FAQs About Our Services

What is the difference between a nanny and a childminder?

Nannies work from your home and are employed by you. As well as caring for your children, nannies perform other duties, which can include taking care of the children’s washing, cooking and tidying of the playroom, kitchen or children’s bedrooms.

Also, you are responsible for providing them with payslips, paying their tax and National Insurance contributions and ensuring they receive holidays and holiday pay and statutory sick/maternity pay.

Childminders work from their own home, are self-employed and can be looking after numerous children from different families. You will also tend to pay childminders per child, whereas with a nanny you will pay by the hour, which is cost-effective if you have more than one child.

What are the benefits of using an agency over privately finding a nanny?

Advertising online for a nanny, housekeeper or household staff can be a time-consuming and daunting process. If you’re looking online, it can be difficult to know how to appropriately vet someone, how to perform DBS checks and how to recruit somebody. By using an agency, they will do all the advertising, searching and recruiting for you.

At Nannies Matter, we meet all candidates face-to-face and thoroughly vet them, enabling you to have the peace of mind that you’re letting someone appropriate into your home.

Are there any upfront costs?

No, we only charge a fee based on the salary of the nanny, housekeeper or household staff once you have made a job offer.

What qualifications do nannies have in the UK?

There is a number of qualifications that a nanny in the UK may have, including:

• NNEB (National Nursery Examination Board) qualification
• CACHE (Council for Awards in Care, Health and Education) diploma in childcare and education
• BTEC (Business and Technology Council) Nursery Nursing diploma
• NVQ (National Vocational Qualification)
• NAMCW (National Association of Maternal and Child Welfare) diploma

It is also possible for nannies to hold qualification in related fields such as teaching, paediatric nursing or child psychology. We thoroughly check all candidates’ qualifications before making a decision as to whether or not they are suitable to be added to our database.

What checks are carried out on nannies and other staff?

We thoroughly vet all candidates by:

• Conducting face-to-face interviews
• Checking the identity of candidates against official documentation
• Verifying their qualifications
• Carrying out an enhanced DBS check
• Finding and contacting at least two references for verbal confirmation on their competence and suitability

Will I be able to take up references?

We would strongly recommend that you seek verbal references from previous employers who are happy to cooperate.

Do I need a formal contract of employment with my nanny?

Yes, it is a legal requirement to give a member of staff a written contract of employment. Apart from taking care of the legal side, it clarifies their role and what is/is not acceptable to you and your family to avoid misunderstandings. Examples of appropriate employment contracts can easily be found on the internet.

Do I need to pay tax and National Insurance?

Yes, once a certain threshold has been reached, you are liable for employer's tax and National Insurance on employee wages. Companies such as Nanny Tax and Pay My Nanny can provide more information and will take care of matters such as pay slips and end of year documents.

Are staff entitled to holidays and holiday pay?

Any person in employment is entitled to statutory holidays and any holiday pay that matches their normal salary during this period.

Your candidates do not match my requirements, are there any additional services?

If we cannot match your brief to any nannies, housekeepers or household staff on our database, we will recruit somebody specifically for you using our tried-and-tested channels - there is no extra charge for this.

Can a nanny take a child to the doctor or hospital?

Nannies and other childminders do not have parental responsibility; however, you can authorise them to make medical decisions for your child if that is what you want.

What happens if a nanny is sick?

Nannies are required to alert you to any sickness as soon as possible.