FAQs
We want you to feel great about our process- so we've taken the time to pull together some of the questions we get the most. These come at us from both the caregiver side and client side.
Let's start with a few frequently asked questions.
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We understand that you're here because you need help, and we want you to know that we genuinely care about your concerns. Our team is dedicated to providing you with the best possible support, so please take a moment to review our FAQs to see how we can assist you better.
Where is your team located?
Our team is located right here in North Carolina. Most of us (including our founder and her family) are located in Raleigh but we’re spread out across Durham, Chapel Hill, and Shelby.
What’s the next step if we want to get started with a search?
1. Fill out a family form.
2. Schedule your initial chat with our team.
3. We'll send out engagement documents for your signature and fulfillment.
4. You'll book your next meeting with our team (usually 1-1.5 hours long).
5. We'll craft your job listing and submit for your approval.
6. We'll begin sussing out a list of candidates for your review!
Do I have to exclusively work with your agency if I list a position through you?
Not at all! That being said, many of our clients exclusively work with our team in finding their nannies and caregivers. We'll have an open discussion with you about your own recruitment efforts as we engage with your family.
Can Triangle Nannies help us find a caregiver with specific qualifications?
Absolutely! We're more than happy to list your job opening, incorporating any specific qualifications you need, whether it's fluency in Spanish, an LPN certification, or experience working with children or adults with disabilities.
Is Triangle Nannies able to accommodate short-term placements?
Our firm is able to work with your family on almost any request. We have a dedicated team of back-up care providers who can step in to fill a need almost immediately and also have access to a pool of caregivers who prefer to work shorter commitment positions for us.
Fill out our family form and schedule a call to learn more!
...a few questions from families!
How long does it take to find a caregiver through your agency?
We want to answer this as concisely as we can, while explaining how we’re able to do it. The short answer: we have signed families who have needs the next day. These situations are always unique but usually involve a family who has a caregiver who very suddenly becomes unable to care for their children and perform the role of caregiver- or, unsurprisingly, families whose nannies have suddenly quit. We’re able to take these families on because of our amazing back-up care network.
Families usually walk our process in 4-6 weeks time. This just depends on how available you are to begin interviewing, move through multiple interviews, and work through making your offer to your chosen candidate. We want to prevent you from needing to make what we refer to as a “panic hire,” so we will offer the back-up care network as a solution until you find your permanent nanny!
How do you source your candidates?
GREAT question and we’re an open book on this one. We’ve been around 14+ years and have acquired an epic network of connections within this space during that time. We have a database of thousands of caregivers that we utilize while considering matches. We also outbound recruit on all platforms for you and leverage our own (heavily engaged with) social media channels.
Fun fact: our CEO also owns the two largest childcare groups in NC! While they aren't officially affiliated with our agency, we do utilize them when marketing your position.
While we take on an incredible amount of applicants every week, very few get through our intense and thorough screening process- so we want to be clear- YOU will not be sent hundreds of profiles from us. We are adept at weeding through our candidates and making mindful matches, with everyone's needs in mind.
What is your applicant screening process?
We value having an extremely intense screening process for our applicants. Safety in your home is a high priority to everyone on our team. Our applicants will go through three team interviews, have at least three related references voice verified, and fill out an extensive background check.
Couple of logistical questions:
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What happens if we aren’t jiving with the nanny we choose to hire?
Our team is always available to hop on a call and chat through any potential struggles or issues you may have with your nanny after hire. If you ultimately feel the person you chose isn’t the right fit for you, we will run a rehire for you. Our team checks in after placements are made and we value walking this journey alongside your family.
Does the one year replacement policy start when I sign with you or when the nanny starts working with us?
The one-year policy begins on the first day your hired nanny starts in your home!
Structure and perks:
Can I use the back-up care while I run my more extensive hire?
Absolutely! Many of our clients need to tap into this network as soon as they enlist our help. In your initial meeting with us, we'll go over all the ins and outs.
What are standard nanny duties?
You can expect your nanny to have full charge over your children while they are working. This can look like, dropping off at preschool, making meals, prepping bottles, going on playdates, and ensuring their general wellbeing and safety. As far as household duties, these typically look like washing bottles, tidying up play areas, and cleaning up after the children.
We are new to this whole “hiring a nanny” thing. Can your team help with this?
100%. When you log into your portal, you will be able to access a resource section with tax information, interview questions, standard benefits, and more! In addition, we’re a high touch agency that is always willing to hop on a call and chat through questions as they come up. Customer services and hand holding are our love languages (in addition to being incredibly thorough), and we want you to feel supported, cared for, and seen throughout this process. Our team is here to walk this journey with you.
We aren't sure if we need a nanny, family assistant, or what. Honestly, we are not sure what we need at all. Can you help?
For sure. As a team of experienced caregivers, parents, and agency professionals, we are able to listen to your needs, give you feedback, and list your job accordingly.
Looking at moving forward with working through our agency to find your next family match? Check out these questions below to learn a little more about our process:
Application process:
What is the process for applying with your agency?
Each candidate we represent meets with our team at least 3 times. We will check references, perform a social media screen, and discuss positions with you once you’re cleared to begin interviewing with clients.
Once an offer is made to you, we will conduct a thorough background check.
I am new to nannying, is your agency for me?
We typically work with caregivers who have 3+ years of professional experience, however, we are happy to get on the phone with you, chat for a bit, review your application, and level with you on if we will be a good fit for each other moving forward.
I see jobs listed as “family assistant” and some as “nanny.” What’s the difference?
