Can anyone recommend a good nanny agency in London?

[naturopath]

I need to start looking for a nanny - was going to look on Gumtree but have been advised it might be better to go with an agency.

Any advice? And recommendations of excellent, trusted agencies?

And what is the advantage of going through an agency?

Thanks

we really didnt want to go through agency as so fecking expensive (reckon on 4-6 weeks of nanny's net salary as a fee depending on agency). if you can avoid it i would - try simplychildcare if you live in london it's a listings mag for nannies/families seeking nannies and has a really good choice. www.simplychildcare.com you pay i think about £40 for five weeks' ads in it. much better quality applicants than gumtree.
HOWEVER in the end we did use an agency as ran out of time to find anyone (we were looking over christmas which didnt help). we used abbeville nannies in south london (not sure where you live) and they did find us our current nanny who is utterly utterly ace, so for us it was worth it.
the advantage is they supposedly check references etc, altho you would do this yourself anyway (and you should do it yourself even if agency says they ahve done it) and if you're in a hurry/desperate they find a lot of candidates quickly. tbh if you can avoid using them, ie you have plenty of time to look, i am not sure they are worth the money.
we also put advert in The Lady which was fiendishly expensive, more than £200, and not worth it for the quality of candidates. lots of people on here also use www.nannyjob.co.uk but we never found anyone on it. good luck!

Thanks for the advice.. anyone else??

I'm with Kensington, Imperial, Occasional and Permanent and Eden Nannies and have found them to be professional etc. thats of course from a nannies point of view . good luck with your hunt.

I never realised how expensive these agencies are!

Where abouts are you naturopath? Nannyjob.co.uk is another good website. Good luck

Advantage of an agency is if the nanny leaves within a period of time they will try and find a new one without paying anymore. They are also there to advise on contracts, wages, holidays- most things involved with employing a nanny. Also they should have checked all references and interviewed them. But to be honest if you got someone yourself you can check all these things. A good agency will listen to you and your requirements and then not waste your time with people who will not be suitable!!!!

kim at elite
gail at childhood nannies

try those two first. they are head and shoulders above the rest IMO

PPH - you and I have sung the praises of Kim at Elite before. However, I hear she's sold the agency and moved out of the country. The agency is still operating under the Elite name, but they're now located in NW1, instead of Battersea.

It may still be a very good agency, but have no personal experience of the new owners/management.

Thanks - I posted on Nannyjobs but wierdly enough only got two responses, and those were just enquiries. I think my ad was pretty good so not sure why. It's for a nannyshare - maybe that's what's putting people off?

oh no earlybird, has she gone?
well can't recommend it then, could be anyone running it now .

Gail at childhood is as mad as a box of snakes but has a fabulous instinct for nannies and is v v good at placing the right girl with the right family.

North London Nannies - Caren there was brilliant and if they cover your area I do recommend them. As a result of them putting the time in to find us the right "fit" we've had only one nanny since dd1's birth, and all being well she will stay with us til dd2 starts school.

They were also really forthcoming with advice on how to choose the right nanny, let me know if you want me to scribble down what I remember..

Can rec Surreychildcare.co.uk on 0208 399 4199, they cover west london too if you are in that area.
Great babysitting service too.