A useful and pleasant alternative: The Manny Service was set up in 2007 with the aim to provide a quality service for parents seeking an alternative to traditional forms of childcare and for male nannies and au-pairs who have decided to share some of their youthful energy with the liveliest creatures of our planet.

Raising profile: There was a time when it was unthinkable to employ a man to look after one's children but the fact that you're reading these lines proves that times have changed. We are proud that we have contributed to this change too. Aside from typical nanny agency activities, we have devoted time to raise the profile of male childcarers through numerous interviews in the media. Interviewers have always turned out to be well-wishers fascinated by this niche area of the nanny market.

Where mannies come first: Mannies tired of being treated like second-class citizens by some convetional agencies have every reason to contact us first. Everyone who has a little more than just his time to offer will be heard and considered. Every parent who wants to reach out to the largest number of candidates should be able to do so conveniently with our help. If there still is the odd manny out there who has not heard about us, it 's only a matter of time before he does.

Mannies and prejudice: Thankfully, blind prejudice has no place in modern society. How could it be fair to boycott every male nanny, no matter how useful his services could be, simply because there is a tiny proportion of men who must never be allowed to work with children?

Our assurance: Instead, we have put in place procedures to investigate not only whether a candidate is intellectually and physically fit for the job but most importantly safe. Our vetting procedures and requirements are among the strictest; nothing is a formality. The safety and well-being of your family is paramount. We would rather go to bed hungry than place a manny we wouldn't be happy to hire ourselves.

The right man for the job: Only those mannies who fully cooperate and use their initiative will get a placement through The Manny Service. Mannies come in all shapes and form but all of them have certain things in common. We cannot reveal what they are because any candidate who has read these lines could claim to have them. Suffice it to say that we'll know a good manny when we see him. And so will every parent.

We hope that parents will find our devotion reassuring, our fees reasonable and choose The Manny Service to help them find the right manny or au-pair for their children. Experienced nanny agency users will see that our place is next to the long established names, first-timers will be delighted to discover what an important role a good agency plays.