Hilton Head Nannies
The Lowcountry's Gold Standard
for Childcare since 2007.
We are interested in hiring a nanny.
Finding a good nanny is time intensive, takes expertise, and, in this market, difficult. Our team has decades of experience in the nanny industry and more than 15 years of experience of successfully placing nannies with families.The good news is that we can help by taking the stress out of the experience. If you are looking for someone to help you with a solution to your childcare dilemma, take a deep breath... and then give us a call!
Why should we work with Hilton Head Nannies?
Over the years, we have heard from clients that when they have applied to work with other agencies, they would immediately start receiving a plethora of nanny files for any nanny who happened to match their geographical location, scheduling needs and compensation criteria. Clients tell us that this has left them frustrated and overwhelmed. At Hilton Head Nannies, we operate differently because we believe it is our job to try to filter through those candidates and find suitable matches. This means that we put out ads that are particular to your family, and then we interview all applicants to see if they might be a good overall fit for your family.
Our goal is to set you and your nanny up for long-term success. Our very thorough process has earned us a 98% success rate. In fact, most of our families have hired the first candidate that we have sent to them. This thoroughness is time consuming, and we need you to know that it may take 3-4 weeks before you are introduced to a candidate. We understand that this timeline may not work for all families. However, we believe in doing things right the first time and it is a lengthy, time-intensive process for our team.
What is the process of hiring a nanny through your agency?
The steps for hiring a nanny through our agency are as follows:
Step 1: Complete and Sign the following documents: Family Application, Placement Agreement and Credit Card Authorization form. Please be as thorough as possible on the Application.
Step 2: The Application Fee is charged to your card on file and the agency reviews your application. The office will consult with you regarding your position, the compensation package and what your family is looking for. We will also check your references to make sure your home is a suitable and safe place for a nanny to be employed.
Step 3: Our Recruiting Team places advertisements specific to your family’s position.
Step 4: Our Recruiting Team, under the leadership of our Lead Recruiter, works to recruit a nanny for your position.
Step 5: Once we feel we have a good match for your family, we send you the nanny’s information for your review. If you desire, an interview is set up with the nanny. If both you and the nanny feel that you are a good fit for each other, then the process moves forward. If not, the agency will continue to work with you to find a good fit.
Step 6: Once you have made the decision to offer a position to a candidate, you will complete an “Offer of Employment Form” and turn it in to our office. Our office will then forward the form to the candidate for review. At this point in time, the candidate will have the opportunity to accept the offer or to make a counter offer. Once the candidate signs the form, the placement will be considered complete and the placement fee will be charged to your card on file.
Step 7: Our office will provide you with a sample employment agreement for you to complete with your new nanny. We will also provide you with referrals to a payroll company that specializes in household employment payroll. Of course, we are here should you have any questions or need our support.
How do you screen your nannies?
We are known for being very selective about the kind of nannies we will permit to join our Registry, and our screening process is intensive. In fact, we often have school teachers tell us that it was more difficult to obtain approval to join our Registry than it was to obtain a job as a teacher. That is a badge we wear proudly!
These are the things we require of all applicants in order for us to move forward with placing them on our Registry:
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The applicant must genuinely love children and enjoy spending time with them.
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The applicant must be able to speak fluent English and be legally employable in the United States.
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The applicant must have a good driving record and a dependable vehicle to get them to and from work.
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The applicant must be able to pass an intensive background check and screening process. The background check is run by a professional background check company. Hilton Head Nannies will not work with individuals who have criminal convictions in their backgrounds.
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Without exception, the applicant must provide a minimum of 9 excellent references.
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The candidate must take a written skills assessment and have a high score.
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The candidate must be Infant/Child/Adult CPR Certified and Basic First Aid Certified, or have a willingness to become so.
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The candidate must provide the required documentation proving identity.
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The candidate must have a genuine interest in the well-being of children, be a child advocate, and have an understanding of child safety.
