Frequently Asked Questions

What type of duties will my nanny perform besides care of my children?

Duties for every nanny will vary by household, position and family’s preference. Most nannies are not responsible for cooking and cleaning unless it directly involves caring for the children. Most nanny’s responsibilities include the child’s laundry, keeping the child’s room/play area clean, and meal prep and dishes for the child. If there are other duties you hope to have performed by your nanny, please communicate that to us, so that we can make sure we find the right fit.

How do I know that my nanny will stay long term?

Once you choose a nanny from the candidates supplied to you, Hutson Nannies will work with you to create a work agreement that outlines the responsibilities, hours, pay, and other details. By signing a work agreement with your nanny you are stepping out on the right foot by beginning the employee/employer relationship with clear expectations by both sides. This step is proven to greatly increase the longevity of the working relationship.

What if my nanny is not working out?

Hutson Nannies provides an extensive screening of candidates, an employment/work agreement outlining expectations, interviews and, most important of all, our one on one guidance and personalization through every step of the process. All of these factors lay a solid foundation that will help eliminate most of the issues people face when hiring a new nanny. That said, should it not work out, we offer a replacement period.  Your peace of mind is of utmost importance to us.

Why should I use a placement agency to find a nanny and not use an online service, place an ad myself, or ask around the neighborhood?

The goal of finding a nanny is find someone that you can, in a way, incorporate into your family and help you to have a happy and safe home for your children.

If you place an ad online or through a dot com service you will likely be sifting through hundreds of resumes. Who has time for that?!

You also have no idea who these people are that are replying to your ad. You have never met them and you are inviting them into your home to care for your children. Every one of Hutson Nannies’ nannies have passed an extensive criminal background check, have current CPR certification, have had their references checked and have been interviewed by Hutson Nannies. We will provide the results of their reference and background check to you upon request. If you hire a nanny on your own you have to do all that work yourself! To interview (twice), reference check and background check multiple nannies will take you hours of time, not to mention enlisiting the services of a background check company and inviting a stranger to your home.

Although using a placement agency like Hutson Nannies does cost more than doing it yourself, our clients find the considerable amount of time saved worth it. This is not to mention the most important thing, your peace of mind. We are putting our name on the line when we send you a nanny. We have met them all personally. Online services cannot say that! Few candidates will even make it through our rigorous screening process and after they do, we still have to find the right personality fit. What if you do a search yourself and find candidates that are qualified, but only so/so on the personality scale? You cannot compare the extra TLC and satisfaction of Hutson Nannies’ clients to that of an online database or other agencies.

You will save time, stress, many phonecalls and come out with a nanny you feel secure in caring for your family. It’s a no brainer!

Why should I choose Hutson Nannies?

Dinah Hutson lives in San Antonio and grew up in the area. She has ties to the community through her church, friends, family and organizations like Junior League. She has been a nanny herself for years and knows what it takes to make client families happy! Every client AND nanny will meet with her directly and have the peace of mind of knowing who will conduct their search and have a direct resource for asking questions.

How do I get started finding a nanny?

Just fill out the **family application** and hit send. Hutson Nannies will contact you within a day to communicate with you about taking the next steps to find you a perfect nanny for your family!

How are nannies screened by Hutson Nannies?

All nannies must pass a strenuous screening process before they would ever be presented as a candidate to your family or sent to you as a sitter. This screening process includes two interviews, a check of multiple references and perhaps, most important, a federal and county criminal background screening dating back seven years, the number of years allowed by law. The background screening also runs a trace of their past addresses and checks the sex offender database. For an additional fee you may request a DMV history check, financial screen and a drug screening.

Is the nanny I choose my employee or an employee of Hutson Nannies?

The nanny will be your employee. She will be paid directly by you, which means you will be responsible for withholding taxes from her paycheck as well as other legal responsibilities involved in having an employee. This can be a lot to learn in a short period of time, and we at Hutson Nannies understand this is not somewhere you want to make a mistake, so we will support you along the way by recommending an excellent payroll company that specializes in household employees.

Do families provide benefits or vacation time to their nanny?

It is very commonplace for nannies to receive paid time off (minimum 10 days/2 weeks for full-time), paid holidays (6-11 days), and mileage reimbursement for miles driven with children or by request of family for errands. Some families also provide some of the following: health insurance or a stipend towards healthcare coverage, a cell phone contribution, continuing education seminar assistance, college tuition assistance, and performance/anniversary bonuses.

How much are nannies paid?

A nanny is paid hourly. This pay is based on many factors including their prior experience, education level, previous salary, other qualifications the nanny may have, and what the specific job duties are. We can help you to find a nanny in your budget range and help with the negotiation process. Our nannies are paid between $18-25+ per hour. On-call sitters are paid $12-15/hr.