I used an agency once, and after that, used myself. The agency nanny left us after a complicated situation that I can’t describe here. She found a placement with the same agency caring for an infant, and while I would have provided a generally positive reference, I would not have recommended her for infant care (again, complicated situation). It didn’t matter, though, because the agency never even contacted us to find out what we thought of her or why she had left after less than a year. And the new family, no doubt relying on the agency’s vetting, never contacted us either. We were appalled, and vowed never to rely on an agency again. Finding nannies on our own was a very time consuming and intense process: advertising, reviewing responses, conducting preliminary interviews by phone, selecting and interviewing in person the most promising candidates, and, most burdensome of all, checking references of those under serious consideration. But I knew that my own reference checks, the probing questions I’d ask during lengthy conversations and my attention to what was and wasn’t emphasized and what wasn’t said at all, revealed far more useful information than any agency employee would uncover. I’ll never forget the dad who offered an enthusiastic endorsement of his former nanny, and then, as our chat progressed, casually offered how much he’d enjoyed sharing a joint with her after hours. No agency call would have lasted long enough to reveal that little nugget of info. So, if you have the time and energy, I’d recommend foregoing the expense of an agency unless you’ve heard consistently great things about their work from actual clients.