• How does Domestically Yours ("DY") find the best personnel?
• Why is DY's individualized service so important?
• How can I feel comfortable about DY?
• Why not use an Internet personnel exchange that posts resumes of job applicants?
• What is the best way to contact DY?
• Where does DY find its personnel?
• How long is the guarantee?
• Do I owe a fee if I do not like the person interviewed?
• Can DY provide personnel in any part of the country?
• Does DY make temporary placements?
• When is the placement fee due?
• How old are your candidates?
• Can I check references also?
• Where is the candidate interview conducted?
• Are candidates licensed and bonded?
• Does DY guarantee an employee's performance?
• How much is a typical salary for a nanny?
• What benefits are generally provided?
• Are nannies expected to perform housekeeping?
• How many candidates will DY provide?
• Is it a mistake to hire the first candidate interviewed?
• Does DY charge a fee to the personnel it places?
• Why doesn't DY have an online application for families or personnel?
• Do I need DY's Employer Identification Number in order to take advantage of child care tax breaks?
• What is an I-9 Form?
• What is a children's emergency medical care authorization form?

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Internet Rule No. 1 is to never identify yourself to strangers. You risk heartbreak if you open your home and entrust your children to Internet strangers. Just knowing they must undergo professional scrutiny is often enough to deter many wrongdoers.

The Internet is a wonderful tool for buying commodities such as books and CD's since you know the products before you order. It is more problematic for nonstandardized products and services. And it is highly questionable for personal, sensitive matters such as hiring people to enter your home and care for your children. Using the proper tool for the job is normally best.

"There is no free lunch." "You get what you pay for." "If it seems too good to be true it probably is." These adages have stood the test of time. The Internet has changed the world, but not human nature, logic or wisdom. Professional face-to-face examination is still more likely to produce satisfaction than an IPEx. Satisfaction is more than just a low fee. Satisfaction is a pleasant, sweet employee who understands and does what you need. Satisfaction is long term stability (you do not want to repeatedly hire and train new personnel; furthermore, children function better with constancy). Satisfaction is peace of mind (you have responsibilities and must know that your help will be there for you). Satisfaction is safety and security (your children and possessions must be safe). No one wants to be penny wise and pound foolish. The stakes are simply too high.

So why, specifically, is DY's service better than an IPEx? First, Domestically Yours is a well known, reliable business with a easily verifiable track record. Click here or call (214) 220-2000 for DY's record with the Better Business Bureau or call (800) 803-9202 for DY's history with the State of Texas Department of Licensing. You will find those records to be spotless. DY is a member in the National Association of Nannies. Beyond honesty, integrity, reliability and caring, DY has years of experience in making successful placements. References on Domestically Yours will allow you to hear the excitement with which DY clients share their appreciation. How does DY achieve such enthusiasm? First, families are interviewed at length to discover their unique wants and needs. In the interview, suggestions and solutions families may have overlooked are often suggested. Next, each candidate is personally interviewed face-to-face. Although the personnel business is an inexact science, years of experience generally gives a pretty good read on a candidates' true nature. References are personally checked (with those references shared with you if you like), and an independent agency is hired to undertake a criminal background check in the county of residence. All suitable candidates are instructed on Domestically Yours' copyrighted 60 point Homeowner Guidelines and Expectations. Utilizing the ultimate test ("only place people you would hire for your own home"), Domestically Yours seeks to match the best candidate for your wants and needs. The result has been a satisfaction rate DY would gladly match with any agency in the country, much less an anonymous, impersonal IPEx.

Second, clients repeatedly remark how sweet and wonderful their help is. Unlike many other agencies, DY does not run classified ads in newspapers casting about for personnel. DY candidates are typically referred to DY by people known or placed before. Birds of a feather tend to flock together. Having great personnel from the start dramatically increases the chances of success.

Third, DY saves you time. By personally prescreening candidates, DY helps avoid a parade of strangers through your home (and hopefully the tragic pain of a child molester, thief, etc utilizing a supposed interview to case a home). You are busy, and DY's help can allow you to attend to your pressing needs.

Fourth, unless you quickly luck into a great candidate, DY will generally fill your opening much more quickly.

Fifth, DY service does not stop with the placement. After each placement, follow up calls are repeatedly made to make sure everyone is satisfied. And free post-placement telephone consultations are always available--clients kid that DY deserves one fee for the placement and another for being their shrink. Schedule permitting, we are very flexible when we can talk--days, evenings and weekends. Except during certain vacations, telephone messages are checked during the weekend inorder to stay in touch with clients.

