Nanny Frequently Asked Questions

We are happy to offer services and accept candidates willing to work or commute throughout the Bay Area including Alameda county, Contra Costa county, Marin county, Santa Clara, Santa Barbara County, Ventura county.  If you live outside these locations we would be happy to schedule a consultation to see about relocation options.

The Nanny Tribe is a boutique agency that values excellent and personalized customer service.  You (The Nanny) and the Family have  direct contact with our boutique team to create a professional and loving fit for you.  

Nicole and Rebecca work closely to assure even the small details do not get lost in translation, as it may with a larger team. Being mother’s, nannies, and nanny employers, they have the full circle of experience to offer you the expertise you need to feel confident in the placement/ family we refer you to.  We strive to find you a family you will connect with.

The Nanny Tribe believes in community.  It does take a village!  With ongoing support throughout your position with an employment journey with the family, we are here to facilitate success.  We do not walk away once you are hired.  You can always call us for support with any matter that may arise.  We are your Tribe.

The Nanny Tribe services are at no expense to you.

The first step is to complete The Nanny Tribe company application. Here you will upload your resume and front and back of Drivers license. 

These items must be submitted a minimum of 12 hours before your intro call.  If these items are not submitted your interview will be canceled.

Once these Items are submitted, Your information will go under review to make sure you meet The Nanny Tribe requirements, have a cleared background check, you will be contacted by The Nanny Tribe to set up a 20-30 minute intro call. 

During this call, we will review your application and resume as well as make sure we have the details of your Nanny / professional child care history. At this time we invite you to ask any questions you may have about our agency so you can decide if we are a fit for you on your job search!

At the end of the phone interview, we will be moved into consideration by requesting for your availability for a virtual in depth interview, or be requested to submit more documentation needed. i.e. Detailed references and contact information. 

You will be contacted within 24 hours to set up a virtual interview with Nicole. We ask that you  generally last between 60 and 90 minutes, 

You will be sent a link to The Nanny Tribe assessment. This is to evaluate your experience and where we can offer support, information or training if needed. We require this to be completed before your virtual interview.

During your interview with Nicole, we dig into the details of your ideal job, family style, energy, ages, your childcare philosophy, and your caregiving style.  We will unpack your work experience and childcare background.  We also go into detail of who you are as a person and get to know you.

Following the interview, we request you reach out to Nicole or Rebecca to confirm you would like to on-board with the agency and be a part of our Nanny Tribe. We will request additional documents for your file and send you on-boarding paperwork. Once these items are complete, you will officially be registered with The Nanny Tribe. 

We will do our best to refer you to families as soon as possible.  Although it is up to the family if they would like to meet you.  We request open communication about your job search and contact us immediately if you find another position in case your application is pending with a family.

The Nanny Tribe considers professional childcare experience to be any of the following positions held after High School career, and for a consistent weekly schedule with a family or agency for longer than 6 month periods.

  • Past or Current Professional Nanny experience
  • Private Daycare / in home care facility
  • Before/after school care provider positions
  • Preschool and TK-5th grade teaching positions
  • Newborn care specialist and postpartum doula positions
  • ABA, RBT, paraprofessional, and 1:1 aide positions
  • 12 completed passing units of ECE with preschool hours
  • We also love moms

 

Please note that all nanny candidates are required to have a minimum of 1 year consistent, professional, in-home nanny experience.  This experience may be paired with a minimum of 1-2 more years experience in fields mentioned above.  You must have references and contact info for each to be considered valid.

Even though all work with children is experience and we do not discredit this time and value it on top of our required experience.

The Nanny Tribe cannot utilize the following experience towards the minimum requirements:

  • Babysitting positions that took place during high school career
  • On-call or babysitting work that did not offer a minimum of 20 hours a week for a period of 6 months or longer
  • Childcare provided for family members or personal friends
  • Volunteer child care or sunday school teachers
  • Caring for siblings or growing up with younger siblings
  • Indirect childcare, such as swim instruction, school bus driving, coaching, Summer camps, music instructor etc.
  • Legally eligible to work in the United States
  • Willing to or have vaccinations required by a Family including; Covid-19, Clear TB, Current TDap, current flu shot and willing to stay up to date if requested. The Nanny Tribe cannot require you to obtain these items and would never force it, but this could determine if the family is willing to interview with you for the safety of their children.
  • Ability to communicate clearly in English
  • Ability to communicate on on common virtual and tech devices
  • Further documentation will be requested upon on-boarding

As a household employee, you are responsible for state and federal taxes, medicare and social security. The employer is responsible for unemployment as well as workers compensation. Families can additionally fund  your social security and Medicare taxes but not required. Legal pay also holds the employer responsible for paying at least minimum wage and using the proper overtime differential.

