Permanent Placement—Next Steps for Parents


Your search for a nanny agency has brought you to our doorstep. We’re so glad you’re here! You know that by working with us, you’re going to be working with a team of professionals. We’re skilled at matchmaking and you’ve set yourself up for success. But what are the next steps? How long does the process take? What can you expect?

Did you know that before you even decided to work with us that your search had actually already begun? Before we will invite a nanny into our office, we’re making sure she has a minimum of two years of recent, professional child care experience. We’re also conducting online checks, including a national sex offender registry check, social media check, and judiciary case search before she comes in for an in-person interview. Director of Permanent Placements, Clare Riley, emphasizes, “The very fact that we do such rigorous preliminary screening means that we are only hiring serious, experienced nannies who are in it for the long term.”

Phone call and online application

Typically, the lead time to hire a permanent nanny is about 3-6 weeks, but we have worked with less time before. You can expect a phone call from your placement coordinator to begin to walk you through our process and you will need to complete an online application. This application will assess not just the basics needed, like hours and wages, but will drill down into the details that you need your nanny to handle and any deal breakers you may have. Your placement coordinator will work side by side with you throughout the entire process and after placement to ensure that your nanny meets your unique needs. They’re experts at asking all the right questions and matching you to the ideal candidates.

Parent Consultation

Shortly after the application is completed, we’ll schedule a face-to-face consult with you. This is one way we ensure that we make a true, long-term personality match between nannies and families. This is also another attempt by us to really find out what daily life is like in your home, to hear about good or bad caregiver experiences and to give us a clear idea of what your ideal nanny looks like to you. At this time, we will review our Service Agreement, Nanny-Family Agreement, legal/tax/payroll guidance, and we can answer any questions that you may have about hiring, employing and retaining a nanny.

Referrals and interviews

Next, Kara, our Recruitment Director, will work with your placement coordinator and create a short list of candidates, based on your family’s needs. You’ll receive referrals via email with a candidate’s application, documented references, and sometimes letters of recommendation and a resume attached. Based on your input, we will schedule for you a first phase of phone interviews, an in-person interview and finally a working interview (or two) with your favorite candidates. We’re here to manage the entire interview process, from start to finish, including interview pointers and sample questions to ensure you’re prepared.

Final steps

“Once you are ready to make an offer, we revisit the contract with you. We’ve already walked you through what the contract looks like, but we work hard to be a resource you can use to get to a very comfortable end point”, explains Riley. From there, you’ll meet again with your nanny to go through the contract, and depending on the package you’ve chosen, a background check, full driving record and drug screening test will be conducted. Before you finalize your contract, you’ll also have the option of an extended replacement policy that your coordinator will review.

But our relationship doesn’t end there. The Nanny Network is a trusted, established nanny agency that will remain your partner long after placement and will be there to guide you along the way to ensure the longest and happiest working relationship possible.