TRUSTING YOUR DOMESTIC CHILDCARE CHOICE

Hiring an Au Pair Versus a Professional Nanny: Supporting those in the private sector of the childcare profession

Back in the 1990’s, around the time of the Hollywood blockbuster The hand that rocked the cradle, the highly publicised court case of Louise Woodward, quite rightly, shone a spotlight on ‘shaken baby syndrome’ like no other before it.

It also projected every Nanny into the limelight, seemingly putting many of them on trial too; with the onset of the ‘nanny-cam’ trend. The case failed to highlight the differences between employing an Au pair, versus a professionally trained Nursery Nurse.

Becky Wyatt aged 29, nannies for a family in London. She has one charge, Marcus, aged two. She took the job on board knowing she would be viewed at times through the lens of a camera, not as the professional her National Nursing Certificate credits her to be, but as someone who ultimately is not trusted one hundred percent. Becky does not have a problem with this:

“In the interview I was told that there would be two cameras in the house. I was not told whereabouts but was assured that neither of them would be in my personal quarters. It doesn’t worry me at all. I am doing the same job on, as I would be off, the camera.”

Becky’s healthy interpretation of the nanny-cam scenario works well because she was told from the start about the cameras. Nannies that have no idea about the fact they are being ‘watched’ might not view the situation quite so well, interpreting it subsequently as an intrusion on their privacy.

Nanny camera devices are small and can be cleverly concealed, in for example, a teddy bear or alarm clock. Web cams can also be used, transmitting the information to parents who can watch the nanny in real time, or to companies that will watch the tapes on their behalf.

Becky Wyatt has a good relationship with her employers, but it is extremely professional and Marcus is the main topic of conversation. Other topics according to Becky, usually relate to how special the Chelsea residence is. When Becky began her job, Marcus was three months old. She was given a list of emergency numbers in case of accidents. She smiles:

“The local doctor, hospital and police were listed, they just came further down. Number one on the list was ‘the Scotch Guard Guy’, for any spills or stains on the child friendly white carpet – which covered most of the interior of the six storied house.”

One wonders about the priorities in this household. For many nannies this sort of anecdote is familiar, and in many cases, just the tip of the iceberg. For a profession that sees so much negativity written about it, the nannies themselves have many negative stories to relate.

Diane Porter, aged 31, took on a temporary position for a family in Europe last summer. She found herself staying at the family’s French chateau with her two charges for one week of the contract, which all seemed very appealing until she arrived. She recalls: “Unbelievably, I was introduced as ‘the girl’. Literally: ‘This is the girl. The girl seems fairly bright’. How archaic. I was stunned into silence, good job the little boys were such a delight.”

In the weeks Diane was temporary nanny for this family, she put up with the parents constantly arguing, and witnessed nothing but paranoia, which had a detrimental effect all around. “I wanted to remind them continually that I was a trained professional nanny.”

The National Nursery Examination Board was founded in 1945, and, with it the need to extend expertise in the practise and understanding of childcare was recognised.  In 1994, the N.N.E.B. merged with the Council for Early Years Awards (C.E.Y.A.) to form the Council for Awards in Children’s Care and Education (C.A.C.H.E.).  In short, these many initials mean, that to train as someone who would like to work with children, is not only taken seriously, it is a registered and recognised profession.

CACHE level three Diploma in Early Years Education and Care (early Years Educator) (VRQ) is the current equivalent of the N.N.E.B. and is a two year training, that, according to the course outline provides a child care practitioner as someone who:

“Understands the development of children up to seven years 11 months and works with children and their families to promote the care and education of the child.  They are responsible for promoting the emotional, physical, intellectual, linguistic and social development of children in their care. They contribute formally and informally to the assessment of children’s particular needs and identify problems which need special attention through observations of the child. Their job may involve working with children with additional needs such as learning difficulties and physical disabilities. They carry out activities with individual children and with groups.”

It is left to the discretion of each individual teaching establishment, but generally applicants for the CACHE level three (Diploma in Childcare Education) require a minimum of four GCSE’s, grades A-C, in both English and Mathematics, and, must clear a police check DBS Disclosure and Barring Service. Many of the teaching establishments also award First Aid, Health and Safety and Food Hygiene qualifications. A substantial work placement forms part of the course; 730 hours over the two years, the practical element being a vitally important aspect of the training. Jobs for qualified early years practitioners include: Nursery Supervisor, Pre-school leader, Crèche leader, Special educational need supporter, Nursery nurse, Child minder and Nanny.

One can see then, that there are candidates out there, who are dedicated to their chosen vocation, and, who are qualified to provide the highest quality service to both children and their families. Some so dedicated in fact, that they have paid to do the very same popular state run CACHE Diploma at one of the few prestigious Nanny schools, such as Norland, founded in 1892. The biggest, if not only advantage perhaps being that these Colleges have on site nurseries for under-fives.

Obviously, if you are to employ a trained Nanny, it is not going to be as inexpensive as employing untrained help or an Au pair. Salaries vary regionally, and are higher for live-out nannies*. It is the employers responsibility to pay tax and national insurance, and nannies are advised to make sure their terms of employment are clearly stated in their contract.

Looking at the cost of employing a trained nanny, one can see the reason to look elsewhere, however, on a positive note; there is an increasing demand for part-time nannies and nanny shares. Here then, two sets of families share the nanny and expenses. If all parties relate well, this can be a great alternative for everyone. The nanny is able to earn more money as the workload increases, the parents get to share the salary, and the children have the social interaction that they perhaps would not have had otherwise.

Hiring a qualified nanny will not necessarily mean that you will find the right person. Not hiring a qualified nanny doesn’t necessarily mean that you will take on someone incapable. Perhaps the most important thing to respond to in this scenario is the child’s reaction when handed over to the carer. A parents’ gut feeling about the nanny should be enough to go on, not having to be reduced to watching either a video-tape or a web cam, or employing someone to do this for you. Surely if it comes to this, then that person shouldn’t be in your home, taking care of who, and, what should be your most treasured possession/s.To find out more about employing a trained professional nanny, give us a call here at Eden on: +44 (0)207 471 6000