You are responsible for federal employment taxes when you get paid as little as $1,000 in a calendar quarter or when you get paid over $2,600 in a calendar year.

According to the IRS, one of the biggest factors that determines the difference between an employee and an independent contractor is control. If you have a boss who directs your work responsibilities, controls your schedule, and provides any materials you reasonably need to do your job, you are an employee. 

A household employee is specifically an employee who works in a private home. Babysitters, nannies, family assistants, butlers, house managers, personal assistants, groundskeepers and maids/housekeepers, chefs, gardeners, and caretakers who are not employed and subcontracted by a larger enterprise are examples of household employees.

As a nanny, the family you work for determines their needs and how you can meet those needs. They schedule you for the hours that they require help. The family provides your work materials and work environment. This makes the family your employer and you a household employee.

Yes.  You must possess a valid driver’s license and clean record with the DMV.

Most positions require driving.  It is recommended that you own a reliable vehicle and are willing to drive children. Although not a deal breaker, it would open up more positions for you to be considered for. 

As a standard The Nanny Tribe will require reliable transportation and may not include Uber or lyft.  If your position does not give you access to a vehicle you will need to assure public transit is within walkable distance and is reliable as this is a deal breaker.

Families will agree to reimbursement at the current federal rate for the use of your own vehicle on the job.

This does not include to and from work.

You are responsible for your own vehicle car insurance.  If you drive the family’s vehicle they will need to have you on their insurance.

TrustLine is the state of California’s official background check for license-exempt in-home childcare providers (nannies and family assistants, babysitters, newborn care specialists, and doulas). TrustLine provides a detailed, thorough background check using LiveScan fingerprints, which are sent to the California Department of Justice, the Child Abuse Central Index, and the FBI for review.

State law requires that every in-home childcare provider who finds a job through a domestic placement agency becomes registered with TrustLine by their first day of work.

The Nanny Tribe will walk you through step by step how to register and obtain a live scan.  Be prepared to pay around $115.00+ for the full process.

Yes! The Nanny Tribe requires all families to offer an agreement with our referred nannies.  This is to assure fair work agreements for you. If a family does not fulfill this we request you contact us for support before your 30 day trial is complete.

Requesting guaranteed hours will ensure the family will not unexpectedly call you off work and you lose pay for the scheduled time.  

The family will need to take this into account for those days that they let you off early or decide to take a day off, they will still be responsible for those hours. Although if you request to leave early or have a scheduled vacation, you will need to utilize PTO or go unpaid.

While household employment relationships are much more personal, this does not mean that the arrangement is casual. By requesting a guarantee of hours and payment, you know that you can depend on your employer and they can depend on you to be reliable.

While guaranteed hours are not a legal requirement, they are considered an industry standard. It is requested you offer reliability to the family if they offer you the guarantee when working with The Nanny Tribe.

There is no law requiring household employers to offer healthcare benefits. Some families choose to offer a healthcare reimbursement, either directly from their family to their nanny, or pursuant to a health reimbursement arrangement like QSEHRA (the Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangement). Click here for more information about QSEHRA.

The Nanny Tribe values incredible customer service.  The depth we go to, to recruit nannies like you, is equal to the depth we get to know the families we work with.  This makes a big difference when matching you with a family.  We truly care about your success and a successful relationship with the family you are working with.  

The Nanny Tribe believes strongly in community and invests our full hearts into this service to achieve this. In any work environment there are incidents where you may need a question answered, or support working through obstacles.  If you feel you’re being treated unfairly or not getting paid on time, we are here to support you when help is needed.  We are your Tribe and hope you feel confident in us to ask for this support.

We understand that you are actively looking for a position.  We request you notify us at your earliest convenience when you find an alternative position. 

 

Whenever you are ready to be considered for new jobs through The Nanny Tribe again, all you need to do is contact us and we will schedule a call to update us on your new job search.

Whenever you are ready to be considered for new jobs through The Nanny Tribe, all you need to do is contact us, and we will schedule a call for you to update us on your new job search.

Once you’re onboarded with The Nanny Tribe, we will offer you the opportunity to be featured on our website for upcoming families. You will also be one of the first candidates to meet new families. In the meantime you will be offered on-call jobs, temporary positions and or babysitting jobs until a long term position comes up.

Unfortunately The Nanny Tribe  cannot guarantee placement. The Nanny Tribe is not your employer and it is the family’s decision to hire you. 

We encourage all of our registered candidates to keep us up to date with their job search, criteria, and availability, so that we may continue to consider you for positions as they become available.

The Nanny Tribe follows all CDC recommendations.  Each Family will request their own Covid precautions.