The Terms and Conditions of a Nanny Agency or Childcare Website are, in fact, a contract between you and the company you use. Nannies rarely read them because the service of nanny agencies and childcare websites is always free for candidates, yet they should still do so before signing up…
Even when the services provided are free, terms and conditions apply. And even if you have not read them, from the moment you start using the service of the agency or childcare site, it will be considered that you have read and accepted them. It’s therefore best to read them to know what you’re getting into…
Just because you’re interested in their service doesn’t mean they’ll actually be able to help you. In their candidate terms and conditions, nanny agencies and childcare websites are generally very transparent about the fact that they cannot help everyone.
For example, in our terms and conditions, we are very clear that just because we advertise jobs in Europe, the UK and the US does not mean you can be considered for positions everywhere. For example, we explain that if you are a UK or EU nanny looking for a position in the United States, you will not find a position through our site because there is no visa possibility.
By reading the terms and conditions of nanny agencies or childcare websites, you may realize that they cannot help you, and this will save you from wasting time or being disappointed when you don’t get an answer.
In this industry, not a day goes by without an agency or site being slandered on social media, and many of the things you read on social media are absolutely false.
For example, a few years ago, job-seeking nannies, frustrated at not finding work, went to Facebook and claimed that applicants had to pay to use our site. They were fed up with not getting any answers, so they spread the rumor that on our site you had to pay for applications to be seen by recruiters, which is absolutely false.
The hard truth is that they weren’t getting any answers because they were applying for Russian-speaking nannies even though they didn’t speak a word of Russian, for after-school positions in Los Angeles even though they were based in Europe, etc.
So it was normal that no one answered them… anyway, the fact is that by reading the terms and conditions of nanny agencies and childcare websites, you will have more reliable information and you will know what to expect.
For example, in our terms and conditions, it is clearly explained that our job site is free for candidates, and we are also very clear that if you apply haphazardly you will not receive any responses.
The terms and conditions of a nanny agency or childcare website are legally binding, some agencies know very well that candidates never read them so they take advantage of this to include abusive clauses.
For example, some agencies’ terms and conditions state that when you sign up, you automatically agree to the use of your previous employers’ contact information for business purposes. Other agencies specify in their terms and conditions that if you cause them to lose a client or commission, you may be required to pay them their commission.
Of course, they will never explicitly give you these kinds of details, so don’t skip reading the terms and conditions to avoid any awkward situations…
It’s so important to read the terms and conditions of nanny agencies and childcare websites before signing up, you’ll find lots of useful information there, and you can make sure you’re on the same page, so even if it takes a little time, never skip this step!
