Justifying the cost

When a family in search of a nanny goes to an agency, they are required to pay a "finders fee" for that service. This eliminates the hassle of doing any of the searching themselves. No background checks, licence checks, drug tests, fingerprinting, blah blah blah. This fee that they pay to the agency can be between $1000-1500. Usually half at first, to get the ball rolling, and get potential nannies sent to their home to interview, and the remainder 30 days after a proper nanny has been placed.


The nanny just has to fill out the extensive application, sit through a face-to-face interview with someone from the agency, and pass all tests. Then, wait for a family to find her application acceptable enough to come in for an interview with the family. If that interview is successful, they might set up another interview/playdate (paid) to see how the nanny will interact with the children.


Let's address the application. The one I'm working on now has eleven levels of questions, ranging from basic information, household staffing, and self-assessment.

??Business Management/Support - managing/training support staff, computer abilities, errands, scheduling meetings and travel, knowledge of hotels and facilities, packing, organizing, and household budget

??Specialty Care - how to care for fine furnishings and fabrics, cleaning and disinfecting, cleaning and organizing storage areas, drawers and closets, cleaning product knowledge

??Repairs and Preservation - create list of/maintaining inventory, securing hazardous areas, upkeep of appliances, childproofing

??Entertaining - expertise in entertaining etiquette such as formal table service, table manners and protocol, event planning

and my favorite

??Create a paragraph which gives your mission and vision of your career and what you have to offer a future employer

Yes, this is my chosen career path right now. And yes, I do feel that it is a worthy job, I'm just finding it a challenge coming up with a mission statement. This application is pretty exhausting, which I'm sure is part of the process of weaning out possible candidate.