Question: Would you consider paying a one time staffing fee for a recruiter to find you a private caregiver? Caregiver would be vetted, but all other matters would be between the family and private caregiver.
Being that I don’t employ the Cargivers and the family is the employer, the onus is on the family to decide what financial arrangement they will offer. household employee, 1099, or W2. I have caregivers that agree to sign on with the families Medicaid agency or LTC agency . They get paid through the agency and the family will make up the hourly difference. I don’t offer insurance coverage for the individual. Families will either add coverage, or suggest the caregiver provide coverage. It’s a pretty reasonable cost and I encourage caregivers to consider caregiver insurance as it adds to their marketability. If I had to provide coverage, I would not be able to keep the placement fee so competitive. I hope this helps.
Lstell: When it came time for my mother to require a caregiver, she had one friend who provided pro bono service until I could arrive from out of state to care for her. There were zero funds available.
Going forward, I or my DH (Dear Husband) may be willing to consider the vetting process for one of us.
I would love to find a recruiter.... if affordable, I would want to be sure what I would be getting for the cost. Being a "onetime staffing fee" would it be for unlimited caregivers? No one knows who is a "perfect" caregiver, even you, until you have tried them. Yes, I know there is no "perfect" caregiver but some come closer than others. They may provide one that is highly qualified but for some reason you or your loved one may not be comfortable with them. This happens with an agency or privately hired but you aren't out a large fee. My questions would be is does that mean indefinite or how many caregivers does the fee cover, how long would a trial period be and do you get a refund if the ones you try just don't fit what you are looking for.
As far as the other matters, Care.com has a sister company called Homepay.com . I also found a company called Poppinspayroll.com . I am using Care.com but have not tried a payroll company yet because I have not hired anyone yet. They both offer a lot of the same services, but I am leaning toward Poppinspayroll.com . I have learned that not all payroll companies handle domestic/caregiver payroll.
Care.com has done a basic background check and for a fee you can request more thorough background checks. They also offer housecleaners and children's caregivers. You can become a member free but to be able to initiate communications, you have to pay a fee to become a premium member.
Thank you for your response. I started a staffing/placement firm in NY. The idea was to make the process less stressful and more affordable for the families paying privately and at the same time getting fair wages for the caregiver. When caregivers are negotiating their own wage ($20-$25 hr) They are more likely to stay with that client for the long haul. Happy Cargiver, happy client. Great retention rate. Clients also see a 40% savings. Agencies are typically $40+/hr. That is a substantial cost savings. For the record I am not anti Agency. The amount of work that they do and the hours they put in to staffing is well worth the $40. In addition, there are no minimum weekly hours. So if you are only looking for 9 hrs a week, I may be able to accommodate that. The family now has complete autonomy with respect to hiring, schedule etc. If a replacement was needed I would certainly try and obtain coverage. Being that I am not an agency it would be more of a challenge. I encourage the caregivers to network with each other for these reasons. I try and get them together when I can for this very reason. I share tips and suggestions and helpful articles to keep them marketable. I have caregivers calling ME for work because they know I do not take any money from them. So the question is, if you’re saving roughly $20k yearly, what is a fair and equitable placement fee?? Typical employment placement agency’s will charge 15-20% of the candidates yearly wages. In my opinion that would make the fee out of reach for a lot of families. I have a flat 5% rate on long term clients.
I would definitely consider using a recruiting firm to handle the vetting process, but of course it would depend on what the fees would look like. I research and hire private caregivers for my parents, who are both in hospice. We have outside help taking care of them in their home 12 hours per day (all private pay). I used a website (care.com), ran ads on local job board, and reached out to CNA schools and a local nursing college. Care.com was the most productive resource for me. We recently resorted to using an agency to fill our weekend shifts. The agency contract stipulates a placement fee of $3500 to release one of their caregivers and allow us to hire them direct. Would the recruiting firm cost be comparable, or is it a function of employee's pay rate?
I did all my research on my own. I believe that you must go with your gut instincts. I was my parents' care giver. Future plans should be decided for your loved ones care. Unfortunately, not many people make good caretakers whether it's home care or assisted living. There is lack of compassion and plain ignorance. If you decide to go with personal care homes or memory care, make sure to visit everyday or close to it. Ask questions. Know what's being overlooked. Observe the treatment. If something doesn't seem right, raise hell.
