Looking for a babysitter or after-school care and wondering where to turn? Agency or specialised site? Here we explain the 5 differences between babysitting agency and specialised site.
1. Availability
An agency has a physical location – or even several – in a city: the advantage is that you can drop in to meet the person running the agency and ask questions during his or her opening hours. You can also call them for information or a quote.
A website does not usually have a physical location: they have offices located in a single city, from which the teams manage the website and other company functions. On the other hand, they do have a free customer service department which is generally available 5 days a week, from 9am to 6pm. You can also contact them for any information.
2. The reactivity of a babysitting agency vs. a specialised site
A website has a search engine that allows you to make a selection of babysitters by yourself, whenever you want, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. No need to wait for someone to do it for you… it’s really your choice. In addition, you will have access to the opinions of other parents, in a totally transparent way, directly on the site.
As far as agencies are concerned, they will offer you, according to your criteria, to carry out this search for you. The advantage? You really don’t have to do anything… but it will take more time. Indeed, the agency will first ask you for a list of your criteria, then come back to you with a pre-selection that you will validate or adjust.
A piece of advice: if you are looking for a babysitter on a one-off basis, the website will be more suitable. Agencies are very often specialised in after-school care.
3. The selection of babysitters by a specialised site or an agency
Agencies and websites alike carry out a rigorous selection of their babysitters: whether they are salaried employees of the agency or registered on a specialised website, the selection is carried out in such a way that your child is kept safely by a trusted babysitter.
To make sure that an agency or a specialised site is serious, we advise you to look at the opinions left by other parents on Google about the establishment concerned.
4. Babysitters’ recommendations from other parents
On a website specialising in babysitting and/or after-school care, you will have access to the opinions of other parents, in a totally transparent manner, directly on the babysitter’s page. It’s super practical and reassuring.
An agency will put you in touch with babysitters who are also recommended by other parents, but it will generally be more difficult for you to obtain these opinions directly.
5. The prices
Agencies may charge you a search fee of several tens of euros. For their part, websites or applications may ask you to subscribe to a package before you can consult the babysitters’ detailed pages. Some other sites, such as Marypop, will not charge you any fees before booking. We advise you to make sure you are well informed before you subscribe to a service.
As far as babysitters’ rates are concerned, 3 models exist:
- the babysitter is paid directly by the agency: you will pay the agency directly and will not have to do anything else.
- the babysitter is paid by you within the framework of a fixed-term or permanent contract with you: you will pay the salary of the babysitter, the charges (via Pajemploi in France) and you will benefit from tax assistance and deductions (-50% tax credit in France).
- the babysitter is self-employed and is paid directly by you: you will pay for the babysitter’s services you will benefit from tax incentives and deductions.
It’s up to you to choose the model that suits you best! You should know that a specialised site will generally put its customer service at your disposal to help you with the administrative procedures.
There you have it, you know all about the 5 differences between a babysitting agency and a specialised site!
We hope we have helped you to choose between an agency and a specialised site, according to your needs and your search criteria. We remain at your disposal so don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. See you soon on Marypop!
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