Nannying overseas

[NiftyNanny]

Hello
I know I'm probably opening myself up to cries of "unrealistic!" but worth a shot.

I have a Level 2 qualification, Ofsted registered, will be getting a new Paediatric First Aid Cert soon. However, I feel I bring a lot more to my role as a Nanny than just a piece of paper - I worked in the media (film industry) for 6 years and have worked with families in similar industries in West London, which gives me plenty of empathy with the parents & their lifestyle, I'm mature, native English speaking and my mother was a primary school teacher so I was brought up with educational play at home from birth & have a wealth of ideas for activities. I'm in good physical shape, quite health conscious having lost 80lb & understanding a lot more about nutrition etc. than I did growing up and the importance of NOT passing on negative messages to your children (oh... and the importance of being relaxed around this issue as so many people find it hard & panic!)... I'm very resourceful about finding outings for children, be it museums or outdoorsy stuff...
I absolutely LOVE this job and switching was the best thing I've ever done.

I've been Nannying for 3 years and I am considering moving to New York. I have friends there and would be able to earn LOTS of money (hear that, US Government? I'd be paying lots of lovely taxes into your country's kitty!)

The trouble is, with my low level qualification I don't really qualify for a visa, I'm 30 so I can't even get the Au Pair one.

I know if I get a family to sponsor me, there is paperwork that would allow me to work in the US. I could also get a higher qualification and join an Agency that specialises in placing British Nannies in the US. I'd then be tied to one family & I'm a bit nervous about anyone having that much bargaining power over me as I've worked for a couple of stinkers.

Just wondering if any other Nannies have tried working over there and what their experiences were.

I did and was told by an immigration lawyer to get married to a US citizen at it was the only way I'd het a visa. It's very hard to work legally as a nanny in The States because it's considered unskilled labour unlike a nurse for eg. A family may employ you via their company or if you have worked in Britain for a family for at least a year they may take to with them if they move to America. HTH

That did - TBH I'm trying to avoid marrying a US citizen as it places too much strain and expectation on the one I'm dating! It's also a really thorough screening, including psychiatric assessments if you've ever suffered from depression :-s

I understood that a family could take me with them if they moved, but that would be a long shot, finding a family in that position and us all getting along.

Interesting about being hired through a company, though.

Did you just look into it or did you ever work over here?

I did au pair in America years ago and went back and worked illegally but I'm sure they've cracked down on that now. The trouble of someone sponsoring you is that they have to prove no one in their state can do the job better so it's a pretty tall order. But they can hire you through their company and say you do something else but then you're out there under false pretences. So it's pretty hard I think. I loved living there and was desperate to stay but it's just so hard to get a visa if you're English. Maybe if you chat to an agency, there are always jobs out there they just hide them a bit because of the visa problem.

maybe families could say they want their children to be able to speak with an english accent and learn english culture/customs and nursery rhymes, sense of humour etc. to be able to fit in with the british when they grow up and need to do sucessful business negotiations or act, or to keep them in touch with their British/irish ancestory/relatives or for arranged marriage. would visa dudes fall for that?

The visa dudes of which you speak are NOT going to fall for anything. They simply do not see nannying as a profession that is eligible for a visa beyond the age restricted J1. Trust me I've tried. Lawyers can use fancy words but at the end of the day its up to some miserable pen pusher in an office with no windows. My way to get round this is work for a US family abroad and accompany them back to the USA should they return. Luckily I have found such a position. I split my working life between Europe and the USA and have no issues at immigration as my main place of legal residence is in Europe and not the USA. I do have to carry all my paperwork on every trip and undergo questioning as my visits with my employers range in duration and are fairly frequent. But it can be done. Now I've been with them a year I am eligible for a work visa to accompany them back to the USA if they return there to live. I am optimistic

The visa dudes of which you speak are NOT going to fall for anything. They simply do not see nannying as a profession that is eligible for a visa beyond the age restricted J1. Trust me I've tried. Lawyers can use fancy words but at the end of the day its up to some miserable pen pusher in an office with no windows. My way to get round this is work for a US family abroad and accompany them back to the USA should they return. Luckily I have found such a position. I split my working life between Europe and the USA and have no issues at immigration as my main place of legal residence is in Europe and not the USA. I do have to carry all my paperwork on every trip and undergo questioning as my visits with my employers range in duration and are fairly frequent. But it can be done. Now I've been with them a year I am eligible for a work visa to accompany them back to the USA if they return there to live. I am optimistic