Anonymous wrote:I think an agency can be good for a nanny, but not necessary for a family seeking a nanny. The more elite, higher paying jobs are found through agencies. The $25/hour jobs are not on care.com

Agency owners have told me they earn less than I do. How would they even know how to represent me?

Pros - a nanny who is a career nanny who has taken the time to register with an agency is much less likely to flake out on you because they are accountable to the agency.

A person on the matching sites may just be looking for something for the short term or might leave because something better/closer has come along and not think twice about it. Not saying they are all like that; I have just seen it happen.

Cons - $$$

Good luck!

Anonymous wrote:A nanny agency is basically a screening service. They will knock out all the candidates who can't communicate, have poor job histories, obvious fake references, refuse vaccinations, have no experience etc. You still must do your own due diligence in checking references and doing background checks but it saves you from weeding out many candidates.

Beyond this, I wouldn't bank on much value from the agency. Nannies and parents get mad that the agencies don't match for good fit and push both employers and nannies into accepting candidates/jobs too quickly. Its similar to the realtor model. The realtor makes more money from quick matches not finding you your dream home for the absolute best price. Same with nanny agencies.

That's a great way of explaining it. Never thought about it in those terms.

A nanny agency is basically a screening service. They will knock out all the candidates who can't communicate, have poor job histories, obvious fake references, refuse vaccinations, have no experience etc. You still must do your own due diligence in checking references and doing background checks but it saves you from weeding out many candidates.

Beyond this, I wouldn't bank on much value from the agency. Nannies and parents get mad that the agencies don't match for good fit and push both employers and nannies into accepting candidates/jobs too quickly. Its similar to the realtor model. The realtor makes more money from quick matches not finding you your dream home for the absolute best price. Same with nanny agencies.

Not all agencies charge an arm and a leg.

Pros for nannies & families: the agency can help with negotiations, and screen for nannies/families who meet the others requirements

Pros for families: some just don't have the time or energy, and want to outsource the search, just like we outsource many other things

I think an agency can be good for a nanny, but not necessary for a family seeking a nanny. The more elite, higher paying jobs are found through agencies. The $25/hour jobs are not on care.com

I haven't used an agency to find a job in over 10+ years of nannying. I believe there are enough places to find a job these days, especially with the internet.

Try Care.com, Sittercity.com, or even your local neighborhood listserv.

I believe agencies are overpriced for the families needing a nanny and they also "find" their nannies on sites like Care and even Craigslist.

My advice would be to save your money and try finding a nanny on your own- you may even be able to offer a competative package with all the money you will have saved from not paying an agency.

Good luck!

I know of a few elite nannies who avoid agencies. They say they can't deal with housekeeping requests, which is different than child related stuff. You either know what a nanny is, or not.

Full disclosure: I'm a nanny and have never used an agency.

I don't understand the big pull/push for them. If a nanny is great at her job, can't she find jobs on her own or through recommendations? I moved across the country and still managed to find exactly what I wanted in a job without an agency.

The only "con" I can think of in using an agency is the hit to your pocketbook.

Other than that, it is all good.

MB here. In my limited experience, agency nannies are more expensive. Significantly so.

But agencies are usually required to back up their nannies so if your regular person can't make it they will send someone in his/her place - which is a HUGE advantage over just hiring your own.

Of course, you can also hire someone and then use an agency for emergency fill-in when your regular nanny is unavailable. This is what we do.

Good luck.

What the pros and cons of using a nanny sent from a nanny agency (vs. a "private" nanny)? I will need a part-time nanny starting in January.