04/25/2026
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 You can’t claim to support and value nannies while suggesting and condoning not following the law and/or industry standards.
I got a voicemail from a nanny I’ve worked with before, someone I know pretty well. She’s the kind of nanny families want. Thoughtful, experienced, emotionally intelligent, strong communicator. The full package.
When she started her job search again, she made it clear to the agency and families she would only consider positions that paid legally.
Through a local agency, she found a position she was genuinely excited about, a family assistant role, great fit, great vibe, kids she connected with, a home she could see herself in long term.
The rate was $32 an hour, which is strong for her market. She said yes, and they moved into the contract phase. (She asked the family to buy the A to Z Nanny Contract and they were happy to.) But when she reviewed the first draft of the contract, she saw that overtime wasn’t included in the pay. She sent an email back asking that that clause be updated to reflect the 10 to 12 hours of overtime she’d be working each week.
That’s when the family told her the agency had “suggested” overtime, but said in our industry, it often didn’t happen. The nanny immediately called the agency, and the owner said, “They’re paying a high rate for this area. They could hire a lot of other people for a cheaper rate. My advice is to accept the offer.” (My outrage is coming later in this post!)
Here’s the breakdown:
Regular pay (what the family budgeted): 32 dollars × 52 hours = $1,664 per week
Legal pay with overtime: [40 regular hours × $32/hr = 1,280] + [12 overtime hours × $48/hr (time and a half) = $576] for a total of $1,856 per week
Weekly difference: $192
Yearly difference: $9,984
So we’re not talking about a small gap. We’re talking about just under ten thousand dollars a year.
So now everyone is stuck. The family really likes the nanny and wants to move forward, but paying overtime significantly changes their budget. They offered $32 an hour based on the agency’s information that that would cover 50 to 52 hours a week. The nanny wants the job, but is not willing to make $10,000 less than she’s entitled to.
Let’s be clear.
The nanny did exactly what she was supposed to do. She set her standard from the beginning and confirmed it before moving forward. The family presented their budget and trusted the agency to help them set a fair rate. The agency failed both sides on this one.
Agencies aren’t there to just make introductions. They are there to make successful placements. And a successful placement isn’t just about finding a match. It’s about creating a position that works long term. If the pay structure isn’t correct, the job doesn’t work. If the expectations aren’t clear, the job doesn’t last. That’s not complicated.
And this is where the frustration is coming from. Because this isn’t one situation. This is happening too often, especially in mid to smaller markets where there are fewer options and less consistency in how roles are structured.
Something has to change. Nannies shouldn’t have to keep catching these issues at the contract stage and then trying to find a way to make it work, and too often, feeling like accepting less is the only option. Families shouldn’t be losing out on the nanny they love because the agency failed to give them correct information or sound advice. And agencies shouldn’t be treating legal compliance like it’s flexible.
Nannies and family assistants have more power in this market than it often feels like, especially in smaller or mid-sized areas where agency options are limited. But the reality is simple. Without nannies, agencies don’t have a business. As an industry, we need to come together and figure out how to handle this. There are many exceptional agencies out there. I work with them, I recommend them, and they’re doing this right. But especially in small to mid-sized markets, there are too many agencies that are not doing a good enough job. And those agencies make it harder for everyone, for nannies, for families, and for their local competitors who are actually doing it right.
Families will often gravitate toward the agencies that tell them what they want to hear. But those are also the placements that don’t materialize because the nanny walks away, or they don’t last. Supporting the good agencies, and not continuing to give business to the ones that aren’t doing it well, is how this shift begins. (And no, I’m not talking about agency bashing. I’m talking about leveraging our consumer power in meaningful ways.) I know, I know, that idea is hard to put into practice, but we will only find a path forward if we openly and respectfully talk about it.
So let’s talk about what using your voice and your power actually looks like in a way that doesn’t get you blacklisted and still gives you access to high-quality opportunities. There IS a solution, we’re just not there yet. (A growth mindset isn’t just for kids.)
Share your thoughts.
