Where do I start to look for a good nanny in West London?

[artichokes]

I know nothing about employing a nanny but DD (13 months) is suffering in nursery and I think she would do much better with one on one care. I failed to find any decent childminders near me so I think a nany might be the only option.

Can anyone recommend a good agency or resource where I can find a nanny and quickly? I feel so bad for DD who is really suffering so I want to find someone ASAP.

(apologies for slight hijack)

Looking on www.gumtree.com can also be productive, particularly if you're looking for a nanny share.

yes, AND I'm not a trophy wife (just read other thread) .

Where abouts are you in West London?

Lots of us nannies and childminders in West London lurking on this forum...

Jenna

gail at childhood nannies is really excellent

Thanks for all your recommendations. I will start checking them out. I am in W6.

I know nothing about hiring a nanny. When you say KiwiOz is pricey can anyone give me an idea of the average approx gross outlay on a five day a week live out nanny?

I think the "pricey" comment was directed at the charge made by KiwiOz, rather than the cost of the nanny - KiwiOz charges an introduction fee, and then drops out of the picture, so the salary is as between you and the nanny.

As a rough guide, there is a survey of nanny salaries at www.nannytax.co.uk/news/wagestable06.html.

(the nanny tax site also has a useful calculator, where you feed in the net salary and it tells you what the gross salary is, including tax and NI contributions).

A hijack for West Londoners... Eleusis is arranging a meet in South Ken here

We can all bring our MiFID manuals nanny recommendations with us and compare notes.

try burlington nannies - sorry don't know the website

Oh gawd... all these agency recommendations on one thread. shudder shudder

Dump agencies, get advice from lovely nanny employers on mumsnet for free.

gumtree.com
nannyjob.co.uk

Possibly greataupair.com if you are prepared to weed through the au pairs to find the nannies and are offering live-in.

Oh, simply childcare.

Oi Jura are you coming out with us in South Ken on 8th November?

Artichokes, we had good recommendations from Park Nannies (NW but cover this area, sorry should have said we are in W12) but no other agencies - they are a really mixed bag.

Check the ideas for fee-free searching down the thread, and put notices up (R Park cafe noticeboard a good place to start)

It does work out more expensive than daycare but nanny sharing is an option - lots of threads on here of sharers more expert than me.

Oooh Minty, I thought Gail at Childhood Nannies was my secret.

I got my first nanny through her and used her for my search for my second (althought I ultimately got her from elsewhere). Have given her name to lots of colleagues over the last couple of years - she is brilliant, I think.

My former nanny has used her a lot - she speaks highly of her from the other side.

well we probably have had some of the same nannies then anchovy
all my nannies came from here when I was in london. Oh apart from one who came from Kim at Elite nannies who is also extremely good and nice.

Gail at Childhood nannies spotted a psycho nanny that a friend of mine had sacked. The psycho nanny had doctored her CV and not mentioned that she had worked for my friend - but Gail thought she was suspicious. So she phoned the previous employer and asked where she had gone after working for her, got my friends name, phoned her up and said "why do you think this nanny has expunged you from her CV?". Got the full story and refused to take the nanny on her books.

Had complete faith in her after that!

She dealt really well with a friend of my nanny's who had had quite a nasty sickness condition - persuaded her to go to a specialist, got a specialist's report to keep with her papers so she really could explain/prove that the recurrent illness which had really blighted a previous job was now completely sorted and wouldn't be an issue going forward.

I think she quite likes me because I send her lots of partners in law firms, who have quite extreme nannying requirements!

oooh how strange jura!
gail owns childhood nannies and has been there since at least um 1997 so I don't think it is the same

but reassuring to know that there are others as good

yes anchovy her name is in active circulation at links as well, she was practically in-house there for a while!