Going thru confinement agency or going direct to the confinement lady - which is better?

Agency is slightly cheaper than direct nannies - it's weird. With agency you can actually do transfers if you're not happy with your nanny so it's a safeguard. With a direct one it's not possible to do so. If you don't like your nanny you can ask her to leave and you'll be left with no one (usually hard to get a replacement immediately). You will not know if the nanny runs away with your deposit as well and if they have family matters to attend to, they may not honour their commitment too. It's a risk.