In our industry, these terms are often used interchangeably, when they are in fact different titles that require different skill sets. A nanny is in charge of care, schedules, routines, and more, that pertain exclusively to the children. A family assistant is, well, someone who assists the family as a whole. Oftentimes, family assistants care for children who are in school for the majority of the day, leaving time for the family assistant to do household and family related tasks like running errands, family laundry, taking the dog to the groomer, and scheduling summer camps. Still unsure of the difference? Don’t worry. Our team combs through every job thoroughly to make sure we are advertising accurately.
I applied with your team, started the process, and never heard back about jobs. What’s up?
Several things could have happened. Sometimes a reference causes pause, a safety issue presents, or our team decides you’re no longer a good fit for our clients. We try to communicate with everyone when this happens, but sometimes the reasoning for us pulling back cannot be shared due to confidentiality- ie, a reference has asked us not to share their feedback.
What we can promise is that we try to be very fair. We know that sometimes employers give less than favorable reviews on their nannies and our seasoned team can usually see through when this is an act of retaliation. This happens very rarely during our process, but we’re here to give as much information as we can when it does. We now send a fairly “boilerplate” email alerting you that we cannot move forward with your application.
How can I make my application stronger?
Here at Triangle Nannies & Household Staffing, we assist in building you an amazing custom profile that is presented to families. To help us create a strong profile, make sure you include a detailed resume with information on each childcare or household staffing position you have held. References from each of these positions are required. Be open with the team during your internal interviews. Tell us about your magnificent experience, passion for this industry, elements of the job that you love, and let us know why certain positions stand out to you!
If you need help with your resume- please feel free to reach out to info@silverkeycareerservices.com to inquire about their template and help.
How does all of this work?
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How long does it take to get placed with a family through your agency?
While we cannot guarantee placement, you can expect the placement process to take anywhere from a couple of weeks to a few months. The most important part of the process is finding the right fit for both the caregiver and the family, and sometimes it’s just a matter of waiting until your perfect fit is on the market! In special circumstances (with perfectly aligned stars), you may be able to apply with us and be placed within a week. This is just dependent on scheduling factors and our ability to get traction with your references.
How does Triangle Nannies support me throughout the process and after hire?
We are a small team and chat with hundreds of caregivers each week and every one of you is extremely important to us. After you have moved through the application process, you will hear from us if a family requests an interview or has any questions about your profile. If you have any questions, please email our team at team@mygirlfri.com.
We really appreciate your patience when you reach out and WILL get back with you. Some weeks are busier than others and if for any reason there is a delay in our response- we urge you to reach out to our Placement Director (or her assistant) directly.
Do you allow reference letters if my employer would prefer not to chat on the phone with your agency?
We require a phone call with your employer, previous employer, or a business manager with the authority to give a reference on household employees working for the principal. We’ve only had a few issues with this policy, and our CEO was still able to hop on a quick call with the employer of the nanny applying to our agency. We’ve found most families are incredibly accommodating of this request and appreciate our thoroughness.
Let us know if we can assist you in asking them to do this phone call. We do provide templates for emails + verbiage for text messages if you’d like our help in asking!
Can I see reference transcripts?
Unfortunately, no. All the transcripts regarding reference checks are confidential. Our team takes great care in our reference checking process and we do ensure confidentiality when a family is discussing your role within their household. From time to time, we will get a request for access to these notes and we hate declining, but it’s our policy to do so. We encourage you to maintain a great relationship with your previous employer and definitely ask them if they are willing to give a reference before listing them on your application.
Our team may request a reference from you that isn’t listed, and when this happens, we request you reach out to give them a heads up about your application with our agency.
What happens if I'm not jiving with the family your agency introduced me to?
Reach out to our team! We are happy to provide support to help navigate any issues. It’s not always a perfect fit and we appreciate you being open and honest with us when things feel “off”.
One of the most asked questions from caregivers:
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Do you take a fee or a portion of pay from the caregivers applying to your roles?
Absolutely not, never! In fact, we offer referral incentives for caregivers who send amazingly talented folks our way.
We have seen more and more agencies charging their candidates for background checks, etc... we don't have any plans of incorporating this structure into the agency.
Our clients pay our fee!
Floater Network and Resources
What is the market rate for positions currently?
Markets change and this one is no different! That being said, our clients list positions through our firm anywhere between $23-35/hr+ and those rates depend on the household, needs, and requirements of our clients.
There are areas of the Triangle that demand higher rates and we'll consult with you on that.
Will families provide relocation assistance?
Many of our clients will happily relocate the right human for their unique needs. If you require relocation assistance, note this on your application with our team (there is a question about this) and make sure our recruiters know you’ll be needing assistance as well. If there are any unique circumstances surrounding your relocation needs (ie- you’re moving a horse across the country, need a few flights back and forth before firmly landing, or require a long term/long distance car rental, let our team know). We love to swim in the details with you so our clients have all the information they need to accommodate a smooth transition!
Will families provide a health insurance stipend?
Many families do. If this is a requirement for you, let us know the amount you are looking for and we will include this on your profile.
Do all of your families offer paid parental leave?
Many of our families do, but this isn’t standard practice within the industry just yet. We definitely have an infrastructure that is built to support you in your journey towards becoming a parent- but each of our clients' households are unique and each offer different benefits to their nannies. If this is important to you, please feel free to speak with our team and/or clients directly!
I am interested in just babysitting or picking up last minute shifts here and there. Is that something you do?
For sure! We would love to get you screened as one of our amazing go to floaters!
More resources coming soon!
Feel free to send us a message if you have any questions!