Worth it to pay for background checks on Care & Sittercity websites?
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Anonymous
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Title says it all. Nanny here. Been struggling with my latest job hunt. Do my fellow nannies find it worth it to pay for the background checks on Care.com and Sittercity.com? I was going to purchase the basic ones, as I am on a budget with not working right now.
And to parents: does it matter to you if an applicant already has a background check on file? Or does it not matter, you will run your own? I know families get a lot of applicants and I am trying to make myself stand out. Thanks in advance! 
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Anonymous
| I did the basic background check on Care.com and saw a slight increase in the number of messages I was getting. So, for me it was worth it- I feel like it gives the parents one less thing to do while interviewing. I found my current job through my Care.com profile. |
Anonymous
| I've never once paid for a background check. I've always had them paid for by a family that I was emailing with and then they ask me if it's okay for them to run a background check and I let them. When the parents pay, it stays on your account for a year too. |
Anonymous
| I'm a nanny and have never used the background check; if a family asks for one I am fine with it but I've never had a problem getting responses without one |
Anonymous
| I'll let parents pay for my background check, but I'm not doing it myself. |
Anonymous
| I think the basic check is worth it. Parents can filter out caregivers without them, so you're more visible and appear higher in searches if you have one. I did fine without one at first, but I get messages almost daily now that I have one. |
Anonymous
| OP here. Thanks for your thoughts. I'm still undecided! I would only be able to pay for the basic checks, $9 on Care and $15 on Sittercity. I have had families request and pay for my checks in the past, and I love that they last for the year. But unfortunately no one has requested one lately! |
Anonymous
| I've hired babysitters from care and had to pay for the BG check. I'm really surprised they'd make the nannies pay. Seems like double dipping. |