Sixth, you pay nothing until you are totally satisfied. DY does not charge a retainer or application fee. DY does not believe you should pay a fee unless and until a placement is actually made. And once a placement is made, DY guarantees that, if your employee leaves your employ at any time within six months after employment initially begins, DY will seek a replacement employee for you at no charge.

In short, DY provides a personal, hands on, face-to-face service that an impersonal IPEx simply can not match. When it comes to your home, your most personal of spaces, and your children, your most prized possessions, the Internet can not begin to provide the safety, security and satisfaction you deserve and need.      Return to top of page.


What is the best way to contact DY?
The best way to contact DY is by telephone at (972) 669-5059. A telephone conversation is an invaluable tool for both for DY and families. It gives DY an opportunity to learn a family's needs, preferences, concerns and lifestyle. It also gives families an opportunity to get to know DY and become comfortable with how DY works. There is no substitute for actually talking to people to learn the information critical to making appropriate decisions that will produce lasting placements. Rather than rely on an impersonal email or downloaded application, DY would rather take the time to customize each interview.     Return to top of page.


Where does DY find its personnel?
Unlike other agencies, DY does not run newspaper classifieds for personnel. Instead, virtually all DY candidates are referred to DY by people known or placed before.    Return to top of page.


How long is the guarantee?
DY guarantees that, if your employee leaves your employ at any time within six months after employment initially begins, DY will seek a replacement employee for you at no charge (unlike many other agencies, there are no additional prorated charges during the guarantee period).     Return to top of page.


Do I owe a fee if I do not like the person interviewed?
No. DY does not charge a retainer or application fee. No matter how many candidates are interviewed, there is no fee unless and until a placement is actually made.     Return to top of page.


Can DY provide personnel in any part of the country?
DY specializes in the Dallas Metropolitan Area, where it is recognized as Dallas' finest domestic placement agency. DY, however, occasionally makes placements outside of the Dallas Metroplex, and considers such job orders on a case by case basis. Placements outside of the Dallas Metroplex require a special fee.     Return to top of page.


Does DY make temporary placements?
More often than not, DY placements are permanent rather than temporary. However, you might have job requirements which mesh very well with the personnel that DY has available, and in such cases, DY is very happy to help. So call (972) 669-5059 and describe your needs; DY might have exactly what you are looking for.     Return to top of page.


When is the placement fee due?
Unlike many other agencies, DY does not require a retainer or application fee. No fee is due unless a placement is actually made. Furthermore, the placement fee is not due until employment actually commences.     Return to top of page.


How old are your candidates?
DY works with personnel of all ages. Some families place more significance on age than others. Each placement involves a specific search. Families may specify their preferences, and DY will endeavor to work within the framework requested.     Return to top of page.


Can I check references also?
Yes. DY will share information in its file and accordingly is happy to provide the names and telephone numbers of references. In fact, DY encourages families to contact references.     Return to top of page.


Where is the candidate interview conducted?
DY's placements involve a very personalized service. Interviews are conducted in your home so that a candidate can meet your children and see the surroundings. This minimizes the chance of surprises, unfulfilled expectations and miscommunications.     Return to top of page.


Are candidates licensed and bonded?
DY does not bond candidates because they do not work for DY; instead they are employees of the families which hire them. DY itself, however, is licensed by the State of Texas and bonded under that license.     Return to top of page.


Does DY guarantee an employee's performance?
No. The personnel business is not an exact science. No one can guarantee human behavior or performance. Consequently, although DY utilizes the ultimate test (only place people you would hire for your own home), DY can not guarantee that an employee will perform as you wish. DY does guarantee that, if you are unhappy and would like to replace your employee at any time within six months after employment initially begins, DY will seek a replacement employee for you at no charge (unlike many other agencies, there are no additional prorated charges during the guarantee period).     Return to top of page.


How much is a typical salary for a nanny?
Salaries for nannies vary from $300 to $800 per week. Salary is determined by many factors, including (i) the nanny's skills (education, experience, maturity, personality, English speaking ability, driving ability, CPR certification, etc.), (ii) a family's needs (number and age of children, hours required, need for the nanny to travel, job complexity, special needs, etc.), (iii) the family's ability to pay, and (iv) living conditions and benefits of the job. DY endeavors to match a family's unique criteria and needs to the best nannies at a specified salary. While salary is not everything, paying the going rate for respective talents and abilities definitely helps facilitate long term placements.     Return to top of page.


What benefits are generally provided?
DY suggests that families provide a minimum of six paid holidays and one week of paid vacation after six months, and two weeks of paid vacation after a year (a very few families provide even more). Some families provide some health insurance coverage, but many families do not. All live-in positions provide room and board and many provide access to a car for both personal and work-related use.     Return to top of page.


