Can using NannyKingdom save me money?

Yes. NannyKingdom’s membership fees are considerably less than the cost of traditional domestic placement agencies. Most traditional domestic placement agency fees cost thousands of dollars.

Does NannyKingdom screen any of the applicants or families that registers?

No. NannyKingdom does not screen applicants, or families. It is the responsibility of the interested parties to screen each other using the information placed by the parties on their profiles.

How can I tell if applicants, or families are still available?

The only way to tell if a party is still interested is by looking on the profile and contacting them. It is each parties responsibility to keep their profile up to date.

Are applicants willing to relocate in order to find employment?

Some maybe willing to relocate, especially if they are seeking live-in positions. This should be discussed during the screening process prior to actually setting up an interview.

Are applicants allowed to contact registered families?

Only if the family has chosen to allow their profile to be viewed by applicants.

Are families responsible for their employee’s transportation to and from work?

This varies from area to area. In some areas it is customary for employers to pay for the employee’s transportation, especially for baby nurses/newborn specialists and Doula. This should be discussed during the screening processs.

How do I screen potential employees?

There are important questions that should be asked and answered before you agree to set up an interview with an applicant. During your first phone, or e-mail conversation, you should ascertain the immigration status of the applicant. If they are originally from another country,you should also find out from the applicant if they have a criminal record. If driving is a job requirement, you should find out if they have a valid U.S. driver’s license, and if the license has any violations on it.

Let each applicant know they will have to produce evidence of these documents, and either provide you with copies, or that you will be making copies yourself. In addition, let each applicant know you will require the person you hire to sign an authorization allowing you to conduct a criminal background check. If an applicant is hesitant to produce documentation, or to allow a criminal background check, they’re most likely hiding something. Therefore, you may want to reconsider whether or not you want to meet them.

During the initial conversation, you should also verify the accuracy of the information the applicant listed on their profile, including their previous professional experience. You don’t have to get into the specific reference information at this point, but it’s a good idea to make sure the applicant has the experience you’re looking for before setting up an interview.

What are some good interviewing & reference checking tips? 

Interviewing Tips

The first thing an family has to decide is what characteristics are they looking for in the applicant. This is different for every family. Some families are looking for an employee who is outgoing, always cheerful, very independent and can run the household on their own.

Other families are looking for more of the reserved type, quiet, keeps to themselves, and although is always pleasant, they’re not the talkative type.

Some families are looking for someone in the middle where they’re outgoing but still somewhat reserved. Each family must decide for themselves which type of personality will work best for them.

Once you begin conducting the interview, make sure you get all the details of the applicant’s reference history including names, addresses and phone numbers of their previous employers. In addition, make sure their employment history has the experience, or what your family needs. For instance, if you have a newborn and a toddler, you should only interview applicants who have worked with newborns and toddlers.

Some applicants may provide written letters of reference from previous employers. These are nice to have on file, but never take them at face value. Make sure you have current contact information to verify the authenticity of the letter.

Towards the end of the interview if you believe the applicant may be someone you might offer the position to, you should get them to sign the release form giving consent to conduct the background checks you feel are necessary. You should also get their documentation, such as social security number, driver’s license number, and immigration papers, if applicable.

Reference Checking Tips

Before contacting the previous employers of a applicant, you should make a list of the questions you want to ask, and have the list in front of you when speaking to the referee. You will want to take notes of your conversation, so make sure you have plenty of paper and a pen.

Make sure you contact each previous employer personally and speak to the person who had the most interaction with the applicant. Ask as many specific questions as you can. If childcare is involved, verify the age range of the children at the time the employment first began through to when it ended. You’ll want to know how the applicant interacted with the child/children, what type of activities they engaged in, what kind of disciplinary methods they used, how do they handle emergency situations, and how well did they bond with the child/children.

If the position is housekeeping, you’ll want to know how big the previous employers home was, and how detail oriented and organized the applicant was. You’ll also want to know what the extent of the housekeeping was. Did s/he iron? Did s/he polish metals, etc.

