Welcome Guide

Our process is outlined above, and on our candidate home page.

We receive many applications every day. How you present yourself matters for how far you move through the process.

For your resume:

• Is it up to date?
• Is it free of grammatical and spelling errors and poor formatting?
• Is it relevant and tailored to an open position on our job board?

For your cover letter, include one tailored to our agency in general, or customized to the specific position you're applying for.

Take it from the shoulders up, in natural light, with the light source behind the camera and shining onto your face rather than behind you. Smile, and use a photo you'd feel comfortable putting on a resume.

Avoid photos that are too close or too far away, taken in low light, with your face in shadow, or that come across as unprofessional. Families form their first impression of you from this photo before deciding whether to invite you to interview.

We contact your references once your Zoom interview is complete, and we keep that information on file for our agency going forward, so you're not asked to go through this again for every job you apply to.

If you'd rather hold off on a reference check for now, or there's a specific reference you'd prefer we not contact until you're being seriously considered for a role, just let us know. We're glad to work around that.

How many references do I need? At least three, from paid experience in private households. References must come from direct principals, not family, friends, coworkers, or non-household work.

How do I make sure my references are reachable? We recommend providing more than three. Some references are occasionally unreachable, so extra coverage helps avoid delays.

No. We don't collect fees from candidates or take a portion of your pay. We also help you negotiate your pay and benefits to get the strongest offer possible, based on your experience and qualifications.

Your profile is your application, professional headshot, cover letter, resume, and letters of recommendation combined. It's how you represent yourself to us and to the family, so keep that in mind as you complete it.

Once you meet our screening standards, you can log in and update your profile at any time with new experience or letters of recommendation.

Your profile stays private until you've completed your final interview with us, we've heard back from your references, and there's a specific role we agree you'd be a strong fit for. We'll notify you when your profile is shared, and we'll keep you posted on whether the family wants to move forward.

We ask for the family's actual name on your resume so we can match your work history to the references you provide and verify your experience accurately. Before your resume is shared with a prospective family, we edit it to remove identifying names, so your profile represents your experience without disclosing a former principal's identity.

Our job board reflects exactly what we're working on right now. We recommend registering with our agency even if nothing on the board is a perfect fit today. New requests come in regularly, and once you've completed our application and interview process, you're one step closer to your next role. If you meet our requirements, we'll email you when a position opens that matches the job types you told us you're interested in.

Because we take a customized approach to matchmaking, we aren't able to put you forward for every role you express interest in. We're selective on both sides, which saves you and the family time and keeps the process focused on genuine fits.

Because of how competitive these roles are, we can't guarantee a placement for every candidate who meets our requirements and completes our process. Think of your relationship with us as an ongoing connection that puts you in position for the right opportunity when it comes along, not a guaranteed timeline.

Come prepared with a highly detailed, relevant resume, a cover letter tailored to the role, strong references from previous private household principals, and a complete, up-to-date profile that reflects your personality and specialization. Being invited to interview already puts you in a strong position relative to other applicants, so treat your resume and profile as your best first impression.

Your references only need to be verified once through our agency. As part of our screening process, we need to reach three principals from a role similar to the one you're applying for in order to confirm your work history, including roles where you signed an NDA. Uploading more references than the minimum helps prevent delays if one is slow to respond.

Email is the best way to reach us, and we'll email you as soon as a relevant new role becomes available.

Yes. Keep your resume and profile current as your experience grows, especially before submitting interest in a new role. If your experience has progressed since your last interview with us, we may ask to re-interview you so we can learn about your new skills before presenting you to a family.

Every family we work with is required to meet industry-standard benefits: legal, on-the-books pay through a payroll system, guaranteed hours, paid vacation and sick days, competitive pay rates, and mileage reimbursement. During your interview, we take the time to understand your strengths and career goals, and we only recommend you for roles that align with your expectations. Throughout your search, we act as a buffer between you and the family, helping manage expectations on both sides.

We're waiting on the family to review your profile and get back to us. They'll either offer times to meet with you or let us know they're looking for something different, and either way, we'll keep you informed. Most delays at this stage come from the family's own schedule and planning, not from anything on your end. If you aren't selected to interview, we'll continue considering you for other roles, and it's a good time to revisit your profile to make sure it's representing you at its best.

Part of our job is understanding a family's timeline and knowing when it's strategically right to present your profile, so that you're shared when the family is genuinely ready to consider you. If a family doesn't move forward with your interview, we'll keep considering you for other openings. Check our blog for tips on landing your next role, and use the time to review your resume, cover letter, and profile, or gather additional letters of recommendation.

Once you accept an offer, we put together a work agreement (sometimes called a contract) outlining your job responsibilities, pay, and benefits. It protects you as an employee and sets clear expectations for your new role. It typically covers household rules, pay, benefits, schedule, vacation and sick days, responsibilities, paid holidays, and overnight policies. You and the family sign it before your official start date, and either party can propose amendments at any time.

No. You're an at-will employee and can leave a role, or be let go, for any reason or no reason at all. Our hope is always to find you a role you're happy in for the long term. The work agreement you and the family sign is meant to protect you and prevent misunderstandings, not to lock you in. Most families are looking to hire someone who stays a year or longer, which is part of why we're so particular about finding the right fit. We also encourage families to hold regular performance reviews with their household staff, so both sides have a chance to check in and update the agreement as needed.

Once you sign a work agreement, the family becomes your principal and direct point of contact. We'll provide a New Hire Success Guide, along with additional resources once you're placed, covering answers to common questions and scenarios new hires run into. We're also happy to remain a resource for you well beyond your start date, so if a question comes up down the road, reach out. If a dispute comes up with your principal, we recommend trying to resolve it directly first. If you believe something immoral or illegal is happening in the home, notify us right away.

We strongly encourage families to offer some form of health insurance. If a family is open to a stipend, the amount is part of the negotiation, so let us know ahead of time if insurance coverage is something you're looking for. Some families offer a flat monthly amount, others invite you onto an existing plan, and others cover 50 to 100 percent of your monthly premium.

To receive a stipend, you'll need to provide proof of coverage through the marketplace. If you don't yet have coverage, come prepared with an estimated monthly cost so you can negotiate effectively.

We don't arrange insurance plans or stipends directly, but we connect families to GTM Payroll for free consultations on payroll, tax, and insurance questions. Most families find it simplest to have you find coverage through the marketplace and offer a monthly stipend. Read more in our blog on health insurance stipends.

Because mileage reimbursement isn't taxable compensation, there's a real financial advantage to using the IRS standard mileage rate rather than a flat rate. You can find the current IRS standard mileage rate here, since it's updated periodically throughout the year.

Track only the miles driven while on the clock (transporting children, running errands), not your personal commute, and report them weekly on a timesheet, shared spreadsheet, or mileage app for inclusion in your payroll.