If you have decided to hire a nanny, congratulations, you’re now well on your way to providing your children with extensive, private at-home care. When making this decision, you may not have realised that lots of extra decisions will now need to be made. One of those decisions is whether or not to use a nanny agency or hire a nanny directly.
Although hiring a nanny directly does work for some, and enables many to find an experienced nanny that meets their needs, it doesn’t work for everyone.
If you feel you don’t have enough time to find a nanny, you don’t know how to find a nanny, you worry about how to check the references or criminal backgrounds of a nanny, or simply want the reassurance you’re picking someone right for your family – a nanny agency is the best option for you. They will take over the entire process for you and present you with a considered selection of candidates to choose from. They can also simply verify experience or references for you, help you develop a contract and work agreement, or they can do the entire process for you if you want. A good nanny agency, like www.rockmybabynannyagency.co.uk/ will tailor the services to meet your needs.
Here’s how to tell a nanny agency is right for you:
1. You don’t have a clue what to look for
Don’t feel bad, many of us only know how we like to look after our children and have never really looked into anyone else doing the job. Perhaps you don’t really know what a nanny is expected to do, what you need to check for, or where to get a nanny from. Basically you have a young child you need a nanny to look after, you want her to start ASAP and you want her to be fabulous at looking after him – that is it. If this all rings true, you need a nanny agency. They can take you through every single step of the journey and cater their services to your needs to ensure you end up hiring the right person.
2. You don’t have time to be searching for someone
If the reason you’re getting a nanny is because you are extremely busy, it makes sense you won’t have time to search for one. You will have to place the advert, look through reams and reams of CV’s, perform interviews, check references and do background checks – all of which take a lot of time you do not have. Nanny agencies are experts at doing all of this for you, pre-screening applicants to match the right ones to your needs. You will only have to spend the time choosing between a few different candidates who all match your requirements.
3. You want a fully experienced, fully trained nanny
Training is very desirable and often nannies will have experience, but no training. If you want a nanny who has had training, especially if it is in a specific area of childcare, they can ensure we source a candidate with training that meets your needs.
4. You want someone you know is completely safe
Although we might think we have done all the necessary checks, you always hear news stories of child care givers who ‘slip through the net’. It is enough to give anyone nightmares, so it would make sense you want a professional agency to do a thorough and extensive check to check 100% that the nanny is checked. Your families safety is paramount and nanny agencies understand it is the number 1 priority of their clients.
5. You want a great personal match
When you screen applicants you are looking at a piece of paper with information on, not a person. Nanny agencies can go the extra mile for you and look for a good personal fit. A nanny who fits in with the style of your family, who would work really well with your children.
6. You need help understanding what your role is as an employer
If you’ve never hired a nanny before, you may not know how your position as a legal employer works. A nanny agency can help you understand what your roles and responsibilities are as an employer, from health and safety legislation, to laws on overtime pay.
7. You want backup
One of the main reasons people hire a nanny agency is because they want someone to go to for advice if they have problems with their nanny, they want help finding a replacement if the nanny is on holiday or if they leave the position.