{"id":4976,"date":"2025-07-22T20:57:33","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T20:57:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.momsbestfriend.com\/austin\/?p=4976"},"modified":"2026-01-14T20:00:37","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T20:00:37","slug":"hiring-on-your-own","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.momsbestfriend.com\/austin\/2025\/07\/22\/hiring-on-your-own\/","title":{"rendered":"Hiring on Your Own"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>We understand that the cost of living has increased for many families, and it&#8217;s only natural to look for ways to save. When it comes to our placement fee, we know it may not be the right fit for everyone. If you&#8217;re considering conducting your own nanny search, and have the time, energy, and resources to do so, we&#8217;re here to help. We&#8217;d like to give you a behind-the-scenes look at how to find a nanny on your own, without compromising on your child&#8217;s safety or the quality of care.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Get Educated (Research)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Budget<\/strong>:\u00a0First, it\u2019s important to know the market. We recommend perusing the pay rate listed on existing local jobs, from agency job boards, to Facebook groups, Indeed postings, etc. to get an idea of the average (and competitive) hourly rates. Please note that while you may see some lower paying listings, it does not mean that they are attracting quality nannies to apply, so be sure to get an idea of the average.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Other cost considerations<\/strong>:\u00a0You will also want to reach out to a household payroll company as well, so you can understand your tax obligations (by law, nannies can not be 1099 employees). If there is any driving on the job, don\u2019t forget to factor in mileage costs (see the latest IRS rates) if they are using their own car. If your location is not where a high concentration of nannies typically live, you may want to also factor this into your rate. Lastly, if your schedule is atypical (e.g., not M-F 8a-5p or thereabouts), you also will need to increase your pay range to attract nanny candidates.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Benefits<\/strong>:\u00a0You\u2019ll then want to understand what is typically offered in terms of industry-standard benefits. This can include vacation, sick time, holidays, guaranteed hours, travel pay (if they will be traveling with your family), etc.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Duties<\/strong>:\u00a0There are typical duties that are generally accepted for nanny positions, as well as responsibilities that quality nannies will not accept, so be sure to do your research on industry-standard expectations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Create a Job Description<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Build a basic job description that you can use for postings. This should include schedule, pay, benefits,\u00a0location, experience required (number of years, age experience), any expertise required (e.g., Montessori background, Bilingual), qualities you are seeking, your family\u2019s philosophies and\/or values, an outline of the duties, and any pets in the home.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Advertise the Position<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You can post in a number of places, from online job listings, to nanny-specific job listings, to Facebook groups, to your own social media pages, word of mouth, etc.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Screening<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Prescreen<\/strong>:\u00a0Be prepared to sort through dozens (sometimes hundreds) of responses. In our experience, we only invite about 10% of applicants to interview with our team.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Interviews<\/strong>:\u00a0You\u2019ll want to start with a phone call, and then move on to an in-person meeting. You can create interview questions yourself, or Google some, but it\u2019s a good idea to have a standard set of questions that are specific to your position. Look for any red flags and any gaps in their experience.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reference Checks<\/strong>:\u00a0Once you have completed an interview with a nanny who looks like they might be a great fit, you\u2019ll want to gather their references, and make sure you align them with the dates on their resumes. When you contact the references, be sure to ask detailed questions using a reference form (you can create or find one online).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Background Checks:\u00a0<\/strong>You\u2019ll want to run a background check before you invite them to care for your children. These vary widely, so do your research about the various offerings and what is important to your family. NOTE: Mom\u2019s Best Friend does offer a la carte checks if you\u2019d like us to handle this for you (email\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:kimberly.tobin@mbfagency.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kimberly<\/a>\u00a0for information).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Other Checks:<\/strong>\u00a0You\u2019ll want to verify their eligibility to work in the U.S. (I9 form), and view their CPR \/ First Aid certifications, drivers license, and car insurance to make sure they are current. You can also double-check any other requirements such as vaccinations, education, etc.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Trial Time:<\/strong>\u00a0Schedule a working interview to see how the nanny interacts with your child(ren). A personality fit, communication skills, reliability, and how well they follow instructions are all important.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Formalize the Hire<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll want to create an employment agreement that spells out all of the details for the contract. This will include the parties involved, length of the term, schedule, compensation (include OT), PTO (vacation, sick, and holidays), how transportation will be compensated (family car, mileage), travel pay (if applicable), responsibilities, frequency of evaluation, termination policy, confidentiality, social media policy, and any other items specific to your position. You will also want to set up payroll for your nanny, as by law, nannies can\u2019t be classified as 1099 employees or be paid in cash.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Odds and Ends<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Some final warnings of what NOT to do are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Have unrealistic expectations<\/li>\n<li>Move too quickly (skipping steps)<\/li>\n<li>Ignore red flags<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Why Families Often Prefer to Use Mom\u2019s Best Friend<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Time Saved:\u00a0<\/strong>What can take you 4\u20136 weeks+ can be done in a fraction of the time.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Safer and More Reliable:<\/strong>\u00a0We source and screen qualified candidates to present to you, saving you hours of vetting.We conduct deep background checks and driving checks, call references, verify employment eligibility, and make sure that all nannies are experienced, CPR\/First Aid certified, and have all of the other qualities and credentials you are seeking. We also offer trial time to make sure you find the right fit.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Built-in Support<\/strong>:\u00a0We have a sitter team for back-up care, and\u00a0if the hire doesn\u2019t work out for any reason, we have a 4-month free replacement guarantee.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Peace of Mind with Compliance:<\/strong>\u00a0We walk you through employer responsibilities and industry standards, connect you with payroll partners, and draft an employment agreement with all of the necessary components.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you are detail-oriented, have extra time, and are comfortable managing the entire process, hiring on your own is definitely an option. However, if you are seeking expert guidance, peace of mind, and a process that\u2019s been refined over decades, working with Mom\u2019s Best Friend as a trusted agency can make all the difference. Please reach out to us\u00a0if you want to start a search or ask any questions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We understand that the cost of living has increased for many families, and it&#8217;s only natural to look for ways to save. When it comes to our placement fee, we know it may not be the right fit for everyone. If you&#8217;re considering conducting your own nanny search, and have the time, energy, and resources [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5370,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,33,21,66,55,47,108,222,238,36,105],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-benefits-of-having-a-nanny","category-hiring-a-nanny","category-long-term-nanny","category-mbf","category-nanny-agencies","category-nanny-employee-agreements","category-nanny-employer-taxes","category-nanny-employment-agreements","category-nanny-guarantee","category-nanny-hiring-mistakes","category-nanny-interview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.momsbestfriend.com\/austin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.momsbestfriend.com\/austin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.momsbestfriend.com\/austin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.momsbestfriend.com\/austin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.momsbestfriend.com\/austin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4976"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.momsbestfriend.com\/austin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4976\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.momsbestfriend.com\/austin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5370"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.momsbestfriend.com\/austin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.momsbestfriend.com\/austin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.momsbestfriend.com\/austin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}