Hiring a maid, nanny or helper is a complicated process that includes looking for candidates, meeting them, checking their references, and making an offer to the best one. The last step is to do a criminal record check once the maid has agreed to work for you. This deal should depend on how these results turn out.
What to look for?
It might be surprising, but in this age of the Internet and computers, there isn’t a national criminal database that everyone can view and trust. The “gold standard” for checking a maid’s background is to first use her Social Security Number to find out where she has lived in the past seven years. This helps figure out which parts of the country to look in. Yes, these searches are done one county at a time, not all over the country. Since maids rarely commit serious crimes, most states don’t have an accurate criminal index that can be used for nanny background checks. Many indexes only list people who have been convicted of a crime or who have already done their time. Some states don’t even have statistics for their whole state.
In what counties should you look?
The best way is to check each county, but this can be very expensive. Take the normal case of a maid who has moved several times since she turned 18. Based on her past, you’d have to decide which places to check. If money is an issue, you could give more weight to places where she lived for long periods of time. To know for sure, you would have to check each place on the Social Security address check.
What are some other kinds of checks that can be done?
If the job requires driving, the driving record is very important. You can also ask for a credit report if you think that will help you make a choice. Check each state’s list of sexual offenders, and if you need to, order other records.
How do I run the test?
The Fair Credit Reporting Act says that if you want to check your maid’s credit, you must have a written permission from her. Both the family and the maid can copy a form that can be used for this and fill it out.
What are some things that the checks can’t do?
Companies that do these checks warn that they can’t promise that the reports are completely accurate. Each bill also costs money, so figuring out your budget ahead of time can help you decide which ones to run.
Alternatively, you can work with a maid agency to simplify the hiring process. Silink Maid Agency personally interviews, trains and check all maid before recommending to employers in Singapore. You can have peace of mind when hiring maids from Indonesia, Myanmar, Phillippines with Silink Maid Agency!
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Conclusion
Overall, a background check on a possible maid is important for the safety of your children. These tips should help make the process clearer and faster, giving you peace of mind as you leave your kids in the care of someone else.