Client FAQs
- Does Sidekick have household support available on a short-term basis?
- Do Sidekicks also provide child care?
- How do I start the process of getting a Sidekick?
- What are the fees associated with your service?
- How long does it take to find a Sidekick?
- How much do Sidekicks get paid?
- What will a Sidekick do?
- Are Sidekicks trained?
- How does payment work for errands/purchases that a Sidekick may run on our behalf?
- What areas do you service?
- What happens if a Sidekick that we hire through your service doesn’t work out?
- How trustworthy are your Sidekicks?
- What if my Sidekick Steady or Super Sidekick has a personal matter to tend to and isn’t available on a day I need help?
- Do Sidekicks clean?
1. Does Sidekick have household support available on a short-term basis?
In the past, the notion of a Household Manager or Personal Assistant seemed like an exclusive luxury. Sidekick was designed to give more households access to personal assistance. Therefore, our model incorporates both short-term and long-term support. You can hire a Sidekick Shorty for an afternoon, or for a week or two during an extra busy time. Or you can hire a Sidekick Steady on a long-term basis as your household employee! Sidekick Shorties are great for laundry service, errand service, grocery shopping and simple meal prep. They also are great for on-demand help at the last minute. Or you may need help for a couple weeks over the hectic holiday season with decorating, gift wrapping, or online returns. You may need help coming home from the hospital to make sure the day-to-day continues to run smoothly while you recover. Whatever your needs, Sidekick can help!
2. Do Sidekicks also provide child care?
No, Sidekicks do not provide child care. Sidekick is a household management brand under The Nanny Network company umbrella. The same team that has successfully placed in-home child care providers since 1995 is equipped to help busy households find the support they need at home. In the case that you have children, over the age of 5, it is likely we can find a Family Assistant for you, through our nanny agency, who can tend to household management as well as child care. Family Assistants earn between $20-21 per hour. If your children are under the age of 5, we suggest a nanny for the child care responsibilities and a separate Sidekick for the household responsibilities.
3. How do I start the process of getting a Sidekick?
The first step in getting a Sidekick is to decide which Sidekick service best suits your needs (Shorty or Steady) and then complete the corresponding online application. Once you complete the application, you will be prompted to read and agree to our Short-Term Placement or Long-Term Placement terms of service in addition to submitting your registration fee (applicable to Sidekick Steady searches only). Once those three items are taken care of, a member from either our Short-term Placement or Long-term Placement team will contact you about next steps.
4. What are the fees associated with your service?
Our fees vary based on the level of support you need. For occasional/as needed support, Sidekick Shorty rates start at $35.25 per hour and there is a 3-hour minimum. If you are looking to hire a Sidekick Steady on a long-term basis, there is a non-refundable retainer fee of $500 at the start of the search. A placement fee equal to 20% of your Sidekick’s total annual compensation is then due at the time of hire. Please note there is a minimum placement fee of $2500.
5. How long does it take to find a Sidekick?
For long-term hires (“Sidekick Steady”), we suggest planning for the search to take approximately 3 to 6 weeks. A “Sidekick Shorty” hire, on the other hand, usually takes less time, in some cases as little as one day.
6. How much do Sidekicks get paid?
When you hire a “Sidekick Steady” to work for you as your household employee, you will negotiate a rate directly with them, typically between $28-38 per hour in Baltimore and $30-40 per hour in DC, pre-tax (varies by market). Payroll taxes apply once you cross the threshold of $1000 in a calendar quarter or $2000 in a calendar year.
7. What will a Sidekick do?
Sidekicks are trained to be helpful in any way possible to make a household run smoothly. Most often, they offer household support in the form of laundry service, errand service, grocery shopping, simple meal prep, household management projects and pet care. That being said, they are not equipped to do certain things, including child care (see FAQ #2), medical care, or transportation of any people. While they will tidy things up, they also do not provide house cleaning services. If you are in need of child care, our sister agency, The Nanny Network, can help!
Other services maybe available upon request.
8. Are Sidekicks trained?
Sidekicks are trained by the agency staff in areas of laundry service, errand service, household organization and simple meal prep.
When you hire a Sidekick Steady, they will come equipped with a Sidekick Playbook that will help guide the work performed as well as store all of your important household information and procedures in one place. This manual of sorts will include all of your preferred vendors along with recommended service providers (including their contact information), home safety and security information, emergency procedures, maintenance schedules, in addition to important family member information.
9. How does payment work for errands/purchases that a Sidekick may run on my behalf?
If you need a Sidekick Shorty to perform a one-off errand on your behalf, you will need to communicate the payment details directly with your Sidekick. Perhaps you call the store ahead of time to pre-pay for it with your credit card. Perhaps the store can send you a bill. Perhaps you send the required funds to your Sidekick in advance via Venmo or Paypal and then your Sidekick can use her own method of payment. Be sure to clarify these details with our Staffing Specialist as well as your Sidekick and make it a priority so that your Sidekick isn’t asked to pay for anything out of pocket and be reimbursed. That is not a comfortable Sidekick situation.
10. What areas do you service?
Sidekick services the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. metropolitan areas. Generally we service a 20 mile radius around both city centers.
11. What happens if a Sidekick that we hire through your service doesn’t work out?
Sidekick Steady placements come with our Concierge service replacement policy which is 60 or 180 days (depending on if the job is greater or less than one year) for a 100% credit (provided the job description has not changed). In order to validate the replacement policy, our clients are required to have a signed written work agreement with their Sidekick, returned to us within 5 days of the Sidekick’s start date. Placement fees are non-refundable; however a full credit will be offered if a client terminates a Sidekick within the replacement period. This credit is then utilized to cover the placement fee for your replacement Sidekick (one replacement only).
For our temporary placements, our Staffing Specialists will book a “Sidekick Shorty” on your behalf who we think will do a phenomenal job based on the information you have provided in your needs assessment. We will carefully match the skills required with the candidate’s skill sets to set the relationship up for success. In the event you are unhappy with your Sidekick, simply let us know and we will book another Sidekick who is a better fit. A member of our staff is available from 7am-9pm Monday-Friday, 9am-6 pm on Saturdays and Sundays from 9-11 am and 5-9 pm in case you need a back-up or replacement for your scheduled Sidekick.
13. How trustworthy are your Sidekicks?
Candidates complete an extensive application and questionnaire as their first step in applying to Sidekick. Sidekicks must meet our minimum requirements, which include a strong track record of dependability and organization, and multiple character and professional references, in order to proceed. Sidekicks must also be able to work legally in the United States.
For those who qualify, our recruiting team then conducts comprehensive face-to-face interviews and detailed reference checks. Finally, a criminal background check, covering each county in which the candidate has lived in for the last 7 years, is performed. Additional background checks are available upon request, including driving record, drug test, and ongoing quarterly criminal background checks.
14. What if my Sidekick needs to take care of something personal and isn’t available?
Sidekick has a back-up support team so that you will rarely be in a position where no one is available to help. With sufficient notice, we can arrange someone who can substitute for your regular Sidekick. Our staff is super responsive and eager to help in those potentially stressful situations.
15. Do Sidekicks clean?
Our Sidekicks do not provide deep cleaning services, however they can help keep a house organized and tidy. We do not recommend our services if you are in need of regular cleaning help.