The 2 best caregivers I hired were students at the local Community College. They had completed the CNA certification and were waiting for the Nursing School to start. Because they have to do a Clinical Rotation as a CNA student they have had a background check done. (I was working with a program through the VA and they also did a background check even though one had been done) And the names I got came from the head of the Nursing Program and I had told her what I was looking for. So in that respect she chose ones that she felt would be a good fit. I never once thought of having a recruiter find a caregiver for me. (Just curious how much does that cost?)
You should have at least 2 that you hire though. Work their schedule so that they are not going to get "burnt out" The other reason to hire 2 is if one is sick you have another that can generally fill in.
Vetted in what way? To be certain they are without criminal record? Because that isn't difficult in this day and age to do on your own. Vetted for driver's license or insurance or bonding? The personal checking of references? I would want details, and am uncertain here what the cost is versus what you are getting for this cost. I would be more than willing to pay this fee, but I would want to know what is covered.
Recently an acquaintance rented out her home for the months she planned return to her home country. She hired an agency with big fees that supposedly "vetted" people thoroughly. Turns out this couple with two children wasn't married, as claimed, had a history of fraud and child abuse with a bench warrant extant. While in her home the couple killed their toddler child in a gruesome manner. It has left the homeowner haunted, determined to sell and never return to this country again and the home, due to national/international news history, virtually unsellable. I tell you this only to say that someone can claim they are doing this and doing that; it may not be done at all. This couple had been masters of the con, showing the homeowner lovely snapshots, etc.
It is a very tough thing to ensure that you are getting good help, and it's why often people go through an agency where that does followup/checking and has someone to call with questions, to replace workers who aren't adequate/don't show, and to answer questions re vetting. I know it surely does bump up the price. If you can find people on nextdoor who have recommends and references you can fully check that could be an option? If you can keep cameras in home, letting them know they are there and where they are, I would consider that if your senior cannot be a good reporter for you.
This sure is a problem and I sure wish you best of luck. People you invite into your home often have access to full information for ID theft. Just scary times.
Wow! that is an awful story. I worked for an agency. They do basic criminal background checks. If it requires driving, a DMV check is completed. If the background checks comeback clean, I’m not sure how the agency would be able to prevent this unusual set of circumstances. I meet each caregiver personally. I will “pop” in from time to time for quality assurance if I have the families permission. Although I am a placement firm I do follow up with the family. Many of the caregivers are parents in my area or members of nearby communities.
Yes. This is done more in large city areas. My girlfriend works for a big name family. They use an expensive recruiter/service to find caregivers. I believe the recruiter/service does background checks, interviews, and checks credentials. Then the family employs the caregivers themselves directly after vetted by the employment agency.
If you can afford it. I would use a recruiter. It is a lot of work to find people yourself.
Note---this is a recruiter, not the typical caregiver agencies most are familiar with.
Please check the caregiver rules in your state. In my state (MN) a private caregiver is always considered an employee. This means you are an employer, and must comply with payroll withholding, quarterly tax reporting, submitting W2s, having a employment contract that outlines PTO, vacation times, OT, etc. IMO you would also be paying a bookkeeper to manage all of this.
A private caregiver means you need more than 1 so that when #1 is suddenly sick and can't come to work, hopefully #2 can.
You will need enough liability or Worker's Comp insurance to cover them at the worksite. FYI my own MIL broke her back in a client's home while working as a companion aid for an elderly woman.
Agencies aren't perfect either but at least you have a pool of people who are already vetted, there's accountability if something goes wrong, you have subs, and you have alternative people should your original choices not work well in your situation (and I can attest that you will probably need to "adjust" the aids they send you).
If you hire from an agency you will get the "best" people if you give them enough and consistent weekly hours. I had one for years for my Aunt, who came MWF for a minimum of 30 hrs p/wk. I had to go through at least 3 losers to get an absolutely awesome person (for 6 years straight).
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I don’t offer insurance coverage for the individual. Families will either add coverage, or suggest the caregiver provide coverage. It’s a pretty reasonable cost and I encourage caregivers to consider caregiver insurance as it adds to their marketability. If I had to provide coverage, I would not be able to keep the placement fee so competitive. I hope this helps.
Are you asking this question as someone considering offering a staffing service?
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Going forward, I or my DH (Dear Husband) may be willing to consider the vetting process for one of us.
