We've done it both ways with our oldest we went though an agency it was nice because the agency did a lot of the grunt work for us. The nanny was just okay.

We found our current nanny on Care.com and she is wonderful with us now for 3.5 years.

No matter which route you go you need to thoroughly interview.

We've also done it both ways. I think the difference is that a nanny who has taken the time to register with an agency and develop that relationship is likely to be much more reliable and in it for the long haul. Also if she up and quits after 3 months the agency gives a replacement.

Seems like I hear that care.com nannies are great for 6 months but then often leave when they get their "real" job.

Anonymous wrote:Nanny agencies do not handle legal and tax services. They simply find nannies on care.com and get them to sign up through their agency. Then they run a background check and check references. All things you can do yourself pretty easily.

They actually post jobs in other places, too. Also they will weed through the 100+ responses you'll get and conduct preliminary interviews so that you only see qualified nannies. Your fee generally also includ3s access to their emergency and temp nanny service, which is useful if you need coverage for a nanny's vacation.

If the cost is not a deterrent, we hired both ways and greatly preferred the experience of using an agency.

Nanny agencies do not handle legal and tax services. They simply find nannies on care.com and get them to sign up through their agency. Then they run a background check and check references. All things you can do yourself pretty easily.

I don't live in DC but did use an agency. We handle payroll and taxes ourselves. The nanny agency just sent us people to interview.

We pay a stipend each month to our nanny to be used towards health insurance. We also pay for a gym membership. We feel like it's important to have healthy lifestyles and want that for our employees.

Dh is a lawyer and wrote up our contract (with a bit of my input). If the nanny hurts herself at our house it's covered by homeowner's insurance.

What an agency can do is interview a slew of nannies for you, presenting you with the top candidates, saving you a lot of time and hassle. They can also offer guidance with regard to the offer you would like to make a nanny, standards of the industry, etc. Some offer training for the nanny.

However, usually upon placement, the nanny then becomes your employee -- she is not an employee of the agency.

You are still responsible for all taxes, etc. There are payroll services that can handle this aspect for you, though.

You can search for nanny contracts/work agreement templates online. Nanny's are employees. Some families provide health insurance, but it is not standard. You should have worker's compensation insurance for the nanny which you can usually get through your homeowners insurance policy. I'm not sure the difference of using a service/agency besides the cost. Even if you hire a nanny on your own through craigslist, care.com, a friend, etc. you can still use a service for the payroll and taxes.

Hello,

My husband and I are new to DC and expecting our first baby shortly. After dealing with ridiculous day care companies (we were told by one that certain federal agencies are permitted to reserve spots before they have even CONCEIVED) we are looking into the possibility of a nanny. We have never done this before, but are both lawyers working for the federal government, so we would like to do things properly.

Can someone explain what a typical nanny agreement would look like? Are they employees or contractors? Health insurance? What if they hurt themselves at the family's place or on the job?

My husband is asking why we wouldn't just go through a nanny service, since it may be easier if a separate company handles all of these legal and tax issues. What are the pros/cons of going through a service vs. hiring a nanny directly?