It’s a Match

Moms can’t do it all, and the savvy ones know when they need to call in reinforcements. It’s just that finding the perfect reinforcement can be tough.

But our job is a lot easier now that we’ve bookmarked a roster of ‘matching’ sites to help find the perfect nanny, tutor or music teacher.

Finding the perfect babysitter is a task fraught with peril (seriously, who else can do your job as well). Canadiannanny.ca is a great place to start your research when you’re feeling overwhelmed because it’s
much more affordable than using a traditional nanny agency. Sign up on the site for two or more months (starting at $69.95) for full access to thousands of listings of nannies. You’ll find complete three-page profiles detailing experience levels, language capabilities, first aid training information and more—and other helpful information on hiring, interviewing and rates. You can also post your own position then wait for interested candidates to contact you. Or search through the profiles to find a nanny with the requirements your family needs. We like that moms can have direct contact with the candidates (rather than working through an agency) which was a great timesaver. With a few emails back and forth, you can pre-qualify any potential candidates before scheduling an in-person interview.

For the family in need of a tutor, it can be hard to find a perfect match with the right skills and experience (not to mention geographic location) to take your child to the top of the class. That’s where findatutor.ca comes in. The creation of a Vancouver-based mom entrepreneur, this free-to-use site collects listings from tutors across the country. To search the site, enter the level of schooling, subject areas and/or location, and the site provides search results for registered tutors. Listings provide background, contact details, schedule availability and more to help find the perfect match. There is also a great collection of education-related links to provincial sites and fun, online games, too.

Now that you’ve got a sitter and a tutor, you can focus on activities. Making a match with the perfect music teacher is a lot easier with the help of musiclessonmatch.com. This new resource site allows families to connect with a local music teacher through its extensive Canada-wide directory of teachers. Search by location, instrument, cost or preference for home or studio lessons. If you can’t find the perfect match, you can post a position request. The site also offers some helpful information on topics such as the right age to start lessons and what instruments are best for beginners.

It’s not like we’re playing with fire, we’re just finding the perfect match.