As far as the other matters, Care.com has a sister company called Homepay.com . I also found a company called Poppinspayroll.com . I am using Care.com but have not tried a payroll company yet because I have not hired anyone yet. They both offer a lot of the same services, but I am leaning toward Poppinspayroll.com . I have learned that not all payroll companies handle domestic/caregiver payroll.
Care.com has done a basic background check and for a fee you can request more thorough background checks. They also offer housecleaners and children's caregivers. You can become a member free but to be able to initiate communications, you have to pay a fee to become a premium member.
Clients also see a 40% savings. Agencies are typically $40+/hr. That is a substantial cost savings. For the record I am not anti Agency. The amount of work that they do and the hours they put in to staffing is well worth the $40.
In addition, there are no minimum weekly hours. So if you are only looking for 9 hrs a week, I may be able to accommodate that. The family now has complete autonomy with respect to hiring, schedule etc. If a replacement was needed I would certainly try and obtain coverage. Being that I am not an agency it would be more of a challenge. I encourage the caregivers to network with each other for these reasons. I try and get them together when I can for this very reason. I share tips and suggestions and helpful articles to keep them marketable. I have caregivers calling ME for work because they know I do not take any money from them. So the question is, if you’re saving roughly $20k yearly, what is a fair and equitable placement fee?? Typical employment placement agency’s will charge 15-20% of the candidates yearly wages. In my opinion that would make the fee out of reach for a lot of families. I have a flat 5% rate on long term clients.
Because they have to do a Clinical Rotation as a CNA student they have had a background check done. (I was working with a program through the VA and they also did a background check even though one had been done) And the names I got came from the head of the Nursing Program and I had told her what I was looking for. So in that respect she chose ones that she felt would be a good fit.
I never once thought of having a recruiter find a caregiver for me. (Just curious how much does that cost?)
You should have at least 2 that you hire though.
Work their schedule so that they are not going to get "burnt out"
The other reason to hire 2 is if one is sick you have another that can generally fill in.
Vetted for driver's license or insurance or bonding?
The personal checking of references?
I would want details, and am uncertain here what the cost is versus what you are getting for this cost. I would be more than willing to pay this fee, but I would want to know what is covered.
Recently an acquaintance rented out her home for the months she planned return to her home country. She hired an agency with big fees that supposedly "vetted" people thoroughly. Turns out this couple with two children wasn't married, as claimed, had a history of fraud and child abuse with a bench warrant extant. While in her home the couple killed their toddler child in a gruesome manner. It has left the homeowner haunted, determined to sell and never return to this country again and the home, due to national/international news history, virtually unsellable. I tell you this only to say that someone can claim they are doing this and doing that; it may not be done at all. This couple had been masters of the con, showing the homeowner lovely snapshots, etc.
It is a very tough thing to ensure that you are getting good help, and it's why often people go through an agency where that does followup/checking and has someone to call with questions, to replace workers who aren't adequate/don't show, and to answer questions re vetting. I know it surely does bump up the price.
If you can find people on nextdoor who have recommends and references you can fully check that could be an option? If you can keep cameras in home, letting them know they are there and where they are, I would consider that if your senior cannot be a good reporter for you.
This sure is a problem and I sure wish you best of luck. People you invite into your home often have access to full information for ID theft. Just scary times.
I meet each caregiver personally. I will “pop” in from time to time for quality assurance if I have the families permission.
Although I am a placement firm I do follow up with the family. Many of the caregivers are parents in my area or members of nearby communities.
If you can afford it. I would use a recruiter. It is a lot of work to find people yourself.
Note---this is a recruiter, not the typical caregiver agencies most are familiar with.
A private caregiver means you need more than 1 so that when #1 is suddenly sick and can't come to work, hopefully #2 can.
You will need enough liability or Worker's Comp insurance to cover them at the worksite. FYI my own MIL broke her back in a client's home while working as a companion aid for an elderly woman.
Agencies aren't perfect either but at least you have a pool of people who are already vetted, there's accountability if something goes wrong, you have subs, and you have alternative people should your original choices not work well in your situation (and I can attest that you will probably need to "adjust" the aids they send you).
If you hire from an agency you will get the "best" people if you give them enough and consistent weekly hours. I had one for years for my Aunt, who came MWF for a minimum of 30 hrs p/wk. I had to go through at least 3 losers to get an absolutely awesome person (for 6 years straight).