HELP....Wanting to open own Nanny Agency but where to start???

[aj13]

Hi I have Childcare qualifications with plenty of experience but been thinking for a while now whether to start my own agency.
Having my daughter has made me and my partner want to do it more but we dont have a clue where to start!
Is it easy to set up? Im not looking for an easy job, once up and running I dont mind the hard work.
I already have qualified/registered nannies and childminders lined up if I go ahead.
Any help or advise welcome
Thanks

I would suggest obtaining the relevant legislation, so you know what rules there are in place for employment agencies and employment businesses.

The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003
The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses (Amendment) Regulations 2007

If you are in Scotland, you need to talk with the Care Commission, as they regulate Agencies.

Other than that, I have no idea either. It is something I've looked at, but have not got any further than looking at the legislation.

are there lots of agencies near you - if so then i would think carefully about starting one - there are lots in my area - though not all are good but you may have some competition

on the otherhand if there arent many, then go for it

not too sure how you would go about it,my friend runs an agency, but she took it over from someone, so brought the name and lists and it was all set up

might be worth to see if a franchaise near you like tinies etc, is about, so that you can work for them and see how things are run, and then bugger off and start your own

good luck - what area are you in?

Hi thanks for your comments.
I am in Walton, surrey...not far from kingston

mm this is something I have been thinking about too although I would like to incorporate a sort of parental teaching within it you know potty training workshops etc.

Personally I would do alot of research into whether you have a need for an agency in your area are you living somewhere where there is lots of commuting to London or another major city. I also would check out how many other agency's there are would your client base be more nannies, mothers, helps aupairs, housekeeper/nannies.

I would also have a look at the sites nannynick suggested as you need to be aware of curretn legal legislation is regards to setting up this sort of company remember that you will need to have the ability to do crb checks etc.

HTH

kidsmatter have a franchise option www.kidsmatter.com

There are a lot of agencies in Surrey and surrounding area. I would wonder if there is sufficient demand for another agency.
Research all the other agencies - get the info packs they send to parents (by pretending to be a parent looking for a nanny I would suggest). See what those agencies offer and then see how you can make your agency different. For example, do all agencies visit families before placing that family on their books? Do all agencies provide nannies with a lot of information about the family they have an interview with, prior to the nanny meeting the family?
I suspect one of the largest costs of running an agency is the advertising budget. You need to advertise to parents who may be considering a nanny, plus also to nannies themselves.
Think about why parents don't choose to use an agency - look through threads on here as a starting point - and also see if you can find comments from parents who have used an agency, thus finding out why they used one, rather then recruit themselves via Gumtree, NannyJob etc.
USP - Unique Selling Point... why should someone use your agency? What is special about the service you provide? What makes you different to the others?