Are nannies expected to perform housekeeping?
Although nannies can do some light housekeeping, such requirements generally detract from the nanny's ability to perform the best with children. Generally, any housekeeping requirements should relate only housekeeping pertaining to the children. This should result in better child care, which, of course, is the ultimate goal. If any housekeeping is to be required, such expectations should be clearly brought up and specifically agreed to up front. In this manner everyone's expectations can be met and both parties can be satisfied.     Return to top of page.


How many candidates will DY provide?
DY will provide as many candidates as is necessary for your satisfaction. DY, however, does not run a multitude of candidates through your home, hoping that you like one. Furthermore, in fairness to applicants, DY does not place candidates "in competition" with each other. Instead, DY endeavors to carefully match a candidate with a family's specific needs. As a result, families hire over 90% of the first candidates brought to them by DY.     Return to top of page.


Is it a mistake to hire the first candidate interviewed?
No. DY endeavors to carefully match the best candidate for the family's specific needs. The first candidate recommended is ideally the best candidate for the job. Rejecting a candidate just to see others may result in losing the first candidate. Good nannies are in demand and often find jobs quickly. Consequently, families should be prepared to act quickly if they find a candidate they like. As a result of DY's screening and placement, families have accepted over 90% of the first candidates introduced to them by DY. If, however, a family is not pleased with the first candidate, DY is happy to provide as many candidates as is necessary for the family's satisfaction.     Return to top of page.


Does DY charge a fee to the personnel it places?
Absolutely not. Applicants are often not in a position to pay.     Return to top of page.


Why doesn't DY have an online application for families or personnel?
A telephone interview is an invaluable tool for both for DY and families. It gives DY an opportunity to learn a family's needs, preferences, concerns and lifestyle. It also gives families an opportunity to get to know DY and become comfortable with how DY works. There is no substitute for actually talking to people to learn the information critical to making appropriate decisions that will produce lasting placements. Rather than rely on an impersonal downloaded application, DY would rather take the time to customize each interview.     Return to top of page.


Do I need DY's Employer Identification Number in order to take advantage of child care tax breaks?
Breedlove and Associates has advised DY as follows: No. Many tax payers are entitled to claim a child care tax credit or utilize a dependent care account in which up to $5,000 salary is tax free. The federal tax identification number used to claim these tax breaks is the household employer's federal identification number, not DY's ID number. The purpose of providing the ID number is to inform the IRS who the household employee works for. Since your employee works for you, not DY, the IRS is not seeking DY's ID number. Clients with a permanent nanny should use their household employment federal tax id number. Clients who did not cross the wage threshold for withholding taxes, do not need a federal tax ID and should use their Social Security number in place of a tax ID (i.e., clients who are household employers, but who are not required to withhold and remit payroll taxes). If an employer pays a nanny illegally, the tax break is unavailable. Please note that the foregoing information has been supplied by Breedlove and Associates; DY does not warrant the accuracy of such information. DY recommends that everyone consult their own tax adviser to determine the appropriate treatment for their own situation.     Return to top of page.


What is an I-9 Form?
The I-9 Form was developed for verifying that persons are eligible to work in the United States. Federal law requires each employer to complete and retain an I-9 Form for each employee hired after November 6, 1986. This includes families that hire domestic employees for their homes. Employers are prohibited from hiring aliens whom employers know are not authorized to work in the United States. The Form specifies the type of documentation that employees must show employers in order to verify eligibility to work. If a family properly completes an I-9 Form and the Immigration and Naturalization Service discovers that the family's employee is not actually authorized to work, the family can not be charged with a verification violation. Thus, not only does the law require the completion of an I-9 Form, such form, when properly completed, can serve as protection for the family if the employee is found to be not in fact authorized to work.     Return to top of page.


What is a children's emergency medical care authorization form?
A children's emergency medical care authorization form is a form many parents use to state their approval for emergency medical care for their child if they are unable to be reached. An authorization letter parents have used is similar to the following:

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: As the parents of (name)_____________, (address)____________, we authorize the bearer of this letter to approve medical treatment for our son/daughter if it is required and we are unable to be reached. Our home telephone number is ________ and our work telephone numbers are (father) _______ and (mother) _______. Our health insurance policy is with __________ and the policy number is _______. Our child's date of birth is _______. He/she is allergic to ____________ or has no allergies we know of. His/her blood type is ____. Our child is being treated for the following conditions: ___________________________. Our pediatrician is Dr. _______________ and the telephone number is _________. Thank you,

Signed ___________________(mother) ___________________ (father)

Subscribed and sworn to before me this ___ day of _________, 2000

______________________ Notary Public

____________ County, _______ (state)