Need Recommendation for Agency with Live-In Nanny Candidates

[Anonymous]

I am looking for a nanny agency that has received positive reviews in recent years. Current nanny is leaving to get married. We have had live-in nannies for many years, so I am familiar with what it entails and the process. Unfortunately, my efforts to search on my own are not panning out (including efforts on care.com). I tried the agency route several years back and it was not a good experience, but I am hoping someone has positive information to share.

Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am looking for a nanny agency that has received positive reviews in recent years. Current nanny is leaving to get married. We have had live-in nannies for many years, so I am familiar with what it entails and the process. Unfortunately, my efforts to search on my own are not panning out (including efforts on care.com). I tried the agency route several years back and it was not a good experience, but I am hoping someone has positive information to share.

Thank you.

I am looking for the same if anyone has any advice!

[Anonymous]

Call Susan at NannyPoppinz. She has live-in nannies both locally and who relocate anywhere in the country.

[Anonymous]

Just curious - why do you prefer live in? What does it solved for? The challenge we have is in last minute unexpected needs (a meeting running long, a last minute call scheduled, a flight delayed (in normal times). I fantasize an au pair or live in would solve for a lot of this but I’m assuming they still have a very set schedule and would be annoyed by last minute changes

[Anonymous]

NP but a live-in is very useful if you have unusual work schedules or if one partner travels a lot. You still need to set the schedule in advance, but with an au pair or live-in nanny, you might set their schedule so they have Wednesday off while one spouse works from home or your MIL is with the kids, but then they are on duty overnight on Thursday to accommodate a traveling spouse while the other works late. You can also build in date nights very easily (again, in advance).

I feel like it works best with either kids under 18 mo or school age, or if one spouse is SAH but has a busy schedule. It’s harder for toddlers because they aren’t in school yet but also need a ton of 1:1 time, so it makes the schedule juggle harder. But if you can make it work, it’s just really nice to have the flexibility for nights and weekends. But yeah, you have to set schedules well in advance and if the schedule shifts, you have to be ready to compromise with her to get the coverage you need.

But nothing beats traveling for work and knowing the nanny can just go to bed in your house at the end of the night and you don’t have to worry about getting home in time to relieve her. It’s a really wonderful feature of the arrangement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just curious - why do you prefer live in? What does it solved for? The challenge we have is in last minute unexpected needs (a meeting running long, a last minute call scheduled, a flight delayed (in normal times). I fantasize an au pair or live in would solve for a lot of this but I’m assuming they still have a very set schedule and would be annoyed by last minute changes

PP here. I happen to be a live-in nanny.

You can find anything you want, as long as you’re prepared to pay for it.

One position was 20 hours weekly, but I was on call 18 hours per day 6 days per week until we got to those 20 hours. Sometimes I was off my Tuesday afternoon, other times I wasn’t able to go and do anything until Saturday evening. No housekeeping, basic childcare only, $500 weekly.

Another position was $1000 for 24/5 availability. I worked mornings and evenings, but I was paid to be available during the school day and overnight, that way my employer didn’t have to leave work for anything to happened during the day and could travel overnight without needing to find someone to stay with the kids (1 night every other week on average, frequently with very little notice).

I’ve also worked 24/7, because the single dad had 30-60 minutes notice about when he needed to be at work. For consistency for the kids (homeschooling), I was on whether he was there or not, but he spent as much time with them as he could.

Other positions have just had more flexibility for start and end times. We had a base schedule and if I needed to start earlier, they let me know as soon as they knew. If they were running late, they texted as soon as they knew they would be late and told me as much as they knew about when they would be available to take over.

However, I look for families with whom I become part of the family. They don’t ask me to leave common areas so that they can have family time. I can add anything I want to the grocery list (frequently I’m the one making the list and getting the groceries anyway). I’m welcome to join the family/parents for dinner, even if I’m coming out just for the meal before I go somewhere else. And I’m always invited along for dinner out or activities, unless it’s a child-parent 1-1 time. I make sure not to take advantage of any of the above, but the flexibility that you describe doesn’t happen without resentment if the nanny is expected to be not seen or heard when they’re not working.

[Anonymous]

^ thanks for all of that!! np here