How to hire a live-out nanny

How to hire a live-out nanny, step by step

Here's a step-by-step live-out nanny hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a live-out nanny job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new live-out nanny
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the live-out nanny you need to hire. Certain live-out nanny roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a live-out nanny to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a live-out nanny that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of lives-out nanny.

   Type of Live-Out Nanny	Description	Hourly rate
   Live-Out Nanny	Childcare workers provide care for children when parents and other family members are unavailable. They attend to children’s basic needs, such as bathing and feeding... Show more	$11-27
   In-Home Childcare Provider	In-home childcare providers are professionals equipped with the skills needed to properly care for a child. They are employed by families who require assistance in providing the needs of the child at home... Show more	$10-21
   Baby Sitter	A Baby Sitter is responsible for the welfare and safety of children while their parents or guardian are away. The tasks will vary on the age, behavior, or needs of the children... Show more	$10-21

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Meal Prep
   • Kids
   • CPR
   • Child Care
   • Allergies
   • Household Chores
   • Upon Hire
   • Potty Training
   • Healthy Meals
   • Educational Games
   • Discipline Programs
   • Meal Planning
   • Medical Appointments
   • Nutritional Meals

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Do laundry, buy groceries, run errands, perform all housekeeping duties.
   • Drive mom to appointments, shop for groceries, and run errands as needed.
   • Perform first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and administer medications when require.
   • Care for children s individual dietary and health needs, insure safety with CPR training.
   • Prepare organic meals, snacks, lunches, keeping careful consideration of specific allergies, etc.
   • Prepare breakfast and lunch; pack lunch boxes; assist kids with brushing their teeth and getting dress for school.

   More live-out nanny duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your live-out nanny job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A live-out nanny can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, lives-out nanny' average salary in georgia is 47% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level lives-out nanny 60% less than senior-level lives-out nanny.
   • Certifications. A live-out nanny with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a live-out nanny's salary.

   Average live-out nanny salary

   $37,539yearly

   $18.05 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level live-out nanny salary

   $23,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average live-out nanny salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$56,926	$27
   2	Massachusetts	$55,265	$27
   3	New Jersey	$49,119	$24
   4	New York	$48,437	$23
   5	Rhode Island	$44,529	$21
   6	Connecticut	$43,681	$21
   7	Arkansas	$40,067	$19
   8	Illinois	$38,770	$19
   9	Maryland	$38,751	$19
   10	Virginia	$38,108	$18
   11	Indiana	$37,315	$18
   12	Texas	$35,875	$17
   13	Florida	$34,301	$16
   14	Georgia	$29,673	$14

   Average live-out nanny salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Go! Retail Group	$50,012	$24.04	6
   2	Sittercity	$42,913	$20.63	12
   3	CARE	$41,625	$20.01	15
   4	Nanny	$39,938	$19.20	25
   5	Private Inc	$39,676	$19.07

4. Writing a live-out nanny job description

   A good live-out nanny job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a live-out nanny job description:

   Live-out nanny job description example

   SANFORD, FL (LOCAL CANDIDATES ONLY) - Family outside of Orlando is seeking a FULL-TIME LIVE-OUT NANNY for their 2 daughters (5-year-old and 18-month-old). Hours are Friday 3 pm - 7 pm, Saturday/Sunday 7 am - 7 pm. This family needs a nanny who can help mom care for the children with both parents in the home. Dad is disabled (quadriplegic) and there are aides who visit the home to assist him. Duties include feeding the children breakfast, playing with the children, preparing lunch, engaging the children with playtime, feeding the children dinner, and bedtime routines. Food is provided for the nanny and family and the nanny will have an hour's break during the day. The oldest daughter has an allergy to eggs and watermelon and the family has an EpiPen in case of emergency. The oldest daughter will also have occasional weekends away with her father, so there will only be the 18-month-old to care for on those occasions.
   
   Spanish speaking preferred. The perfect candidate is reliable, courteous, and trustworthy. In time, the family would like to entrust the nanny with overnights and possible travel with the family. There are 2 cats and a labrador in the home that will not need any care from the nanny. No pet allergies. There is no need to drive the children at this time. Vaccinations must be up to date; covid, tdap, flu, and MMR. Pay is $35/hr. The start date is ASAP.
   BA/BS college degree | AA in related field of study
   
   CPR/First Aid Certification (renew as needed)
   
   Ability to make a one-year commitment unless applying for a temporary position
   
   A passion for working with children
   
   Two+ years childcare experience
   
   Excellent work and personal references
   
   U.S. driver's license (this does not apply to NYC residents)
   
   Complete Stop the Silence Training upon Membership
   
   Fluent in English/Bilingual a plus
   
   Competent swimmer
   
   Non-smoker
   
   Willing to go through extensive Background Check
   
   Must be Live-Scanned and registered with Trustline if CA resident
   
   Willingness to show proof of immunizations
   
   No-cell phone driving signed guarantee
   
   Must be eligible to work in the U.S.
   
   40
   
   ID: 2022-2895
   
   External Company Name: The Nanny League, Inc.
   
   Street: 123 Main Street

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right live-out nanny for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with lives-out nanny they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit lives-out nanny who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your live-out nanny job on Zippia to find and recruit live-out nanny candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit lives-out nanny, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new live-out nanny

   Once you've found the live-out nanny candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new live-out nanny first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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