An article was just posted on Article Storehouse entitled, "Why You're better off Using a Nanny Placement Service" By Mark Etinger of http://www.ajaxunion.com/
The author makes good points about nanny agencies being experienced in background checks and knowing what questions to ask in an interview.
But I disagree with two points he makes, at least for American nannies and American nanny placement agencies. The author claims, "Most nanny placement services train their employees before sending them out to work in the field..."
He also makes an error by stating, "Employee salaries are settled by the nanny service, which means you won't have to deal with figuring out the intricacies of employee taxes and benefits."
This might be the case in another country, but I haven't seen this occur in America in my 17-years nanny work experience. There are a probably a handful of agencies that might train nannies if they pay extra for the training. But, I have never been trained by a nanny placement agency.
The parents are the ones who pay us directly, not the nanny agency. The parents provide the benefits. The parents pay us under-the-table or on-the-books. The agency does not pay us directly.
I have always negotiated my own salary. The agency will tell me the range the parents are willing to pay. But the parents and I have always set the wage and I personally must insist on being paid-on-the-books myself.
If you work as a nanny, were you trained by a nanny placement agency before they sent you to a job? Did the agency set your salary for you?
