nanny in central London - how do I find a normal one not norland style?

[mainlymayday]

I live in Central London (W1 - Oxford St area) and I need to find a nanny but the only agency I know of tends to cater for the Norland Nanny types and I am not in this market or price range at all. Anyone know any nanny agencies in the area - or I suppose Camden or Kilburn would be good sources.

Also does anyone know how those childcare vouchers work? The ones you can get from your employer in lieu of salary?

thanks for any advice

Charlotte

Try contacting Hyde Park International. Sam, who runs the agency is very helpful, and although they are based in the south, i know they cover London aswell.
x

so how much do norland nannys earn then?

Some can earn anything in excess of £25grand net a year

imperial nannies in south ken are good.
try gumtree.com if you aren't too worried about an actual agency - i've had v good results from an ad there
kim at elite nannies is lovely, based in battersea but covers all over.

who the hell can afford to pay someone that out of there own money! are there really that many rich people ?

From a nannies point of view you may find it difficult to find a nanny to work in Central London and not wanting to earn premium rates. Usually we live further out in the suburbs as its cheaper and personally with that commute i would want to be paid in the higher wage bracket. Is the job live out? If its live in you will find someone cheaper. Good luck.

I would first look at greatcare.co.uk and nannyjobs - as a lot of good candidates do post their CVs there, plus you save on the agency fees.
Is the position live in or live out? If you have the space, i really suggest live in as it is easier to part with the extra bedroom than the extra £100-150 per week! Plus, if you get a nanny that knows how to value the privacy of the family and the couples' need for time to themselves, then it works out well.
I did not hire a norland nanny but she does have 4 years experience, qualified for the childcare voucher scheme and has an updated first aid training. i am not sure she is what you would call in the norland price range (am not sure what you think that is ) -though i think we pay the going rate. We pay her £300 net per week (£430 gross) live-in. (we live in london - clapham). But in my last nanny search, there are some kiwi/oz/south african girls who i think are more willing to start at c£230-250 per week, net (live in), perhaps with a little bit less experience.
Good luck with your search!
How about nanny share? have you looked into that? it may work if you only have 1 at the moment...

I don't think Norland nannies get paid alot more than us mere mortals tbh. They can get paid more when they work abroad in places like the Middle East or USA because of the cache of being a Norland Nanny. If you get a Norlander straight out of training she still needs to gain experience. I personally would rather employ a nanny with experience over qualifications.

So what do they teach at Norland (besides attitude) that a nanny can't learn elsewhere?

Hi Charlotte

I know someone who is available and comes with excellent references (from me as well). She doesn't drive but is able to get to Oxford Circus, on a daily basis. The only problem is she would want a live-out position. Her email address is lili_stanciu06 at yahoo dot co dot uk.

Oi Recycle.... how the heck are you??????

(sorry, I'm hijacing....)

SimplyChildcare.
It's a kind of echange and mart magazine for childcare within the M25.

You don't pay an agency fee, can put in your own ad for three issues of the magazine, and see all the nannies ads, too. They also provide lots of useful info for employers and employees.

Look up their website.

thanks for all the advice - will try all the agencies and the individual recommendation (thanks for that!).

I had assumed norland nannies were paid a lot more than non norland but it seems I was wrong. Either way, I am going to be very, very poor!