How Town + Country Resources Vets Household Staff Candidates

Updated

Town + Country Resources says it "meticulously vet[s] each candidate to ensure their skills and experience align with your specific needs." That vetting applies to candidates the agency places with families — nannies, housekeepers, estate and executive staff, and newborn care specialists. Separately, the agency offers Background Check Services as an add-on for candidates you find on your own, which "verify the qualifications of candidates you discover independently." So there are two distinct tracks: agency-placed candidates go through the agency's own screening, while independently sourced candidates can be run through the agency's background check service.

What the agency says about its vetting

Based on the site's own description, the screening process is built around matching, not just gatekeeping:

  • Every candidate is vetted. The agency states it meticulously vets each candidate rather than passing applicants through unchecked.
  • The goal is fit, not just clearance. Vetting is framed as aligning a candidate's "skills and experience" with a family's "specific needs" — so the criteria are partly defined by what you're hiring for.
  • It covers all placement categories. The same vetting language is applied across childcare, housekeeping, estate/executive, and newborn care staffing.
  • It supports both permanent and temporary placements. The agency offers long-term solutions and temporary assistance, and says it has completed over 180,000 placements.

Background Check Services: the separate track

If you find a candidate yourself — through a friend, a job board, or a referral — the agency's Background Check Services are designed for exactly that situation. The stated purpose is to "verify the qualifications of candidates you discover independently," giving you "peace of mind" before you hire.

This matters because it's a different product from placement. You're not hiring through the agency; you're buying a verification step for someone already in your pipeline.

What to confirm before you rely on either track

The site describes vetting in general terms but does not publish the specific checks performed (for example, which background components are included, how far back they go, or how re-checks work). If the details matter to your decision, ask the agency directly:

  1. What exactly is included in agency vetting for the role you're hiring — references, identity, criminal history, work authorization, driving record, or other checks.
  2. Whether the background check service covers the same components as agency vetting, or a narrower set.
  3. What the background check service costs and how results are delivered — the site does not list pricing.
  4. Whether temporary placements are vetted to the same standard as permanent ones.
  5. What happens if a placement doesn't work out — replacement or re-match terms aren't specified on the page.

How to use this if you're hiring

  • Hiring through the agency: treat the vetting as a starting point, not a substitute for your own interview. The agency matches on skills and experience; you still need to assess fit with your household, schedule, and expectations.
  • Hiring independently: the Background Check Services exist precisely so you can add a verification layer without going through full placement. Confirm scope and cost first.
  • Either way: ask for the vetting specifics in writing before you commit, since the public page describes the process qualitatively rather than itemizing it.