How to hire a professional nanny

How to hire a professional nanny, step by step

Here's a step-by-step professional 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 professional nanny job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new professional nanny
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The professional nanny hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect professional nanny also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of professional nanny salaries for various roles:

   Type of Professional Nanny	Description	Hourly rate
   Professional 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	$12-29
   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
   Child Care Aide	A Child Care Aide is primarily in charge of children's care and personal needs. They typically work at schools, offices, and even in residential areas... Show more	$10-18

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Household Management
   • Meal Preparation
   • CPR
   • Child Care
   • Boys Ages
   • RAN
   • Medical Appointments
   • Child Development
   • Meal Planning
   • Nutritional Meals
   • Healthy Meals
   • Discipline Programs
   • Social Development
   • Transport Children

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Administer medicines to children and provide CPR or first aid in case of emergency.
   • Maintain CPR certifications appropriate to each position.
   • Generate nutritional meals addressing food allergies and meeting nutritional needs.
   • Generate nutritional meals addressing food allergies and meeting nutritional needs.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, professional nannies' average salary in georgia is 47% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level professional nannies 59% less than senior-level professional nannies.
   • Certifications. A professional 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 professional nanny's salary.

   Average professional nanny salary

   $39,749yearly

   $19.11 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level professional nanny salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

4. Writing a professional nanny job description

   A job description for a professional nanny role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a professional nanny job description:

   Professional nanny job description example

   Part-Time Job Opportunities for Nannies and Childcare Professionals:
   
   MAS Community Health is seeking compassionate and kindhearted individuals to provide in-home support for children with varied levels of behavioral/mental health diagnoses. MAS Community Health has an office in Westbrook, ME. Part-time hours are available in
   Portland, ME and surrounding areas including:
   Buxton Kennebunk Biddeford Saco OOB- Old Orchard Beach Kittery Cumberland So. Portland
   As an entry-level Behavioral Health Professional, you will complete the BHP certification course including instruction and observation hours. After completion of your certification, you will be helping children and their families learn new skills and meet goals directly contributing to the child’s autonomy, safety, and skill development.
   
   Responsibilities of a BHP include:
   Working with clients ages 0 to 21 who have a mental or behavioral health diagnosis Providing individualized support within the clients' personal homes and surrounding communities Safely transporting your client within your own personal, and reliable vehicle Following the client’s treatment plan, outlined, and created by family and the case management team Completion of daily progress notes
   All our employees enjoy industry-leading benefits including:
   Hourly rate up to $18 Productivity bonuses! Earn up to $20/hr! Sign-on Bonus up to $500 Referral bonus opportunities Mileage reimbursement Flexible hours Accrued time off
   Position Requires:
   GED, or High School Diploma Clean driving records and valid driver's license Some experience working with children (For example: working as a nanny, daycare worker, coach, camp counselor, etc.) Reliable, registered, and insured transportation Proof of COVID Vaccination
   Make a difference in your community- apply today!
   
   MASCH

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5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right professional nanny for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit professional nannies, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 professional nanny

   Once you've selected the best professional nanny candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new professional nanny. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

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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