"If you prefer stay at home care for your loved ones and you want a qualified, compassionate caregiver, Preferred Personnel has the answers to your families needs." Please click here to compare Daycare vs. Nanny care Services.
Call Preferred Toll Free at 1(800) 899-8841 For Full Access to The Largest Pool of Local Live-In & Live-Out Caregivers/Nannies Available!
How Do You Choose an Agency?
Number of employees employed in the firm? How long have they been in business and will they be around 6 months from now? Do they have an office or are they operating out of a room in house? Be cautious and confirm length of service by checking out previous yellow page advertisements available on-line or through your public library. Assess telephone manners and English skills.
Preferred has operated Canada-wide since 1981. Preferred Personnel employs six staff members.
Responsiveness
How accessible are they? Did staff answer the telephone or did you reach an answering machine? How promptly were your calls returned? If they are unresponsive now, what happens when you have a problem? Do they conduct regular business hours in formal office space or is the business run off voice mail? Are you able to visit their office unscheduled or do they come to your home under the guise of a home assessment as their business is run off a kitchen table? Do they have a toll-free line, courier service, email, web site, fax equipment and everything necessary to operate a modern office?
Preferred maintains regular business hours and for our client's convenience, is also open over the lunch hour. Evening and weekend appointments are available and email is responded to seven days a week.Client Fees
Why is their fee what it is? Is it higher or lower than other agencies and if so why? A large, well-organized firm may charge more than a business that runs off an answering service, or from a cell phone, which employs less staff. Be wary of agencies that charge very low fees. As with any purchase, in this industry you definitely get what you pay for! Do they run from a kitchen and charge more than an agency with and office, and staff?
Preferred charges fees that are comparable and often less than other agencies.Nanny Fees
Does the agency charge the nannies a placement fee, take a percentage of the monthly salary, or charge for mandatory courses from which they profit? nannies signed on with agencies that dispatch care at a monthly profit, often have little experience and the turn over rate is high. Disgruntled nannies may leave due to low pay, forced conscription to attend and pay for classes, and little if no choice in the families they work for.
Preferred charges no fees to local nannies nor do we take a percentage of their salaries, ensuring the best of the best come to Preferred first!Success
Will the agency provide information regarding their ratio of success or are their information systems not sophisticated enough? What follow-up system is in place and what happens when it doesn't work? As important as good references are, it may help to speak to a client who encountered a problem. How quickly did the agency locate a replacement? What system is in place for immediate and temporary care should your nanny become sick or need to travel?
We have many success stories to share. Please visit our testimonials section.
Guarantee
What services do they promise by contract, to provide? What guarantees do they make? Did they provide you with actual references? How quickly did the agency replace a nanny when required?
Preferred provides an unconditional one-year placement guarantee.
What are the immediate benefits to using an agency
Typically, working with an agency provides access to a larger pool of qualified candidates than you could expect to find on your own. Experienced agencies have developed excellent applicant-evaluation skills for effectively pre-qualifying candidates. A good agency has resources you don't have such as time, staffing, funds to advertise, experience interviewing and verifying credentials as well as a ready pool of nannies. The longer the agency has been in business, the larger their pool of in-house candidates. Top calibre candidates as in any industry, look to HR professionals and not the newspaper when seeking employment. Less serious candidates, those with something to hide, those who have experience only caring for their own child or family members and generally those who don't intend to make a long-term commitment, tend to respond to newspaper ads.
Preferred has an excellent pool of qualified nannies available on an immediate basis for full-time and part-time employment, live-in and live-out.
Recommendation from friends
If your nanny (or neighbour's nanny) recommends a friend and your goal is only to save money, then this is definitely an option. However, this leaves you with only one potential candidate and no company would consider one resume for a clerical position, and neither should you for your children! Your goal should be to access the largest pool of nannies available in order to locate the best match possible!
Preferred encourages you to compare the nanny referred to you with those we have on file.What are the long-term benefits of using an agency
Successful placement takes time and is a tremendous amount of work. A good agency will support placement after the fact and provide resource material and information relevant to helping the new employer get started. They should offer networking so your nanny has access to peer support. They should be there to help you throughout the placement, and when necessary, to assist you with termination of employment.
Preferred will assist with all aspects of employing a nanny; interview questions, contracts, payroll account information, follow-up after placement, and re-contract information.