They always say “home is where the heart is” and bringing someone into your home to work is a big step for lots of families. There are many reasons someone would bring a household worker into their living area. It could be extra help for the grandmother who moved in last week, someone to take care of the children while you’re at work or a personal assistant. Depending on your needs, there are lots of potential options out there and some things to consider before hand.

This person could be living in your home, as part-time or completely on their own schedule. Household workers, especially childcare workers, are on the rise in the United States, so it’s no surprise you or someone you know may be looking for one. Whatever the situation is, it’s important to consider a few things before hiring someone to work at your home.

How are you going to hire a worker?

Just as it is with all professions in the world, there are lots of job boards for household workers. There are countless job boards set up that allow you to filter your search into finding exactly what you’re looking for. If you’d like to receive applications, many let you set up your profile as a family and have potential workers send their profiles to you. This is an easier way to find your worker, but you may be filtering through a lot of workers until you find the right one.

Some of these job boards may seem overwhelming, with just too many options abounding and too many notifications, some people would rather search locally through friends or social media. Having a method lined up ahead of time will take some of the stress out. While you could find your perfect worker in the early stages, it could take time in other circumstances. You want to make sure you have a good plan ready to go!

What’s your budget?

If you’re thinking about someone to work in your household, you need to be able to set a budget up. What can you afford? Will you be paying this person monthly or hourly? What kind of salary are they expecting? What should you be paying them?

Whether you’re hiring one or more people, you’ll need to sit down and examine your budget to have a clear idea of what you can and cannot do before going forward.

Additionally, you’ll have to examine the nitty-gritty paperwork for your household worker. Depending on how much you plan on paying them and how much they work, you may need to pay taxes on your household worker or look into workers’ compensation insurance. You’ll want to make sure you’re covered and prepared on the financial side so you don’t receive any troubling news in the future.

Are they a good fit for your family?

While this question may seem obvious, some may quickly glance over it if they are in a rush or are just trying to find the quickest option. For example, if you are hiring a nanny that is going to spend time with your children you’d want to make sure they are a good match for your kids.

While an infant may not have as many preferences, likes or dislikes (besides the apple flavored baby food as opposed to the carrot flavored), a younger child may already have started gravitating towards sports, arts or something entirely different. If your child loves to be outside, make sure you find someone who enjoys being outside, likes playing games and being active. If your child it the opposite and enjoys doing arts and crafts, tune your search to someone with your child’s interests.

If you’re looking for someone to take care of a senior citizen or elderly person, be sure and set up a meeting or interview between all parties. The last thing you’ll want to hear is complaining about a caretaker all day.

Or maybe you need a jack-of-all-trades, someone to help you clean up the house, take care of the children and drive them to soccer practice. Whatever you need, make sure they’re going to be giving your relief instead of a headache every day.