1 reviews | Active since Jun 2017
AN ********* FINANCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DRAIN
<div>When I was looking for a replacement governess for my children earlier in 2017, I thought I’d found a prime agency in Little Sunshines. With its claim as one of the industry’s strictest recruitment specialists, the candidates were sure to be the best of the best… right? Wrong.<br> <br>In short (you can read the full story here: https://www.zaparents.com/2017/06/26/choosing-an-au-pair-agency-read-this-first/), I paid Little Sunshines an astronomical R20,000 placement fee for an au pair who:<br> <br>• Is a non-smoker<br>• Has their own car<br>• Has verified credentials<br>• Has at least 2 years’ driving experience<br>• Has no concerns that will hinder work performance<br>• Will sleep in the room with my child<br> <br>But none that mattered when the first candidate:<br> <br>• Smoked<br>• Didn’t have her own car, and<br>• Drove my car with the hand brake on, setting the wheels on fire and almost blowing the car up with my kids inside.<br> <br>Nor did it matter when the second candidate:<br> <br>• Also smoked… in my house and in a friend’s bathroom<br>• **** about it<br>• Was unable to sleep in the room with my child because she was passed out drunk, and then<br>• Blamed it on her anti-depressants (a disruptive illness she wasn’t supposed to have)<br> <br>When I asked for a refund of my R20,000, Little Sunshines’ owner, refused, citing their contract that says there are no refunds, regardless of the circumstances. She put my experience down to ‘bad luck’ and recommended I do my own ITC checks in future.<br> <br>Shockingly, it turns out the Little Sunshines ‘screening process’ is also just a long list of questions, and a few childcare-related tests. No formal ******** checks, no ITC checks, no smoking tests… basically just trusting the candidate’s word.<br> <br>When an agency claims to be one of the strictest, I expect their candidates to have been verified. And suggesting I conduct my own checks despite a R20,000 placement fee is ludicrous. Childcare is a job like any other. And Little Sunshines is no less responsible when these candidates misrepresent themselves. No matter what the ***** fine print says.</div>
- Formal ******** Checks through a 3rd party company
- Reference Checks
- Drivers License and Vehicle Confirmation
It is ******* for any company to subject an applicant to a smoking test during an interview.
- Formal ******** Checks through a 3rd party company
- Reference Checks
- Drivers License and Vehicle Confirmation
It is ******* for any company to subject an applicant to a smoking test during an interview.