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The candidate must provide an impressive application, inclusive of answers that set them apart from other applicants.
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The candidate must have a steady and excellent work history.
What does your background check and vetting process cover?
When talking about what background checks cover, it is important for us to understand what a background check is. A background check, for employment purposes, is bound by the federal law called the FCRA, or the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Third party companies that do these background checks are called a CRA, or Consumer Reporting Agency. As a consumer, you are likely familiar with the FCRA when it comes to credit transactions. You probably know that creditors can only disclose derogatory information for a 7-year period, but did you know that there are limits for employment background checks? Many parents are surprised to learn that we cannot go back further than ten years for convictions or 7 years for arrests. In fact, many CRAs will not go back more than 7 years for reports that they provide.
While a background check provides important insight into a candidate’s criminal record, it is important to realize that these checks do not provide a full look into a candidate. Because background checks depend on information pulled from various reporting agencies at the county, state and federal levels, the results can sometimes be erroneous. Additionally, it’s possible that the background check does not disclose a previous arrest. This happens for many reasons, such as the person was arrested but not convicted, the charges were dropped or because the charges were thrown out. The person may also have had their records expunged by order of the court. In those situations, we would not be able to pull arrest records up on a background check. This is why we take a multi-faceted approach to vetting applicants and we do not rely wholly on what a background check tells us.
We have worked with the same background check company for over a decade. In addition to utilizing background checks, our recruiting team looks at the history of each candidate to include:
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Identity Report: These reports include complete verification of the information provided on an employment application. Key identity information such as name, aliases, current address, social security number, telephone number and previous addresses are verified allowing HHN to make an informed decision about whether or not to continue the screening process of a candidate. An Identity Report can also help identify addresses and counties previously associated to the applicant in the last 7 years.
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Criminal Records Search: The company we use is able to perform Criminal Records Searches at county and federal levels in every jurisdiction in the United States. Records are searched for criminal convictions at the felony and misdemeanor levels at the county level by pulling records from county court houses.
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The National Sex Offender Registry Search: The Sex Offender Registry serves as a focal point in providing assistance in the identification of sex offenders. This registry contains information from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and numerous Indian tribes for the identity and location of known sex offenders.
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USA Patriot Act Search: This search will check various government sanctions databases to ensure that the candidate is not prohibited from certain activities or industries. This ensures that the candidate is not a known or suspected terrorist and will provide us with information should the candidate be on any government watch lists. A government sanctions lists search helps to identify criminal activities such as terrorism, weapons proliferation, narcotics trafficking, human rights violations, violation of international treaties and money laundering. While we have never had a background check for a nanny candidate come back flagged under the USA Patriot Act Search, the resource is available and we believe that it should be utilized.
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Driving Record: An important part of many nanny positions is transporting children. Therefore, it is important to know the driving record of the candidate you are considering. We also believe that driving records are a good indicator of how responsible a candidate is.
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Previous Employment Verification: We verify the candidate's past employment as reported on the employment application.
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Previous Employer Reference Checks: We also verify that the candidate has performed in their previous positions. We ask about their punctuality, their quality of work, as well as, their attitude and many other important issues that would determine if the candidate meets the HHN standard.
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Character Reference Checks: We develop a clear picture by checking into the candidate's character references.
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Education Verification*: If your position requires that an applicant have a certain level of education, HHN can confirm this information directly with the college or university.
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Professional License Verification*: If your position requires a professional license or credential such as medical license, like nursing, or teaching credential, HHN can confirm this information directly with the issuing agency.
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Drug Screening*: If your position requires drug screening, HHN can arrange for this screening to take place by a medical professional and then provide you with a copy of the results.
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Blood testing for communicable diseases*: If your position requires testing for communicable diseases, and is permitted by federal law, HHN can arrange for this screening to take place by a medical professional and then provide you with a copy of the results.
* These services marked with an asterisk are available upon request; however they are invoiced to you prior to completion.
