Perhaps you've heard of speed dating but have you ever heard of speed nannying?

Speed dating promises to find you the love of your life in a mere matter of minutes and speed nannying works along the same lines but obviously with nannies. Essentially it is a bit of fun but may have some real benefits for harassed and working parents who have little time to go through the traditionally rigorous process of selecting their nanny. They can meet a whole group of potential nannies and perhaps even the odd manny, in one handy time slot and then go away with a short list of possible candidates to try out.

Speed nannying brings together around 10 nannies and the same number of parents. The parents get to interview all the nannies and write down which they like best. The nannies write down which parents they felt fitted in with their outlook, and the match is made. It could also act as the first stage of the recruitment process where they need to cut down the numbers and choose a small list that they got on well with.

The time this saves compared to meeting them one by one at different times and in different locations might be invaluable to some parents.

It's an idea which we are toying with here at Tinies with some of our franchises. Our Brighton branch is actually run by a former New York nanny who encountered the system over in the States. So if you are a bit pushed for time and need a nanny quickly, then this quirky approach may be the best one for you to try.