Respectfully Reject a Nanny Applicant

There are many times that nannies apply to my agency without having the proper qualifications required, and unfortunately due to that I have no choice but to reject that nanny applicant. Having to turn a nanny away is never an easy task, but unfortunately, it’s one that many agency owners have had to handle in the past and will have to handle in the future.

When you are rejecting a nanny, whether it’s due to their lack of experience or their references not checking out, it’s important to do so gracefully and with respect to not only the nanny but to yourself as an agency owner. You need to provide a solid and legitimate reason as to why you are rejecting that nanny and ensure that the rejection does not become personal.

Before rejecting a nanny, I highly suggest preparing a rejection letter that you can have readily available to send to the nanny.

When preparing this letter, it should be kept short, professional, and impersonal. You want to keep the feedback to a minimum via email to mitigate the risk of legal difficulties. Providing the rejection letter via email assists with keeping a paper trail for your records as well as lowers the risk of having an applicant get upset over the phone or in person.

It’s important to keep the rejection letter as impersonal as possible but still be honest and open as to why your agency is unable to work with the nanny. Reasons can range from not being able to legally work to not having the required amount of experience. It’s unfair to not inform the nanny as to exactly why they are being rejected, but you can do so without becoming too personal.

You can view our guide to Respectfully Rejecting Nannies in our digital library for members. Join the US Nanny Association today to have access to agency only materials, such as templates and guides to help support you on your journey as an agency owner.