The Value of a Nanny Agency Placement Fee
A lot of families – often after hearing horror stories from friends – find themselves scared away from placing a nanny ad themselves on care.com or in Facebook groups. Turning to agencies, they realize there’s an added investment required – the placement fee – and now they feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. What is the placement fee for and is it possible that it actually saves you money (And time? And energy?) in the long run? Let’s parse it out together.
What you’re paying for with a nanny agency
The main value of the nanny placement fee that you pay an agency is convenience and security. Any reputable agency will include most of the following services in their fee:
sourcing candidates
pre-screening resumes
interviewing candidates
checking references
running background checks
narrowing to a shortlist
presenting you with candidates who are available for your schedule and have the experience required for your job
Instead of 40+, 50+, 100+ applications from people who may or may not have any experience, may or may not be available for your schedule, and may or may not live reasonably close to you, you might get 3-5 vetted candidates who all fit the bill. Your only job is to chat with them to find out who you really mesh with and want to have around your kids.
That’s the biggest real value of a nanny agency: they compress a messy, lengthy process into something manageable for you.
Risk reduction in the nanny hiring process
While some childcare platforms make it possible for nannies to present background check results, agencies typically go deeper than what most parents are able to do when it comes to confirming safety and security with candidates.
This may include
background checks (sometimes multiple levels and covering all states where a candidate has lived)
verified references (talking to previous employers, with spidey senses out for anything that seems amiss)
work history validation
sometimes drug testing, certifications, etc.
Several of these things, you can do yourself, even though it’s time consuming, but there are areas where years of experience in the field really pays off. For instance, more than once, our reference checkers have caught something suspicious that turned out to be a friend pretending to be a previous nanny employer, or an adequate reference turned out to be a polite parent who was holding a bouquet of red flags close to their chest.
For instance, more than once, our reference checkers have caught something suspicious that turned out to be a friend pretending to be a previous nanny employer
Better Matchmaking with a Sixth Sense (a.k.a. Experience)
At the end of the day, your “chemistry” with a potential nanny can be a huge factor in a successful working relationship, and only you can gauge that. When you have a small number of eligible and great candidates, that can actually be the fun part!
But to get to that point, a skilled nanny agency will already have whittled down the candidate pool based on qualities that they know are important to you. By first getting to know you and your family, the agency can then sort through candidates and hand-pick which ones might fit you based on:
parenting style
schedule reliability
personality fit
expectations (discipline, routines, etc.)
A platform may offer some filters, but a lot of this is hard to suss out without putting in the leg work.
Bonus Value: Guidance you didn’t know you needed
Nanny agencies are different and all have their own process and relationship with a parent during and after placement. That said, the gold standard for a nanny agency is that they provide a personalized process and support you on your whole childcare hiring journey.
For us here at Smart Sitting, this means you have a dedicated team member working on your job – and that you have access to the whole team’s skills and experience as long as you are working with a Smart Sitting nanny or sitter.
This might look like:
A real live conversation about who you are and what you want in a caregiver
Feedback on candidates after meetings and advice in choosing the right one
Guidance regarding industry standards on anything from competitive salaries, typical benefits, legal requirements, and contract contents
Advice or mediation if conflicts come up during your time working together
TL;DR - What You Get and What You Don’t Get
Nanny Agency
You save time
You get access to more experienced nannies and sitters
You only interview candidates who are qualified and available as you need
You don’t have to do the vetting
You get guidance from an experienced partner
You may get a replacement guarantee if the placement doesn’t work out
There may be a substantial upfront fee to cover the work involved and the agency team’s expertise
DIY Hiring (Care.com, Facebook groups, etc.)
You have full control over the process and, if you hire someone, will have paid less money up front
You’ll spend a lot of time sorting through applications and coordinating interviews
You may be inundated with applications from candidates who may or may not be qualified
You are responsible for vetting, including background checks and reference calls
You’ll need to figure out market rates, benefits, and employment logistics on your own
Are you looking for a nanny or babysitter?
If you’re looking to hire a nanny or sitter and want to go straight to doing it the easy way – or if you’ve tried the DIY route and found it just a little too overwhelming – we’ve got you. Our team is ready to get to know you, hand-select qualified candidates who they think will fit your family, and help you get set up.
We understand it’s a significant investment, and that’s why we’ve streamlined the process to make it as easy (and, dare we say it, fun!) as possible. Tell us a bit about yourself via the button below, and we’ll be in touch to get you started.
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