The Best Nanny Job Hunt: Agency or DIY?
When you’re looking for nanny work, you have two main routes: partner with a nanny agency or find jobs on your own (DIY) through platforms, word-of-mouth, and networking. Both can lead to great families, so what’s the best way to go?
The answer: that depends on you: your goals, timeline, and how much admin you want to handle. Let’s break it down, so you can figure out the route that’s best for you.
Before You Start Your Search
When choosing whether to go with a nanny agency or try to find a nanny job on your own, it’s smart to take a moment before you start your search to think about where you’re at right now. Think through the following questions, really imagining yourself in each scenario.
Are you looking for a high-end, long-term “career” position with clear benefits and structure? Are you looking for flexible or short-term gigs?
Do you want help with screening, scheduling interviews, and writing contracts, or are you happy running it all yourself?
Would you like a recruiter’s support in benchmarking rates/benefits and negotiating guaranteed hours, overtime, and PTO?
Do you want advocacy and post-placement support and the chance to meet other caregivers, or do you prefer full control and a faster pivot on your own?
How important is it that someone pre-vets families and helps structure paid trials and expectations?
These answers will give you a great starting point as you assess which route is best for you.
How the Agency Path Works
All agencies are different, with some agencies being more hands-on and personal, others taking a hands-off approach once you’ve been vetted. Compared to doing it on your own, however, they tend to share a more thorough vetting process and the ability to to structure the hiring process.
1) Apply & interview with the agency
You’ll share your experience, strengths, schedule, and goals. Expect reference and background checks. Some may conduct interviews, others may just have an application form with questions.
2) Get matched to families
A recruiter sends curated roles that fit your profile (age groups, commute, skills), or you may be able to view open positions and apply to those that fit you. You’ll get context on each family’s priorities.
3) Interview & paid trials
Most families will also want to interview candidates on their own. Trials let everyone (including you!) assess real-life chemistry, learn routines, communication, and how the children respond. Any reputable agency will make sure a trial is paid.
4) Offer, contract, and onboarding
The agency helps align rate, guaranteed hours, overtime, PTO/holidays, travel policies, and start date, drawing up a job contract. In some instances, the nanny agency may be the one hiring the candidate and handling payroll.
5) Ongoing support
If questions or bumps come up, you have a team to troubleshoot, celebrate wins, and plan the next step in your career.
Example: Agency Path
You’re aiming for a stable infant position with guaranteed hours and clear PTO. You meet a recruiter, fine-tune your brief, and interview two families who are looking for someone with your kind of experience and hours that fit your availability. After two paid trials, you pick the household where the baby settles easily with you and you get along with the parents. The recruiter negotiates a higher hourly rate, PTO, and metro reimbursement, finalizes a written agreement, and sets a firm start date. You begin with structure, support, and everyone on the same page.
How the DIY Path Works
In some ways, the DIY Path is similar to the nanny agency route, in that you still have to collect and demonstrate your experience, line up references, and gather material for a profile. The main difference is that you have to manage every step along the way.
1) Build your professional presence
Start with a clear resume, outlining all childcare related experiences. Make sure you have strong references willing to speak with potential new families and a concise profile (photo, skills, age-group expertise, certifications).
2) Find leads
Use marketplace platforms, parent groups, school networks, and referrals to find potential gigs. Some platforms have nannies reaching out to families, others have families find you through your profile.
3) Screen families yourself
DIY interviews with families aren’t wholly unlike those through the agency. You’ll need to make sure you’re also screening families in return, however, to make sure that jobs are legit and job responsibilities are reasonable. Ask clear questions about duties, schedules, house rules, and expectations.
4) Negotiate terms
Discuss rate, guaranteed hours, overtime, PTO/holidays, sick time, travel, and any family-assistant tasks.
5) Put it in writing
Unlike the agency route, you’ll be responsible for drawing up a job contract, if the family doesn’t already have one. Draft a simple agreement you both sign. Align on payroll and taxes, communication norms, and start date.
Example: DIY Path
You want flexibility while finishing a certificate program and need to start making money this week. You refresh your profile and apply to several jobs – a few ghost you, a few turn out to be looking for something other than you can provide, and two ask to meet you for interviews. You run your own background checks and schedule a First Aid training, negotiate an hourly rate and ask that they agree to your weekly minimum, and draft a simple written agreement that covers rate and schedules.
Weighing Your Options: Nanny Agency or DIY
Choosing an agency often opens doors to higher-end, long-term roles that aren’t publicly posted. Plus if it’s a good agency, you’ll get coaching on interviews, structured paid trials, and advocacy on rate, guaranteed hours, PTO, and travel policies. Some agencies (like Smart Sitting!) also build a community of nannies through events, meetups, support sessions, and connections.
Families are pre-screened, expectations are clearer, and you have a team to troubleshoot with after you start. The trade-offs: you’ll interview with the agency first, you’ll see fewer total listings than on open marketplaces, and the pace can depend on your exact brief (location, schedule, niche skills).
Going DIY gives you maximum control and potentially a wider pool of leads, especially if you’re early in your career and don’t qualify for an agency’s experience requirements. The flip side is that you handle everything: screening families, running reference checks, negotiating terms, and drafting a clean contract. Quality and benefits can vary more, and the admin load (and risk) sits with you.
Which One Is Better?
Choose an agency if you’re aiming for a career post with strong fit, clear terms, and ongoing support through interviews, trials, and negotiations.
Choose DIY if you want maximum control, are comfortable running your own screening and contracts, or if you are early in your career and do not have enough experience to qualify for a nanny agency.
Whichever route you take, show up like a pro: keep your certifications current, gather recent references, and communicate clearly. That’s the formula agencies and families remember – and the fastest way to the right job for you.
Are you going the agency route?
If you are experienced, dedicated, all-round fantastic and looking for a supportive environment to find your next, great nanny job, apply to Smart Sitting! We only work with a small selection of caregivers, but that means we can make personalized matches between families and sitters that we really think will stand out. So if you have your ducks in a row and are ready to take your nanny career to the next level, click the button below and get started now!
Ps. For more tips and tricks to boost your nanny career, sign up for our newsletter!