Where to start

[happychappy]

OK, hello everybody. I have been out of the country for the last 5 years working as an English teacher in Italy.

I really want to come home but I need a job to come to. Initially I need a live in job but because I have a husband and 2 children I plan to rent a house and live out. My husband is the primary carer and my children are 12 and 8 I don't need to bring them to work. I haven't lived in the UK for nearly 6 years and really don't mind where I live. Before leaving the UK I was a duty manager of a nursery and before that a nanny/housekeeper. I liked doing that so would be very happy to return to it.

Where do you all look for your nannies? Nannies where do you look for your jobs? The World Wide Web just seems so wide at the moment and I'm not sure where to start. Advice appreciated.

Also, what has changed in 6 years in terms of looking for a nanny position?

Try childcare.co.uk

Have no other advice because am not a nanny/childminder/nursery worker but we found lots of live in vacancies there. Or gumtree for the area you want or nationally.

Will childcare pay enough to enable you to rent a house and keep your DH and children? Childcare is not that well paid - I think you would struggle if your DH didn't work as well. Being primary carer, does he work or not?

I also think you'll struggle to keep a family on a single nannying salary. Nanny wages are less inflated than they used to be and salaries don't go as far.

You'll also need to do the obvious things like renewing your first aid and your nanny insurance, checking OFSTED will accept your qualification and getting a CRB check in motion (tricky from abroad).

Nannyjob you might remember from looking for your last job - it's been around a while.
Gumtree
Netmums childcare boards (you need to sign up to local areas to see them)
Would you go through an agency? Assuming you speak decent Italian that might give you an edge - I've seen a few vacancies advertised for Italian speaking families.

Thank you all for your input
I would but the problem with the agencies is they wont put me to families. They see I have children and haven't worked as a nanny for 5 years and they say we have nothing. (generally)
Initially I would be the only worker but my husband has done a number of jobs from teaching English, gardening/handyperson type jobs and bar work. He's happy to do whatever. We are not people who are particularly career focused we just like to be together. We thought perhaps a couple position.

Our major difficulty really seems to be we are not in the UK. I think if we were we could organise it. It was the same when we moved here, You can't find anything out of the country now I have more work than I can do!

The first aid certificate is a one or two day course. The CRB check will take months but I do have the one I had when I left the country.

Yes I do speak Italian but the vacancies are all through agencies.

The sad thing for us is we have a tenant for the house here and we would happily go now but.... as always is it the chicken before the egg or the egg before the chicken!

I'm sure I've seen Italian speaker vacancies on Gumtree. Have a look - you might be pleasantly surprised!

Alternatively could you consider childminding? But then you really would need to be in the UK...

It's so true it's difficult to organise anything when you're not on the spot. Could you go back a little earlier? I'm surprised agencies won't count teaching - mine was always looked on quite favourably but it wasn't 5 years worth!

I had a look, there wasn't much that I was suitable, A lot of people looking for au pairs. However I did see a really interesting looking governess job which the agency rang me about, finger crossed. The governess job didn't require Italian but my more serious education experience and my not being in my twenties made me more interesting to them.

So perhaps there's hope for me!