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What is Town + Country Resources?
Town + Country Resources is a household staffing agency that matches families across the continental United States with domestic professionals. On its own site, it describes more than 40 years in business and over 180,000 placements, and organizes its services around childcare, estate and executive staffing, housekeeping, and newborn care.
What it offers
- Childcare staffing: nannies and family assistants for ongoing care and support.
- Newborn care specialist staffing: specialists focused on the needs of newborns.
- Housekeeping staffing: professional housekeepers for cleaning and home upkeep.
- Estate and executive staffing: staff to manage estate and executive responsibilities.
- Background check services: verification for candidates a family has found on its own.
It serves both sides of the market: families looking to hire, and candidates looking for jobs. Placements range from long-term to temporary help.
Who it suits
A useful fit is a household that wants an agency to screen and match candidates rather than run its own search — for example, two working parents seeking a reliable full-time nanny, or an estate owner needing management staff. The background check service is a practical add-on if you have already identified someone yourself but want their qualifications verified.
The trade-off is the usual one with agencies: you gain vetting and matching, but you give up some control over the candidate pool and may pay a placement fee. If you prefer to hire directly and only need screening, the standalone background check option may be the better route. Start by deciding which role you need and whether you want permanent or temporary coverage, then compare that against the agency's listed service categories.
How does the agency's placement process work for families seeking household staff?
Town + Country Resources describes a match-and-vet model: families share what they need, the agency draws on its pool of childcare, estate, and housekeeping professionals, and it screens candidates so their skills and experience line up with the role. The page also says the agency handles both permanent and temporary placements, and that it has made more than 180,000 placements over 40-plus years serving the continental United States.
What the process looks like, step by step
- Define the role. Decide whether you need a full-time nanny, a professional housekeeper, estate or executive staff, or a newborn care specialist. The agency separates these into distinct staffing categories, so choosing one up front narrows the search.
- Set the terms. Long-term or temporary is the key fork. Temporary help suits a recovery period, a gap between hires, or a busy season; permanent placement suits an ongoing household need.
- Review matched candidates. The agency presents professionals it has vetted against your requirements rather than a raw list of applicants.
- Handle your own hires with verification support. If you find a candidate independently, the agency offers background check services as a standalone option.
- Place and settle in. Placement is the endpoint the page describes; ongoing employment terms are between you and the person you hire.
Where families get tripped up
The vetting described is a screening step, not a guarantee. Two things still sit with you: the in-person interview and the employment terms — pay, schedule, duties, live-in or live-out, and whether taxes and payroll run through you or a service. Ask directly what the agency's screening covers, what happens if a placement does not work out, and whether there is a replacement period. Those answers matter more than the headline placement count.
A concrete scenario
A dual-income household with two school-age children needs morning and after-school coverage plus light housekeeping. The realistic path is a permanent nanny placement, with the housekeeping duties written into the role description rather than assumed — otherwise you are hiring two jobs into one and the candidate pool shrinks. A family with a newborn and a returning-to-work parent is a different search entirely and points to the newborn care specialist category.
If you are comparing agencies
Look at three things: whether the agency recruits in your metro area, whether it handles the category you actually need, and what support exists after the placement starts. Town + Country Resources is one option; for a broader view of how agencies in this field operate, see International Nanny Association and Domestic Staffing.
What types of household positions does Town + Country Resources fill?
Town + Country Resources fills household roles across four main categories, plus a related screening service.
Core placement categories
- Childcare staffing — nannies and family assistants who care for children day to day.
- Newborn care specialist staffing — specialists trained for the needs of newborns, typically a short-term, intensive engagement in the first months.
- Housekeeping staffing — professional housekeepers handling cleaning and general home upkeep.
- Estate and executive staffing — staff who manage estate operations and executive-level household responsibilities.
Related service
- Background check services — verification of qualifications for candidates a family has found on its own, rather than through the agency.
Permanent and temporary
The agency describes both long-term placements and temporary assistance, so the same category can be filled as an ongoing hire or as short-term cover — useful when a nanny is on leave or a household is between permanent staff.
How to decide which you need
Match the role to the problem you are actually solving. If the need is infant-specific and time-limited, newborn care is the closer fit than general childcare. If the friction is cleaning and organization rather than supervision, housekeeping is the right category. Estate and executive staffing suits households where the work is coordination and management rather than direct care.
A practical next step: write a one-paragraph scope for the role — hours, duties, whether it is permanent or temporary, and who the person reports to — before browsing. That description is what lets an agency tell you whether your need lands in childcare, housekeeping, estate, or a combination. Families who are hiring independently may also want the background check service; comparable screening options exist through Care.com.
What are the costs and fee structures for using the agency's services?
Town + Country Resources does not publish its fee schedule on the page provided. The site describes placement services and a "Give the Gift of Membership" option, but gives no rates, percentages, retainer amounts or payment terms. Any specific cost figure you see elsewhere should be confirmed directly with the agency before you commit.
What the page does tell you
- The agency works on placement rather than hourly service: it matches families with nannies, housekeepers, estate and executive staff, and newborn care specialists.
- It offers long-term and temporary arrangements, which typically carry different fee structures.
- Background check services are listed as a separate offering for candidates you find on your own, suggesting it can be bought independently of a full placement.
- A membership can be purchased as a gift, implying at least one fee is structured as a membership rather than a one-off placement charge.
