The nanny search at Westside Nannies

Why it is on the list

Westside Nannies works only in childcare and directs all of its recruiting at caregivers, while other household agencies also staff butlers, drivers, security and gardeners.¹ It describes itself as the largest nanny agency in Los Angeles, sees more than 2,000 applicants a month, and passes fewer than 4% of them through its 10-Point NannyScreen before a family meets anyone.¹² The screen runs from a formal application and phone screening through an individual interview, a social-media review and in-depth reference checks; once a family makes an offer, an in-house team runs a background check covering criminal history in every place the candidate has lived for the past seven years, a national criminal and global-terrorist search, a Social Security trace and a motor-vehicle report, verifies CPR certification, and enrolls the nanny with Trustline, the state check tied to the California Department of Justice and FBI databases.²³ Beyond permanent nannies it places newborn-care specialists, night nannies, postpartum doulas and private educators, and its placement team holds a combined 60 years of childcare experience.⁴¹

It is the wrong agency for a household that also needs a butler, an estate manager, a driver or security: Westside Nannies places caregivers only.¹ It is also the wrong call for help the same afternoon; a search opens with a consultation and moves through matched profiles and home interviews before a hire.⁵

How to get it

Start with a family application on the site or call +1 310 359 5300; the placement team opens with a confidential consultation about the schedule, the job's responsibilities and the qualities you want in a nanny.⁴⁵³ They match candidates from those they represent, email profiles and short biographies, and schedule interviews at your home, then guide the offer, the employment agreement and the employer paperwork, and stay on for back-up care and support after the hire.⁵³ A $500 engagement fee begins the search; the placement fee is 20% of the nanny's gross annual pay for Los Angeles families and 25% for nationwide and private-educator searches, and professional nannies are paid a guideline $30 to $40 an hour gross.³ If the nanny's employment ends within the first year, a prorated part of the placement fee is applied to the next search.³

Discretion

Interviews are scheduled at the family's home, and the agency follows up with both the family and the candidate for confidential feedback.⁵ Every candidate is vetted before being presented, through a social-media review and reference checks, and on a hire through a criminal, global-terrorist, Social Security and motor-vehicle background check and Trustline enrollment.²³