I'm looking for a nanny agency that does background checks on the parents
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Anonymous
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How do I know if the parents are credit-worthy, and will give me my paycheck?
How do I know if the father will pester me when MB isn't home? |
Anonymous
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Good question.
We have all these ways to protect the families from the nanny, but what about protecting the nannies from the family? |
Anonymous
+1000 |
Anonymous
I don't know of any agency that does a background check on the family. To answer your questions -> you don't know that the parents are credit worth and will indeed pay you. They could have money and decide not to pay you though. The best way to figure out if the father will/ will not pester you when MB isn't at home is to meet him before you accept the job and see if he makes you uncomfortable |
Anonymous
| When the nannies start paying the agencies, the agencies will do background checks for the nannies. |
Anonymous
| The agency I used to work for did background checks on the families. |
Anonymous
| You can tell the family that you would like to run a background and credit check prior to signing a final contract, but you would have to pay for it. |
nannydebsays
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I would think any agency that wanted to guarantee that THEY would get their placement fee would choose to do a credit check on the families that hire them. It's not like nanny agencies are pure profit businesses and can afford to work with families that are deadbeats.
Whether they would share any info with nannies...I doubt they would. If a family was truly awful risk, the agency might just choose not to work with them. Having been burned badly by a family in the past BECAUSE I let my love for the kids blind me to all the signs that there were issues, here are some suggestions: Add a clause in your contract that specifies when your paycheck is due, and WHAT the penalty is for the family if they don't pay you on time. Things like late fees, coverage of any and all overdraft fees resulting from unavailable pay, and a statement that nanny will not be at work the day after payday if her check is not in her bank ON payday. (Fiscally responsible employers will sign off on this, because they have sufficient funds to ensure that they never ever screw up their nanny's pay.) Second, never assume your job and pay check are secure. If you feel you need to allow one screw-up on your employers behalf, do so, but at the second screw-up be out there with your (constantly updated) resume package seeking new work with reliable employers. (Don't let love of the kids keep you in a job when you are blatantly disrespected financially.) |
Anonymous
This is GREAT advice. Thank you! |
Anonymous
This shows that you don't understand business. An agency service is like any fee for service model but probably has a much lower level of default than many others. Businesses use collection services and/or build in the cost of default loss into their price structure. A business running a credit check on any customer would be out of business quick due to delay, hassle, and customers who may not want to provide this information to this company.
This is good advice. While a disorganized employer may mess up once (though still unlikely), more than once shows that this will be a pattern. |
Anonymous
| It sounds like these agencies are in the (very lucrative) business of representing only the side that pays. Seems like an obvious conflict of interest in terms of finding the best match. Is that why they waste so much time sending out low level nannies who will take any job they can get? |
Anonymous
| As a rule of thumb, a family that can afford to pay an agency is more likely not to be deadbeat to the nanny. Now finding a family on Care.com or the like where they spend less than the cost of a tank of gas is a buyer beware situation. |
Anonymous
| If no one does basic criminal background checks on parents, how do you figure on sending a 20 something nanny into their home? Are you saying rich people don't engage in illegal activity? Are you blind, or just an entitled elitist? |
Anonymous
There are many in-home service positions that place an employee inside someone's home such as nannies, speech and OT therapists, contractors, interior decorators, housekeepers, repair and maintenance workers, painters, nurses etc etc. None of these individuals perform criminal background check ground checks. The smart ones practice good safety such as not answering sketchy ads or just taking any job. They let people know where they are going. They speak to their potential clients before taking the job. Nannies should be cautious and not take any sitter job that they see in an on-line job but expecting a criminal background check is just not practical. |
Anonymous
| You have obviously never have been a live-in nanny. A nanny can be in the house in the evening and at night, while MB has a late business meeting or is out of town. And the dad is left home. If I were a MB, I'd never let that happen. Just make hubby come with you. |