“Nanny or babysitter - let’s understand”

If you are looking for a guardian for your child then you have two options; babysitter or a nanny. They both may sound similar but actually have some differences in terms of their job contract and employment status and your purpose. If you are leaving your home for a while and need a guardian for your child for just few hours then you can call for a babysitter but if you are looking for daily or permanent basis then you need a nanny for your child.

Nanny is a family employee and normally works on a year agreement with the family. You need to provide accommodation to the nanny with her own bedroom and bathroom. On the other hand babysitter works on hourly basis and is not a family employee and hence do not live with the family. You can find them from number of nanny agencies providing these services to the families. Nanny is a permanent employee of the agency while a babysitter may be the temporary employee as many college students also do babysitting jobs during vacation.

Also babysitter remains at the property where you have asked her to come at home, office, church or a function, while the nanny may or may not accompany the child everywhere. Some families hire a nanny to take care of a child at home and do not make them travel everywhere the child goes or sometimes a nanny accompany the child round the clock everywhere to the church, meetings, family functions and etc. You can contact a nanny placement agency to discuss whether you require a nanny or a babysitter; the consultant there can make you understand the difference.

You must contact the nanny placement agency couple of month in advance to have a nanny arranged for you while a babysitter is normally a call away. And if you need a nanny immediately then some nanny agencies provide that service also but on higher rates. Be it nanny or babysitter, you must contact the nanny placement agency which is registered and thorough with the screening of their employees. The screening involves the background verification, criminal history and qualification the person. Most of the renowned nanny agencies hire the educated professionals with child related degree and courses.