Agency checks

[Anonymous]

Do the agencies (specifically NYC but general knowledge is good, too) run a credit check on nannies who apply to them?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do the agencies (specifically NYC but general knowledge is good, too) run a credit check on nannies who apply to them?

No. At least none that I have ever registered with. I can't think of why they would... although I wouldn't care either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do the agencies (specifically NYC but general knowledge is good, too) run a credit check on nannies who apply to them?

My agency did not - I went through TeacherCare.

[Anonymous]

A nanny's credit has nothing to do with her ability to care for your child. It is none of your business.

[Anonymous]

Some do, most don't. It's usually only the really top ones that do as a regular thing. Off the top of my head I know Mahler Private Staffing does. Others will do it if the family requests.

[Anonymous]

And for those who want to know why-

One of the major reasons is that it gives a complete address history.

[Anonymous]

I never understood the relationship between a job and a credit check.

Because if someone in theory has horrible credit, don't they need that job to make the money to pay their bills?

If no one hired someone who owed money on outstanding bills, then how the hell is that person supposed to earn the money to pay them??

So stupid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I never understood the relationship between a job and a credit check.

Because if someone in theory has horrible credit, don't they need that job to make the money to pay their bills?

If no one hired someone who owed money on outstanding bills, then how the hell is that person supposed to earn the money to pay them??

So stupid.

I completely agree! And studies have shown that credit score has no bearing on an employee's performance. NYC just banned credit checks on applicants for employers with more than four employees. Too bad most nannies don't fit in that category.

[Anonymous]

A nanny's credit has nothing to do with her ability to care for your child. It is none of your business.

While I agree with you in principle, I can understand families wanting to have this information because the nanny will have unmonitored access to sensitive financial information and, if she were in deep debt, she might be tempted to steal. Considering how many nannies here have admitted to snooping on their employers, it certainly sounds like a reasonable concern for some families.

FWIW, every professional job I have ever had has required both a background and credit check and refusing to sign off for one was grounds not to be hired. The theory is the risk of stealing if debts are high. I don't like it, and I don't control the budget for my department, but since I wanted the job, I consented.

I'd prefer it if credit checks were banned though, because I believe if people were of the character to steal, they would steal, regardless of their credit score and people with poor credit who have morals and ethics would never steal under any circumstances.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

A nanny's credit has nothing to do with her ability to care for your child. It is none of your business.

While I agree with you in principle, I can understand families wanting to have this information because the nanny will have unmonitored access to sensitive financial information and, if she were in deep debt, she might be tempted to steal. Considering how many nannies here have admitted to snooping on their employers, it certainly sounds like a reasonable concern for some families.

FWIW, every professional job I have ever had has required both a background and credit check and refusing to sign off for one was grounds not to be hired. The theory is the risk of stealing if debts are high. I don't like it, and I don't control the budget for my department, but since I wanted the job, I consented.

I'd prefer it if credit checks were banned though, because I believe if people were of the character to steal, they would steal, regardless of their credit score and people with poor credit who have morals and ethics would never steal under any circumstances.

Our biggest banks (bankers) are some of our worst criminals, but our "justice" system refuses to send them to jail where they belong. So if your employers are in the banking/financial sector, they may very well be engaged in "unethical" business practices. We should get a copy of THEIR credit report, to say the least.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

A nanny's credit has nothing to do with her ability to care for your child. It is none of your business.

While I agree with you in principle, I can understand families wanting to have this information because the nanny will have unmonitored access to sensitive financial information and, if she were in deep debt, she might be tempted to steal. Considering how many nannies here have admitted to snooping on their employers, it certainly sounds like a reasonable concern for some families.

FWIW, every professional job I have ever had has required both a background and credit check and refusing to sign off for one was grounds not to be hired. The theory is the risk of stealing if debts are high. I don't like it, and I don't control the budget for my department, but since I wanted the job, I consented.

I'd prefer it if credit checks were banned though, because I believe if people were of the character to steal, they would steal, regardless of their credit score and people with poor credit who have morals and ethics would never steal under any circumstances.

I disagree with this. I see what you are saying, but I think it's pretty common knowledge most people would steal under numerous circumstances. To get your child/family medicine, food, etc and numerous other reasons. So no matter how moral they are when a poor person with no financial responsibility has open access to all their employers money and they have a kid who gets sick with no insurance and Christmas season coming up and need gifts they are pretty likely to help themselves to cash and credit cards lying around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:...I think it's pretty common knowledge most people would steal under numerous circumstances. To get your child/family medicine, food, etc and numerous other reasons. So no matter how moral they are when a poor person with no financial responsibility has open access to all their employers money and they have a kid who gets sick with no insurance and Christmas season coming up and need gifts they are pretty likely to help themselves to cash and credit cards lying around.

Um, no, no and no. I grew up without money, my mother was a single mother of 3, scraping by without child support and while putting herself through school. No matter how desperate she was (and I know she was, we were taught about finances early, helped clip coupons and check grocery ads, balance the checkbook, etc.), she never even thought about stealing, not from our neighbors who never locked their doors, not from a great-great-aunt who let us live in her house when she needed to live in the nursing home (broken hip), and not when we would house-sit for people with a great deal more money than we had.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

A nanny's credit has nothing to do with her ability to care for your child. It is none of your business.

While I agree with you in principle, I can understand families wanting to have this information because the nanny will have unmonitored access to sensitive financial information and, if she were in deep debt, she might be tempted to steal. Considering how many nannies here have admitted to snooping on their employers, it certainly sounds like a reasonable concern for some families.

FWIW, every professional job I have ever had has required both a background and credit check and refusing to sign off for one was grounds not to be hired. The theory is the risk of stealing if debts are high. I don't like it, and I don't control the budget for my department, but since I wanted the job, I consented.

I'd prefer it if credit checks were banned though, because I believe if people were of the character to steal, they would steal, regardless of their credit score and people with poor credit who have morals and ethics would never steal under any circumstances.

I disagree with this. I see what you are saying, but I think it's pretty common knowledge most people would steal under numerous circumstances. To get your child/family medicine, food, etc and numerous other reasons. So no matter how moral they are when a poor person with no financial responsibility has open access to all their employers money and they have a kid who gets sick with no insurance and Christmas season coming up and need gifts they are pretty likely to help themselves to cash and credit cards lying around.

I feel so sorry for you.