3 Unhinged Things I’ve Heard While Helping Families Hire Household Support
Finding the right nanny or house manager can feel a little like dating.
A lot of people may look good on paper, but once you get on the phone, you learn pretty quickly whether the fit is actually there. And yes, sometimes you have to kiss a few frogs before you find the right one.
A few recent favorites:
One candidate told me, “I’m the best person you’ll ever find on this app. Everybody loves me.”
Another was very offended that the family’s pay range was not higher and told me I “didn’t understand her worth” — and then continued to text about her “worth” to the point that the number had to be blocked.
One looked like Mary Poppins on paper and turned out to be more “my dog ate my homework.”
None of this makes someone a terrible person. People are allowed to advocate for themselves, have strong personalities, want higher pay, or decide a job is not the right fit.
But when you are hiring someone to work inside your home, those early conversations matter.
They show you how someone communicates. Whether the role actually matches what they want. Whether the schedule, pay, transportation, and responsibilities are aligned. Whether something feels steady or a little off.
And that matters because a background check can tell you one kind of information. References can tell you another. A phone screen can tell you another.
You need all of it.
And it takes time.
The average nanny or house manager search can take 20–40 hours. Most busy parents do not magically have that kind of time sitting around.
Interview Until You Find A Rough Edge
At Home Team, we often say: interview until you find the rough edge.
Everyone has one.
The goal is not to find a perfect person with no quirks, needs, limits, or concerns. The goal is to understand those edges before you hire, so you can make the decision with your eyes open.
Sometimes the rough edge is simple. Maybe they prefer babies and tend to leave when a child enters the toddler stage. Maybe they work best from a clear list. Maybe they are not naturally tidy, but they are amazing with children.
Other times, it is more important to dig into. Maybe they left their last family on bad terms. Maybe their references are hard to pin down. Maybe there are concerns around reliability, discretion, or follow-through.
And sometimes it is just a feeling that something does not quite add up.
That does not always mean you walk away. But it does mean you slow down and ask more questions.
That is part of the process we help families carry.
What we do
We screen candidates, ask the early questions, check references, listen for alignment, and help families keep their standards clear when the search gets tiring.
Because there is always a point in a search where it is tempting to say, “Maybe this is good enough,” just because you want the search to be over.
But the goal is not just to hire someone. The goal is to hire someone you understand clearly enough to trust inside your home.
And sometimes, that means hearing a few unhinged things first so you do not have to.
If you are looking for support like a nanny, household manager, or even someone to help with laundry, Home Team can help.
Text 615.873.0627
