Is it me,or the competition is really tight for nannies in London?nannies&even parents please help

Ah, I see that you are not from this country. In that case, what are you saying to people when they ask you about your future intentions - how long are you here for, why did you come to England, what were you doing in your home country before you came here etc. This is important because most families want someone who will be here at least for a year, if not longer. The CRB check could be an issue especially as it will be difficult or impossible to check your background in your country.
Coming from another country is not a problem in my view - I have always quite liked the foreign element being brought into my house by an American, a New Zealander and several very good girls from the Baltic countries. Then again, we are are not 100% English ourselves
The answer to the questions you typed sound good but of course it is impossible to tell how you come across in person. Friendly, outgoing, flexible, interested in the family, the children and the job

There are a lot of nannies looking for work and fewer jobs at the moment - all down to the credit crunch and people losing jobs/working fewer hours/earning less money.

Are you looking for live in/out? You mention moving away from a live in job for privacy. £8ph for a live in job was very good money, especially with only 3 years experience. Many live out nannies in London earn £10ph+, but usually have more experience than this.

Are you getting many interviews? If not, get someone to check over your cv. I see that you wrote it by yourself. Sometimes it helps for someone else to cast a critical eye over it (especially if English is not your 1st language). Through your cv you are giving the family a first impression of you and it is vital that spelling, punctuation etc is spot on.

Good luck

Also:

what sort of things can you cook?

What attracted you to nannying? If you couldn't be a nanny for some reason, what would you choose to be?

What did you like most about your last job? The one before? Why are you leaving?

What did you like least about your last job? (Can be tricky - either nothing at all if that was genuinely the case or else be honest but very brief in your answer - don't go into any gory details if your last MB was dreadful, for example)

How would cope oif siblings or playdate friends dveeloped an argument?

Do you know other nannies locally?

What sort of activities did you do with your last charges? Are you any good at arts and crafts (but be prepared to back that one up with some sample pictures.)

The thing that I would look for is whether the nanny is able to engage with my DD and whether she does so happily, without prompting. Also important: will I be able to get on with her? The thing that used to bother me most about a couple of nannies I had was they really didn't like it at all if I was in the house - wanted sole charge every minute. Didn't even like when grandparents came to visit from overseas for a few days. I would want someone who made it clear that she was there to look after my DD, in the way I wanted but with a willingness to moot ideas and take initiative when required and also to make my life easier. You might also think about how flexible you want to be about working late - no nanny wants to be taken advantage of but in today's job market it is often very, very important for parents to stay late at short notice - are you happy to cope with that, provided it doesn't happen more than, say, once a week or or 1-2x per fortnight?

Finally, have you checked that whatever salary you are asking is in line with the market where you live?

Good luck, I hope that you find a nice position soon.

As an employer; I think it's a buyers market at the moment. However, I have always had to interview a lot of candidates to find the right one. Fortunately once found seems to be a very good success rate (2 great nannies later and 2nd one now in her 3rd yr).

From my experience, the most annoying thing is folk interviewing you don't fit the profile e.g. get there and ask if they can do less than 11 hours (uh no), tell you right at the end they don't swim when it is explicitly stated in the profile etc. So I would start with making sure you are interviewing for the right posts.

Then be enthusiastic, show a genuine interest in the children. Answer questions with enthusiasm but don't be either too bossy or too conciliatory, generally I would say most employers don't want to be dictated too nor do they want a wallflower that can't think on their feet.

Make sure you have what I believe is becoming mandatory, ofsted registration, up to date first aid etc. Employers can be picky at the moment.

Also see if you can get some candid feedback if using agencies.

Are you registered for vouchers? This can make a difference.
If you are getting interviews but not getting jobs then I would ask the family for feedback. Sometimes it is just down to who the parents click with.

How long had you bee in in your previous jobs?

Why did you leave your previous jobs?

What sort of salary range are you applying for?

How do you respond to questions like: what do you do in the day with the children? What would you do if my child developed a biting habit? How would you encourage good behaviour? What would you do if the child wouldn't sleep at nap time? What meals would you prepare?

What age experience do you have and what are you applying for. Is your CV widely different to you?

It could be lots of things really. Maybe it's as simple as not having an up to date CRB - do the people you have already met want an immediate start?