this time...weekend...three day weekend...yipeee
A couple more grammar/spelling/punctuation things (sorry for the late input):
First Aid does not have an 'e' on the end
Nurse's aide has an apostrophe
I had an interview yesterday with a family and was offered a job! :> I found them on one of those nanny matching sites. Its a live-in position and the family has four children (8, f; 6.5,m; 6,m; 3,m). Whats unique about this situation is that the children are currently DCF placements who are in the processes of being adopted. When I read the families profile, that stood out to me because that is how I plan to build MY FAMILY one day in the future. and I sent them a message saying that I understand that it s a delicate situation and that feel like there would be a lot I could learn from them while I helped with their needs. I guess it worked because, well....We're having a picnic next week and will be going ahead with the hiring process. There is a lot of security related things...like with finger prints and background checks, because the kids are in foster care...so not only do I have to be cleared, my friends or family who could ever potentially come into contact with them have to be cleared too...kinda' a pain but totally worth it to protect vulnerable kids in my opinion.
I'll be starting the first week of *July * (not January--opps) . I have to move to West Hartford :o!!! It looks like a cool enough place. I'm scared and excited.
oh, and the other thing that is cool, is that the mom asked me if i was comfortable cooking for the children and I said I loved cooking but just wanted to honestly put out there that I was uncomfortable handling meats. At which point the Mom told me she was Veg!!! the kids are quasi veg. They mostly eat veg at home and if they do not eat veg at home its always something like frozen pizza so she doesn't have to look at or touch the meat! Yay! When I went to leave she mentioned that they do a lot with their CSA!!! SO I'm psyched all the way around.
Thank you to those who helped!!!! :)>>>
Sounds like a perfect fit! Congrats!!!!
wow! Well done, that's fantastic ;)b
Four kids!?! It will be like The Sound of Music. You can be firm, but kind.
Congrats Zealia! Sounds great! ;)b
I am so darn happy for you Zealia! And super duper proud to boot! West Hartford too is very cool! You can come visit me on a day off!
yeah, it seems like a perfect match pretty much...and guess what? Ill have HEALCARE!!!! woop, woop! Although I seem to be slowly getting better (I have only been sick to the point of vomiting once this week. Think its going away) Oh, I'm starting in JULY not January like i first typed...that would be a long ways away!
So far, I only met the Mom and the three-year-old boy...he was cute. I think it will be fun. I used to Nanny for 4 kids before and I used to teach at a daycare where i had to watch 13 3-year-olds all at once...She said he kids are active, which should be nice. They love the outdoors,and I do too.
One thing that will take some adjusting is that their family and I are different faiths. I'm totally okay with people observing their faiths in their home while I'm there and she let me know she wanted me to be comfortable to exercise my faith in her home as much as I wanted and that i could be as involved or not involved as I like in their rituals. She seems really open and I am too- so I don't anticipate any major awkwardness. I just don't want to do something that could be deemed offensive. You know? They are Budhist and they meditate and do yoga. I meditate and do yoga too, but for me its a way to focus on connecting with my Christian God (I know thats not a normal "Christian" thing but its what i do...) I don't want to seem offensive. Maybe I can do it alone as I do now. They also say a prayer chant before meals thanking the earth and the sun for their food. I say a Prayer to my God before meals thanking him for my food. I figure while they say theirs I will silently say my prayers....again...none of that is at all difficult. I honestly am looking forward to learning more about their faith and maybe even getting to share about my faith. But because I'm so unfamiliar with it...I'm nervous. The mom mentioned that they sometimes go to a Buddhist retreat and that it would be up to me if I wanted to go or not. I think i will have to think of on that a little more but my initial reaction was interpretation. I'm sure a big part of that has something to do with the fear of the unknown...but...you know...
but yikes...its cool...and I totally have to take a day trip to visit cali...hey, i ate at this place called "its only natural" the other day...it was SSOOOOO good, and only about 20 mins from west hartford. I know where Ill be going after I get my paychecks! ;)b speaking of that restaurant, i need to write review!
I love how happy you guys are for me...what good friends ;)
My co-worker is Jewish/Buddhist. I think that with Buddhism there's no "divine being." It's more of a philosophical way to live, so you can be Christian and incorporate Buddhist perspectives without conflict. Maybe. At least that's my understanding. The family sounds more and more cool.