Help me write a reference - please

[summerdays]

I've been asked by a friend and ex-work colleague to write a reference for her to become a child minder.

I'm worried incase I write something that do her more harm than good. She's a great person, my chief babysitter, who thinks children should be polite (must say please/thank you etc), won't let them sit infront of the TV, helps run one of the toddler groups she goes to.

So "In the space below, please give your views on the ability of X to look after children under the age of eight. What qualities do you feel they have that would make them particularly suitable for this work"

And another section about other information that you think is relevant to their application..... Like what???

 

[Fnaar]

I've been asked by a friend and ex-work colleague to write a reference for her to become a child minder.

I'm worried incase I write something that do her more harm than good. She's a great person, my chief babysitter, who thinks children should be polite (must say please/thank you etc), won't let them sit infront of the TV, helps run one of the toddler groups she goes to.

So "In the space below, please give your views on the ability of X to look after children under the age of eight. What qualities do you feel they have that would make them particularly suitable for this work"

And another section about other information that you think is relevant to their application..... Like what???

Knowing at least ten verses to "the wheels on the bus" is mandatory (but please leave out the one about the daddies on the bus snoring... it is sexist and doesn't reflect the modern man's involvement with his kids' upbringing . Let him be ogling the female driver, or something )

 

[Arch]

I've been asked by a friend and ex-work colleague to write a reference for her to become a child minder.

I'm worried incase I write something that do her more harm than good. She's a great person, my chief babysitter, who thinks children should be polite (must say please/thank you etc), won't let them sit infront of the TV, helps run one of the toddler groups she goes to.

So "In the space below, please give your views on the ability of X to look after children under the age of eight. What qualities do you feel they have that would make them particularly suitable for this work"

And another section about other information that you think is relevant to their application..... Like what???

In the other info, I guess, you'd put anything like reliability, punctuality, pleasant manner, that sort of thing. With regard to the specifics, well, just say what you think I guess, since it sounds like you'd happily reccomend her. Perhaps write out something off the cuff, and then work on it to make it sound a bit more 'professional'.

If you really rate her, that will come across in anything you write, as long as you don't think about it too much, if you see what I mean?