FAQs for Families
Why do you charge an application fee?
We charge an application fee to cover costs incurred before and during the candidate search. The fee guarantees that you have full access to A New England Nanny services which includes a one year membership to the temporary program. Learn more about our fees
What process does A New England Nanny use?
Having successfully helped hundreds of families within the entire Capital District, Saratoga County and Warren County for more than 30 years, we have our process down to a fine art. We even provide time-saving software that will allow you to immediately source and vet qualified candidates online. Learn more about our process
How do you screen your candidates?
All of the candidates that work in our short term or long term program go through an extensive screening process and are fully vetted before working with any of our families. You can rest assured that all of our candidates selected have the right credentials to do the job and have been carefully screened. Learn more about background screening
If I hire a nanny on my own, can you still perform background screening for me?
Yes we can. We can customize a Hire on Your own package for you. This includes background screening and reference checks.
Where do you find your applicants?
We recruit candidates from all around the Capital District. We also get many referrals from our current staff as well as day cares and colleges.
What is the average age of your nannies?
Most of our nannies are in their mid-twenties, although there are some who are both younger or older.
What is the average salary for a nanny?
The average salary for a nanny position in the Albany, N.Y. area is between $350-600 per week, depending on experience. Learn more about paying your employee
Do nannies live-in or out?
Nannies can live in or out. Most of the families that we service in the Albany area are looking for live-out nannies, but we also provide live-in nannies.
Do the candidates have their own transportation?
All of our candidates must have their driver’s license and their own transportation.
Do nannies do housekeeping?
The nanny’s focus is on child care, although many assume child-related light housekeeping duties. You can also customize your job description and include housekeeping. Our temporary program also offers housekeeping as an option.
What kind of experience do your nannies have?
All of our nannies must have three childcare references. Their childcare background can be from a variety of experiences. They can have previous nanny experience, daycare or school positions and babysitting experience. Some of our nannies have college backgrounds in early childhood and elementary education.
Do you require your childcare and eldercare providers to be CPR-certified?
We prefer that our caregivers are CPR-certified and ask them to complete training if they aren’t. However, we do not guarantee that all our candidates are.
Once the employee is hired, does A New England Nanny provide any additional help or expertise?
Absolutely! Hiring your employee is just the beginning. We can help provide expert advice to help you get the best performance out of your employee and build a successful employment relationship with them. We can provide you services in the areas of human resources, payroll and taxes, employee benefits, and much more.
How long must full-time employees commit to their job?
There is a one-year commitment for full-time employees.
What happens if I am unhappy with my hired employee?
After an extensive search and selection procedure with you involved every step of the way, this is much more unlikely to happen with A New England Nanny than if you hired from a newspaper or online advertisement. One of our strengths is that we pride ourselves in finding someone that is the best fit for your situation. But sometimes things don’t work out and you will probably know this at the very start of employment, in which case A New England Nanny offers a 90-day replacement guarantee. In the unlikely event that you needed to use this, we would then also work with you to find a replacement employee as part of our service commitment to you.
How long will it take for you to find somebody for me?
It takes usually between 2-4 weeks for a full-time position, because much of our process is done using our time-saving online application procedure (which you can use too). This is a lot faster than many other agencies where it usually takes 4-6 weeks for a full-time job to be filled. 2-4 weeks covers the extensive screening and interviewing process necessary to find a qualified candidate. When looking for back-up care or temporary help this is an immediate solution.
Do you share my private information?
A New England Nanny does not share any of your private information. General information about your family’s situation is disclosed to candidates interested in the available position.
What is the difference between a part-time, full-time and live-in employee?
+ Part-time: expected to work 15 to 30 hours per week.
+ Full-time: expected to work 30 hours per week or more.
+ Live-in: will live with your family and work a set schedule with one to two days off per week; this type of employee will require a separate bedroom or living quarters and a salary.
+ Temporary: works for three months or less to a set schedule of 20-45 hours per week.
+ Occasional: works short-term “on call” as needed, less than 15 hours per week (e.g. a babysitter).
How do we pay our household employee and what do we do about taxes?
Your household employee is entitled to the benefits of being paid “on the books.” And you also receive tax benefits by paying your caregiver legally and properly. We believe that household employees should be well paid and treated with respect. For this reason, we can attract and maintain the best quality candidates available. A New England Nanny is fortunate to be an affiliate of the nationally respected professional payroll experts at GTM Payroll Services, who truly are experts at taking care of all your payroll and tax questions. We even have our own dedicated consultant! Learn More about GTM Household Payroll
How do I get started?
If you want to discuss your needs: Schedule a Free Consultation
If you’re ready to sign up, complete our form here: Request Our Services
Or call us 8:30 am – 5 pm at 518-348-0400
What if my question isn’t here?
Please feel free to contact us and we’ll be delighted to assist you.
