Frequently Asked Questions

Our agency works with nanny shares, yes. They notoriously have lower retention than individual nanny placements, so they aren't our very favorite. We love to place long term fits in any role we're helping fill.

If you're looking for a nanny share through our firm, please schedule some time to chat with us with the other family present. We will share some best practices for shares, and some of the nuances behind finding a successful match. If both families feel our agency's approach is a good fit- we are happy to engage with you on your search.

Our process takes on average 4 to 8 weeks to find your family the best fit. We strongly suggest beginning the intake process 6 to 12 weeks prior to needing a nanny or household staff member to begin. We believe in a thorough and complete approach to your unique needs and don't cut corners in our intake, recruiting, vetting, and interview assistance steps. A signed Service Agreement + additional on boarding steps must be completed prior to the search starting, which is when we consider the 3 to 8 week window to commence. We recommend inquiring directly with us since certain times of year can impact the timeline.

Once you make an offer of employment to the candidate you would like to hire, they will become your employee and you are responsible for paying them directly on a weekly or bi-weekly basis at the hourly wage you have negotiated.

Things to know:
- It is not legal in Tennessee to pay any employee on a once a month basis.
- Household employees, including nannies, house managers, and family assistants are considered hourly, non-exempt employees and are required to be paid time and a half for all hours worked over 40 in a 7 day payroll cycle.

For families needing help navigating taxes, we can help. Our payroll partners will help you launch into this engagement with confidence and we'll provide a warm, direct introduction. You can have a discovery call with them and chat through any questions you have before engaging.

We sure do. Our back-up care providers are some of the best human beings on earth and we're always excited to support you. Please reach out to us with any needs you have and we'll do our best to get you covered.

We offer:
-Sick day support
-PTO support
-Travel support
-Weekend support
-Date night support

Our placement fee covers all of the professional services Southern Standard Nannies provides to connect you with the right candidate. This fee is separate from the wages you'll pay your employee once they're hired.

‍The fee structure: We charge 20% of your employee's first-year gross wages, with a minimum fee of $8,000. This percentage-based calculation is simply how we determine our service fee— it doesn't mean the fee only covers the first year of your placement.

‍To get started: A $500 New Search Fee is due before we begin recruiting. This covers the costs associated with launching your search and is non-refundable.

Here's what's included in every placement fee:
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‍Comprehensive Background Check + Screening
‍Every candidate we present goes through a thorough professional background screening that includes:
-Maiden name and alias search
-Social Security number verification
-Residential history search
-State and county criminal court records (past seven years or since age 18)
-Nationwide sex offender registry search
-Department of Motor Vehicles driving records from each state where they've been licensed (including accidents and tickets, with license validation)

Our candidates are interviewed multiple times. We check their references. We engage with them about scheduling and can thoroughly assess their communication skills as they step up to interview with our firm.

We also perform an extensive social media screening.

Reference transcripts are available upon request.
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‍Ongoing Support
‍You'll have unlimited access to our team throughout the entire duration of your placement. We're here to answer questions, troubleshoot challenges, and provide guidance as your needs evolve.

‍Tailored Work Agreement
‍We provide an attorney reviewed employer/employee work agreement template specific to your placement and household needs. You'll be able to edit this to make it super specific for your own household and children.

‍One-Year Replacement Policy
‍If your placement doesn't work out within the first year, we'll work with you to find a replacement at no additional placement fee.

Access to Back-Up Care
You'll be given access to our extensive back-up care network for as long as you employ a nanny we've introduced you to. Needs run through our Client Concierge and her assistant and we can support you in a wide array of situations.

Yes. All standard permanent placements have a 1 year replacement policy.

New and return clients will be charged a $500 New Search Fee prior to beginning a candidate search.

We're the largest agency in Nashville and we receive dozens of applications every week- spanning all categories. Our recruiting team maintains relationships with top talent both locally and nationally. Our database is large- partially due to the amount of time we've been in this industry, and partially due to how incredible the families we represent are- they attract top talent and we're so grateful for that!

We do a lot of outbound recruiting for our clients- but our inbound candidate applications maintain constant flow.

No, and we ancourage them to apply with as many agencies as they can. We want nannies to feel supported in their job searches and for them to have every opportunity they can find as they are deciding who is the best fit for what they are looking for.

A lot of our nannies do exclusively work with us, but this is their choice and I have always believed this is because we are so well known for working with incredible families. Once a nanny engages with us, we stay very communicative until they have found what they are looking for- and this is GOLD in the nanny industry, where communication isn't always top knotch.

We really hope you do feel like you’ve got the perfect fit for your family, but just in case, we offer a one year replacement policy on permanent services. After one month of a match, we find that you either get into a groove with your nanny or household staffer, or you don’t. Sometimes it takes a bit longer, or life happens- so you can call us at any time, for any reason, and we can talk through options for your situation. If we do need to find you a replacement we'll discuss your timeline and a few options for coverage when we connect to discuss.

Your nanny or household staffer is considered your employee, not an independent contractor working in your home. You are responsible to pay Employment taxes for a household worker who is older than 18 and makes more than the current compensation threshold. Household employees cannot be an independent contractor and need to be given a W2 form each January. The employer is responsible for the payment of all Social Security and Medicare taxes to the IRS.

Household employees cannot be in a “salaried” position unless they are a manager of more than 3 other household employees (i.e Estate Manager, Household Manager of fully staffed home, etc.) “Tennessee defers to the FLSA, which requires that all domestics, excluding companions, be paid at no less than the greater of the state or federal minimum wage, and that all live-out workers be paid an overtime differential of 1.5 times the hourly wage for hours over 40 in a work week. Live-in domestics, again excluding companions, must be paid their hourly wage for all hours worked, without an overtime differential.” – HomeWork Solutions, Tennessee Household Employment Tax Compliance. In lieu of the term salary, the industry term guaranteed hours or guaranteed wages is used (see below).

We require our clients to offer guaranteed hours, which is similar to a salaried position in terms of offering a consistent income each week for your household employee or nanny, even for weeks that they are not needed by you, their employer.

For hours worked over 40 in a 7 day period, even with guaranteed pay, they are legally required to be compensated at the overtime wage per state requirements. Banking hours is not legal, therefore if a nanny works 30 hours one week and is paid for 40, those 10 hours unworked cannot roll over to another week.

We find that offering guaranteed pay is mutually beneficial to both the family and the nanny in solidifying a schedule, offering financial stability and lending to long-term retainment.

TLDR; Think of this as being like a daycare arrangement. You're paying for the slot whether you need it every week or not. With nannies, they are guaranteeing their availability, and for you as an employer, you're paying them for that.