Agency or Independent Nanny? Compare the Care Arrangement

EduNanny® by BUTLER · Parent guide

Choosing a nanny through a provider or finding someone independently is easier when you compare the actual care arrangement. The useful question is who will organise the care, what you will pay for and who will help if plans change.

Start with your child's needs and the hours you need covered. Then ask each candidate or provider the same questions. A company name, a personal recommendation or a lower headline price cannot answer those questions on its own.

First, establish what you are booking

A private nanny service, an employment-agency placement and a direct arrangement with an individual can involve different contracts and responsibilities. Ask who is providing the service, who employs the carer where employment is involved, and who receives your payment. Do not infer the answer from the word “agency”.

If you engage an employment agency, MOM advises using a licensed agency and registered agency personnel. Check the agency and the person you are dealing with in MOM's EA Directory, rather than relying on a logo or a screenshot.

Employing a migrant domestic worker is a specific route with its own Work Permit requirements. MOM says employers can apply for or renew an MDW Work Permit directly. That does not make MDW requirements a universal checklist for every private nanny booking. Confirm the applicable arrangement before using a hiring or transfer checklist.

Compare support you can actually use

When a provider may suit your family

A provider may be useful if you want help coordinating a regular schedule, finding a suitable carer or handling changes. Ask which of those services is included in your agreement, how you contact the team and what happens outside its response hours.

Replacement care deserves a separate question. Is it subject to availability? Must you accept a different carer? Is there a charge or a notice period? A replacement policy is useful only when its limits are clear; it is not proof that another nanny will always be available.

When an independent arrangement may suit your family

A direct arrangement may appeal if you already know a suitable carer and want to discuss the routine with them personally. Agree how you will manage scheduling, payment, cancellations and cover when either side is unavailable.

Include the time you can realistically give to interviews, reference conversations and administration. Direct contact can make discussions simpler, but neither independence nor agency involvement guarantees a better relationship or lower total cost.

Compare like-for-like written costs

Request a quote for the same hours, number and ages of children, location and agreed tasks. Record the following before choosing:

The charge for care and the minimum booking, if any.
Any registration, matching, placement, travel or administrative charge.
Overtime, public-holiday and last-minute booking terms where applicable.
Cancellation, refund and replacement terms, including deadlines.
What is excluded and whether taxes or other charges apply.

Do not use a general online fee range as your household's budget. Keep service-booking charges separate from the obligations of employing someone, and obtain clarification where the contract is unclear.

Ask what has been checked, then meet the carer

Ask what identity, experience, references and relevant training have been verified, by whom and when. Request an explanation of the evidence available to you while respecting the carer's privacy. “Screened” should lead to specific answers, rather than an assumption that every possible check has been completed.

Discuss your child's routine, communication preferences and the agreed scope of care. Our nanny interview guide can help you prepare questions; the care agreement checklist helps turn the answers into a written arrangement.

Make a short comparison note

For each option, write five lines: care hours and duties; the contracting party; the total quoted cost; the checks explained to you; and the plan for absence or concerns. Mark unanswered questions and resolve them before confirming care.

For our own service, EduNanny® private nanny care covers regular or ad hoc care in the family's home. Confirm current scope, terms and availability with the team. Private nanny care, the ECDA childminding pilot and licensed childcare are different arrangements; compare the one you are actually considering.

Featured image: a conceptual planning still life, not a real contract or a record of a family's care arrangement. Care for every little chapter.