Nanny Agency Jobs How-to / checklist

Set practical boundaries for references, availability and information sharing.

Decide what confidentiality means

Write down which facts must stay private: your current employer’s identity, your search activity, references, work schedule or proposed departure date. You can ask an agency how it handles each item. Confidential does not mean hiding relevant experience or giving inaccurate dates. It means agreeing when and to whom specific information is shared.

Ask about the agency route

Before uploading materials, ask when a profile may be shown to families and whether the agency will seek your approval for a specific introduction. The information-sharing guide provides stage-specific questions. Do not assume every agency uses the same consent steps. Keep a private record of submissions so you can identify unexpected duplicate introductions.

Handle references thoughtfully

Ask whether a current employer reference is required at this stage and whether an alternative former supervisor can be contacted first. Do not list someone without asking them. Explain any timing boundary honestly: “Please do not contact my current employer without speaking with me first.” The reference guide covers permission and evidence in more detail.

Protect scheduling and devices

Use a personal email and device for your search. Arrange calls outside work time where possible, or ask for a mutually workable slot. Keep family information and photos out of applications. Review any confidentiality agreement you have signed before using household details as portfolio material; the NDA guide helps organize the questions.

Plan the transition only when real

Fictional example: A recruiter asks Taylor for a current employer reference before a first interview. Taylor explains that the search is confidential, offers two former supervisors and asks when the current reference would become necessary. Taylor records the answer before deciding whether to continue. The example is a conversation method, not a promise that every agency will accept alternate references.

Sources

Private search settings: Check the visibility of uploaded resumes and profiles on each platform you use. Save the exact version of your resume sent to each agency. Decide in advance how you will answer a current-employer reference request, including when permission could be given. If an agency cannot explain its sharing process, note that uncertainty as part of your decision about using it.