How household staffing fees usually work
This is general industry practice, not a description of this agency's rates:
| Model | How it works | Who tends to prefer it |
|---|---|---|
| Placement fee | One-time charge when you hire, often a percentage of annual salary | Families hiring a permanent nanny or estate manager |
| Retainer plus balance | Upfront deposit, remainder due on placement | Families wanting commitment from both sides |
| Temporary/hourly markup | Agency bills an hourly rate covering wages and margin | Short-term or trial cover |
| Membership/subscription | Recurring fee for access to candidates or ongoing support | Families hiring repeatedly or needing replacements |
Practical next step
Before your first call, write down what you need: role, whether it is permanent or temporary, live-in or live-out, and your target start date. Then ask the agency to confirm, in writing:
- The total fee and what triggers payment.
- Whether the fee is flat or a percentage of the candidate's salary.
- What happens if the placement ends early — is there a replacement guarantee, and does it cost extra?
- Whether background checks, payroll setup or a trial period carry separate charges.
- Whether membership is required to see candidates or is optional.
A replacement guarantee is often the single most valuable term in the contract, since a nanny or housekeeper who leaves within the first few months can otherwise mean paying twice. Compare the total cost of a placement against the cost of recruiting independently, including your own time, advertising and screening. For broader context on how agencies in this sector present their terms, you can look at International Nanny Association and Domestic Staffing — but treat each agency's own contract as the only binding source.
How does the agency screen and vet candidates for household roles?
Town + Country Resources describes a vetting process built around matching each candidate's skills and experience to a family's specific requirements, with background check services offered as an additional layer. The page does not publish a step-by-step screening checklist, so treat the following as what the agency states plus practical criteria for judging any household-staffing firm's screening.
What the agency says about screening
- Candidates are "meticulously vetted" so their skills and experience align with the client's needs.
- Screening is framed as a matching exercise, not a one-size-fits-all filter: a full-time nanny, a professional housekeeper and estate management staff are assessed against different role requirements.
- Background check services are available separately, and are explicitly positioned for verifying "qualifications of candidates you discover independently" — that is, people a family finds on its own rather than through the agency.
- The agency covers childcare, housekeeping, estate and executive staffing, and newborn care, so vetting criteria differ by placement type.
What to ask before you rely on a vetting claim
Because the page does not spell out the mechanics, use these questions in your first call:
- Which checks are standard for every placement, and which cost extra?
- Are identity, criminal record, driving record and employment history verified directly, or only self-reported?
- Are references contacted by phone by agency staff, and how far back do they go?
- For newborn care or estate roles, what certifications or licenses are confirmed?
- Who pays for the background check, and do you receive the report or only a summary?
- What happens if a placement does not work out — is there a replacement or guarantee period?
How this compares to other routes
| Route | Screening typically handled by | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Staffing agency | Agency, per its own process | Less control over depth of checks; fees apply |
| Direct hire (nanny, housekeeper) | You | Full control, but you run every check yourself |
| Payroll or placement platforms | Varies; often limited | Faster, but verification may be minimal |
If you hire independently, a standalone background-check service — including the one this agency offers — lets you apply the same verification step to a candidate you found yourself. That is the practical bridge between the two routes: agency vetting for convenience, your own checks for control.
A concrete scenario
A family in the continental United States needs a full-time nanny plus light housekeeping. They shortlist two agency candidates and also have a neighbor's recommendation. A sensible plan: ask the agency which checks were run on its candidates, then run the same background check on the neighbor's referral so all three are compared on equal footing. For newborn care, add confirmation of infant-specific training and recent experience, since that role carries different risks than general childcare.
For a second opinion on what thorough screening looks like, the International Nanny Association (International Nanny Association) publishes guidance on nanny placement standards.
What are the key differences between permanent and temporary household staffing placements?
Permanent placements fill an ongoing role in your home, while temporary placements cover a defined period or an interim gap. The practical difference is less about job title than about duration, commitment and how much flexibility you keep.
How the two compare
| Dimension | Permanent placement | Temporary placement |
|---|---|---|
| Typical need | A long-term nanny, housekeeper, estate manager or newborn care specialist | Short-term cover, a trial period, seasonal demand or a gap between hires |
| Hiring effort | Front-loaded: search, interviews, vetting, then onboarding | Faster start, but repeated each time cover is needed |
| Cost pattern | Ongoing salary and payroll as an employer | Usually paid for the assignment period; rates often reflect the short commitment |
| Relationship | Built over months and years, with routines and trust deepening | Bounded by the assignment, so rapport has less time to develop |
| Your control | Less flexibility to change hours or end the arrangement casually | Easier to extend, adjust or stop at the end of the term |
Choosing between them
Ask three questions. How long will the need last? How much continuity does the role require — a newborn care specialist or a child with specific needs benefits from a consistent person, while occasional deep cleaning does not. And how confident are you in the role's scope? If you are unsure whether you need a full-time housekeeper or a combined housekeeper–family assistant, a temporary engagement lets you test the shape of the job before committing.
A common pattern is a temporary-to-permanent path: hire temporarily, observe how the person fits your household's rhythms, then convert to a permanent arrangement. This reduces the risk of a mismatch, at the cost of starting the search again if it does not work out.
What this agency offers
Town + Country Resources states that it provides both long-term solutions and temporary assistance across childcare, estate and executive staffing, housekeeping and newborn care, and that it has made over 180,000 placements in more than 40 years serving families in the continental United States. It also describes vetting each candidate and offers a separate background check service for candidates you find on your own, which is useful if you are weighing an independent hire against working through an agency. For specifics on fees, contract terms and conversion from temporary to permanent, ask the agency directly, since those details vary by placement type and location.
If you are still deciding, start by writing a one-page role brief: duties, hours, start date, expected duration and must-have experience. That brief is what an agency uses to match you, and it will quickly show whether you are describing a permanent role or a temporary one.
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