Cambridge - best option for school drop off / pick up - nanny or childminder

[CR888]

Hi,
We are moving to Cambridge. We need to desperately find a Nanny or Childminder / babysitter to help take the kids to school and pick them up (take to after school activities in Cambridge). Both parents will work in London so this is crucial to get someone we trust and can rely on. We do not want an Au Pair.

In reality we just need an hour in the morning and 1-2 hours in the afternoon probably 3-5 days a week (ie. 10-15 hours a week). This would be too little for a Nanny, so how do we find someone that can help with this? I would have thought this might suit a student at Cambridge looking to earn some extra money, but no idea where to find this - most of the websites seem to be for Nanny's that need more hours than what we are offering. Does anybody have experience in this area?

If so, what would you be looking for in the interview process (I have a reasonable idea but would be interested in the views of people that have experience in actually hiring Nanny / babysitters)?

thank you for your time,

I should have mentioned the children are 7 and 9 years old.

With the best will in the world, I’m not sure how reliable a student could be in this situation. Aren’t they likely to have lectures or tutorials that clash at some point in the week? You may find one that is free at the right times now, but their timetable will change every year, and might have less time for you in the exam season. Have you thought about the school holidays? Would a student not be likely to be going back to their family home?

Try searching on childcare.co.uk and the local authority database of registered childcare providers. Check with the school office or website, as many schools will know the providers who do the school run.

Btw, if you’re ruling out an au pair or nanny, then you may have to pass up after-school activities. Childminders usually have charge of multiple children, and accept that it’s unfair to be schlepping them around other people’s chosen sports/clubs/hobbies after a day at school. Group settings such as breakfast/afterschool providers certainly won’t entertain anything of the sort.

it’s really difficult to get someone to do this, which is why many families end up getting an au pair. Unless they’re very local they are not going g to want to do a split shift, so you may need 2 different people. Maybe a childminder for the morning and nanny/student for the afternoon.

Look or advertise on childcare.co.uk, see if the colleges have noticeboards, newsagent windows near colleges in music shops, anywhere you think students may go. There is a company called Koru kids which specialises in after school student nannies, but they are mainly London based.

The other option you could consider is offering a combined cleaning/childcare role to add extra hours on.

The other thing to remember is that you need to register as an employer if you do take on a nanny. Childminders are self-employed as they work from their own home, but they won’t generally take to after school activities.