OP here. Thank you all for your answers! I appreciate it!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I run an agency, and we charge a flat fee. We would never want to leave room for the impression that we are unfairly representing either party, or unfairly pushing for a certain wage.

Aren't you "representing" the family, seeing that they are the only ones who pay you?

If you want to look at it in simple monetary terms, sure. But then, in doing so, I would be smart to make sure the nanny is in a position where she is happy, and her needs are being met as well. It takes both an employer and an employee to make a long-term match successful.

However, aside from that, I do actually care about the nannies as well. There are some truly wonderful nannies out there, and I really enjoy getting to know them and placing them with equally wonderful families.

Anonymous wrote:I run an agency, and we charge a flat fee. We would never want to leave room for the impression that we are unfairly representing either party, or unfairly pushing for a certain wage.

Aren't you "representing" the family, seeing that they are the only ones who pay you?

As an MB I like 9:17's answer. I would not want to feel an agency was pushing me towards a more expensive solution (in fact I wouldn't want the agency involved in negotiating rates at all once they'd identified candidates for me).

Also, I would not hire 14:09 given the attitude.

I have used agencies for emergency/short term care and had great success. Primarily I've used MetroParentRelief and I recommend them regularly (they're in NoVa but I'm in MD.)

I found our long-term nanny, and our best candidates, through word of mouth and my neighborhood listserv. The family to family referrals are invaluable in my opinion. When you have a family whose nanny has been with them for years, but their kids age out of needing a nanny, and they want to help him/her find their next job - that's where the real gems are IMO.

Good luck.

I run an agency, and we charge a flat fee. We would never want to leave room for the impression that we are unfairly representing either party, or unfairly pushing for a certain wage.

As a career nanny, I would consider only an agency who charged you a percentage of my fees, if I were to use an agency. Since I cost much more than your average, an agency needs to work harder to make an appropriate match, and should be compensated accordingly. Most of that work is parent education, seeing how many believe quality level of care makes little difference.

Educated parents want more than a warm body to follow daily blow-by-blow instructions. Those who can afford a professional, will pay for one.

I am searching for our next nanny and contemplating the idea of using a nanny agency. There are a lot of them out there and some charge a flat fee, others charge a percentage of the yearly income of the nanny. Why use one method vs. the other? What are the advantages and disadvantages? I am very curious about this but I also want to know if it reflects on the quality of the agency. I would love to hear from employers and nannies on the matter! Thank you!