For First-Time Household Employers
Learn how to hire before you post the job.
Two short video courses that walk you through everything a first-time household employer needs to know — the standards, the process, and the legal basics — before you ever screen a candidate.
In a hurry? Book a $75 assessment call instead, or send these videos to yourself for later.
Not ready to watch right now?
Enter your email and we'll send you both videos so you can watch them whenever you have 28 minutes.
Two free courses, 28 minutes total
Each stands on its own, but most families start on the left.
What to Know Before You Hire a Nanny
- 1 What it means to be a household employer
- 2 W-2 vs. 1099 — and what's actually required by law
- 3 The nanny tax, and what you actually owe
- 4 Guaranteed hours — and why they matter for retention
- 5 Overtime compliance and mileage reimbursement
- 6 Paid time off, holidays, and the work agreement
- 7 Setting up payroll, workers' comp, and insurance
How to Hire a Nanny: The Complete Family Guide
- 1 Know your caregiving style
- 2 Write a job requisition that attracts the right candidates
- 3 Post, source, and screen
- 4 Run a strong phone screen and interview
- 5 The meet & greet
- 6 Reference checks that actually tell you something
- 7 The working trial
- 8 Making a conditional offer
- 9 Background checks, done right
- 10 The work agreement
This tracker resets if you leave the page — it's just here to help you keep track during this visit. Your official credential is confirmed by email once our system verifies both courses.
Complete Both Courses
Earn your Hello Nanny! Qualified Family credential — and priority access to a recruiter consult.
Qualified Family Credential
Signals to candidates you're a prepared, professional employer.
Priority Candidate Review
Your posting gets reviewed ahead of the general queue.
$75 Recruiter Consult
A working session with an actual recruiter once you've finished both courses — going over your specific candidates and next steps.
The courses themselves are always free. The recruiter consult is a paid $75 session — completing both courses gets you the credential, priority review, and access to book it.
Why we don't charge for this
A prepared household employer is a better hire, a better client, and a better placement — for everyone involved. We'd rather you learn the standards for free now than find out the hard way after a hire doesn't work out. This is exactly the same reasoning behind our $75 assessment call and our 120-day replacement guarantee: we make more sense when families are set up to succeed, not when they're confused.
Questions before you start
Do I have to hire through Hello Nanny! to take these courses?
No. Both courses are genuinely useful whether you hire on your own, use another agency, or work with us. The hiring playbook works for a DIY search just as well as one we help with.
Do I need to watch them in order?
No — each course stands on its own. That said, most families find "Know Before You Hire" useful to watch first, since it covers the standards and legal basics the hiring playbook assumes you already know.
What happens after I finish both courses?
You'll receive your Qualified Family credential and a link to book your $75 recruiter consult — a working session focused on your specific candidates and next steps.
Is there a catch?
No purchase is required to take either course. If you'd like extra support after finishing them — a market rate assessment, a Job Ad, or full Concierge Placement — those are separate services you can choose if and when they make sense for you.
Should I take the courses or just book the assessment call?
They're for different things, not really a choice between free and paid. The $75 assessment call is where our team learns about your specific situation — your schedule, your needs, your budget — and walks you through the market rates and structuring that fit it, available any time. The $75 recruiter consult (unlocked after finishing both courses) is a working session on your actual candidates and next steps, once you're further along. Many families book the assessment call first so we understand their needs, then take the courses, then use the recruiter consult once they're ready to move on specific candidates.
Ready to hire with confidence?
Start with Know Before You HireWant expert guidance right now instead of watching the videos first? Book a $75 assessment call →