Further Considerations International

Our client’s homes range from an apartment or townhouse in London with either a part-time Cleaner or full-time Housekeeper to a country estate employing a full retinue of staff.Our Nannies will expect to care for the childrens’ bedrooms and bathrooms, launder their clothing and bedding and keep the play areas clean and tidy. We call these full nursery duties and this works well in a small to medium-size household. On the other hand, in a fully staffed household, the childrens’ bedrooms and living quarters will be serviced by the Housekeeper, and the Chef will provide all the children’s meals having had the weekly menu planned by the Nanny. This type of household will require that a Nanny fits into what is an already established household team which will require a flexible attitude and discretion. She may also be required to wear a uniform for some or all of the time she is on duty.

You may wish to find a Nanny who can start as soon as possible or you may be working towards recruiting a Nanny who can start in 3 months’ time. Whatever your requirements, we can work towards/within your timescales and wish to assure you that we will always have candidates who are seeking either an immediate start or they are looking 3 months’ ahead and haven’t yet resigned from their current position.

If you require an immediate start, please don’t dismiss a candidate who has yet to give a month’s notice. What is a month wait for a Nanny who could prove to be a wonderful addition to your household for many years to come. We can always provide a temporary nanny in the interim!

We place Nannies who will work around the client’s requirements and their commitments both in terms of their business/career and social events. Having said that, both live-in and live-out Nannies expect to work up to 10-12 hours per day Monday to Friday with 2 nights of babysitting per week Monday to Thursday.

Some of our clients require a 24/5 or a 24/6 schedule, and we will always have a selection of Nannies who will consider such positions, however, the salary will be higher to reflect the longer working hours and commitment. Some families will employ 2 or more Nannies depending on the number of children in the family and a rota is set up accordingly. We call this a Rota Position.

Some of our clients will employ a Nanny or Governess who will work a number of days/weeks straight through and will then be free for a number of days/weeks. For example, we placed a Nanny with a single parent who had full custody every other week and requested a Nanny who would work 24/7 Week One and was free 24/7 for Week Two. She was paid on a weekly basis which reflected her specific working hours. Some families will request 7 days on, 3 days off, etc.

It should be said that all Nannies and Governesses, whether live-in or live-out, must have sufficient time off to allow them to rest and not get overtired so that they can provide the very best care for your children and appear at the start of every working day fresh and ready for a full day’s work.