In addition, you always want to know if they were reliable, honest and trustworthy and if there were ever any problems, or issues with the applicant during their time of employment. You should ask what the applicant ’s strengths and weaknesses are, and what was/were the reason(s) for the termination, or resignation of employment. You should also verify the dates of employment.

It is important to listen to your instincts. If you feel the reference is holding something back, trying not to disclose something, you need to weigh that very carefully. Speak to all the references and listen what your instincts tell you. In addition, you should also make sure references are legitimate, meaning they’re not friends, or family members of the applicant trying to help them gain employment.

Are there any guidelines regarding appropriate salaries?

Salaries are different depending on what area you live in. You will have to ascertain what the salaries for your area are.

What if I hire someone through NannyKingdom but it doesn’t work out?

NannyKingdom does not offer any guarantees, or refunds. If your NannyKingdom membership is still active, you may continue your search. If your NannyKingdom membership has expired, you can renew you subscription and begin the search process again.

Why are there so many questions asked during the registration process?

The information obtained during the registration process allows for easier, more compatible searches by both the prospective family and the applicant. The information allows both parties to search for what they are looking for on a more specific basis. This saves time for both parties, who can eliminate situations that aren’t right for them based on the information provided.

How many domestic job positions can I list with my membership? 

Each membership allows one position to be listed.

Can I put my membership on hold? 

No. Not at this time.

What can I do if I haven’t found the right employee by the time my membership ends?

You can purchase another membership. You will want to evaluate how far along you are in the process to decide what length of membership you need to purchase.

If I have registered as an applicant, or have paid for a family membership with NannyKingdom in the past, would you still have my information on file? 

Yes, your profile information will be saved to our database when you first register with NannyKingdom. Your credit card and other payment information, however, will not be stored.

How long does a applicant’s profile remain active? 

Profiles remain active indefinitely. We do reserve the right to suspend/delete a profile we feel is in conflict with our policies and the terms of use of this site. If your profile is suspended, or deleted, you will be notified of such action.

If I fill the position I have listed with NannyKingdom, should I de-activate my profile? If so, how do I do it?  

No. You do no have to de-activate your profile, you should, however, de-activate the position that has been filled. You can make your profile non-searchable if you are no longer soliciting to fill a position.

If I am an applicant and I have found a job, should I de-activate my profile? If so, how do I do it? 

If the position you filled is the position you are seeking, then you may want to make your profile non-searchable. You may do this through your profile page once you are logged in.

How do I edit my profile if I need to make changes? 

When you login to NannyKingdom, you may edit your profile by viewing your profile page, then selecting edit profile link.

Is applicant or family profile information ever shared with third parties?

NannyKingdom never share, or sell information on any of our members. We strive to protect all our members’ personal information with the latest encryption technologies available and will only share information when required by law to do so.

What do I do if applicants, or families I have contacted fail to respond?

The information obtained during the registration process allows for easier, more compatible searches to be done by both the prospective family and the applicant. The information allows both parties to search for what they’re looking for on a more specific basis. This saves time for both parties, who can eliminate situations that are not right for them based on the information provided.

What forms of payment does NannyKingdom accept?

NannyKingdom accepts major credit cards only at this time.  Other payment methods may become available in the future, at which time such information will be posted on the site.

Will my transactions with NannyKingdom be secure?

Yes, all payment transactions conducted via this site will be secure and encrypted.  We use the latest encryption technologies to ensure that our site is hacker safe, and that transactions are processed error free using authorize.net.

What does NannyKingdom do with the information it collects? 

Information collected via the site is maintained and used solely for the creation of the NannyKingdom database community, and to facilitate the many features of this site.  The information remains the property of NannyKingdom, and is never sold, shared, or distributed to any third parties, unless required by law to do so.

If there is a problem with NannyKingdom’s site, how do I report it? 

All technical issues that arise on the site should be emailed to the webmaster at info@nannykingdom.com