Watch your step on the web

Nanny Search director Amanda Cotton was horrified recently to hear what happened to CVs and personal details sent in good faith by some nannies to what they believed to be her agency's internet website. They ended up going instead to a site with a similar name, based in the United States, which was not a nanny agency but which tried to sell the jobseekers' services back to other agencies in the UK. After great difficulty tracking down the unnamed site owners, Amanda is considering legal action. Tricia Pritchard, professional officer at the Professional Association of Nursery Nurses, says there has been a huge growth in websites offering to find nannies their perfect job, without giving any details of who is behind the site or other contact numbers. 'Nannies are being persuaded to part with hard-earned cash for services with absolutely no value,' she says. PANN warns nannies to be cautious about registering with an agency over the internet. 'If they do not ask to meet with you before putting you forward for jobs, the chances are they have made few checks about the employer and his/her childcare needs. Reputable agencies still require nannies to attend an interview and produce original documents for verification. They use their websites to give candidates a taste of the jobs available through them, and post very little about the nannies looking for jobs, other than age, qualifications and experience, and possibly the salary they are looking to attract.'