Let an agency do the legwork

If you are willing to spend $2,000 to $5,000 on a placement fee, using an agency is an excellent way to find a nanny and will eliminate interview scheduling, background checks and reference calls. Ask friends for agency recommendations and also find out how long the agency has been in business, if it has state licensing, and what their screening process is for nanny applicants. Once you outline the type of childcare you seek, the agency will line up candidates for interviews. If your situation is an appealing one—which, in the nanny world, translates into no more than two kids and 50 hours of work a week in a good location with a competitive salary—the agency likely will be able to quickly find interested candidates. The least desired job? Three or more kids plus housework. An agency could to take several weeks to find a single suitable applicant for that position.

Most agencies screen nannies before they place them with families so you don’t have to call references yourself or do a background check. Agencies are also experienced in spotting false references or red flags during applicant interviews. Make sure you understand the agency’s refund policy in case things don’t work out with your nanny.

A word on Nanny poaching

Want to make enemies at the playground? Try hiring a nanny away from another family with the lure of a better salary and housework-free days. The practice of nanny poaching is something of a sport in some stroller-clogged urban neighborhoods of New York. Is it illegal? Of course not. Is it bad manners? Well, perhaps. The bigger challenge is ensuring that once you find the perfect nanny, she stays put. That means keeping up on the going rates for nannies and making sure you don’t give your childcare provider impetus to gaze across the sandbox to greener pastures.

The Au Pair route

You’ll likely have to go through an agency to find an au pair, unless you have friends in Europe who are itching to send their teenage daughter abroad. Securing an au pair can take months, so this isn’t the way to go if you are in a childcare bind. First, au pair agencies must be legally designated by the U.S. government to bring au pairs into the country. You’ll submit an application and the agency will work to match your family with one of their pre-screened pool of applicants. You will have a phone interview with the potential au pair and once you select an applicant, she will be flown to the U.S. where both host family and au pair attended an orientation session, usually about four days long. It is possible to be rematched with another au pair if you are unhappy with the original match.

Five childcare disasters