Paging BLONDES = please help (sniff sniff), i need a nanny in kent!

[Page62]

Hi
My lovely, lovely nanny has decided that she will stay in London instead of moving with us to Sevenoaks/Tonbridge -- so from this summer, i will have no nanny. I clearly need one as both DH and I work full time.
Please, those that are in that area, can you pls help
We are looking for a live-in nanny - both kids will be in FT school, but DH and I are out of the house by 7/7.15 and back around 6.30pm. We need someone who can drive. We will look at Live-out if they can do those hours. Early start, but no kids during most of the day....
HELP, i have been crying this morning!

Thanks

Not in that area but nooooooooooooooooo - really feel for you as you were trying so hard to make it appealling!

Oh no, Page62. Don't cry. You will be fine. So will the kids. DS wil have a wonderful time pushing the boundaries with a new nanny.

Oh, and I can come visit you and Squiffy at the same time!

Really, it will be fine. We have had a fairly frequent turnover (every couple years). The kids adjust, so do the grown ups.

thank you so much for the commiserations. we are off to Rome over the next few days with our nanny and it feels like a send off now.
i want to go into fetal position and cry

I'm sorry, are you trying to drum up sympathy by telling me you are off to Rome with the family and the nanny?

My boss try to get us to fee sorry for him because he is sipping sangria in the Spanish sun.

Didn't really work for him either.

errr, i didn't mean it that way at all

feel like everything getting on top of us - we are in process of selling house (no offers), looking for a new house (nothing we have seen to buy or rent -- offered on one but lost out), kids starting in new school in kent in sept so that is looming and thought a break for the whole family was all we needed to get away from the whole moving stress.

Hi

I am a professional nanny currently working in Sussex but the family I am working for are going away for the whole 6 weeks summer holidays which leaves me free for this period.

If you want to message me to let me know details of the job (hours, duties, wage etc), please do.

This would at least give you until the end of the summer to find somebody suitable for the full time postition.

Hi nannynikki
thank you for your message. i only found out about her decision today so it really depends when she finds her next job. as you can see from my earlier post, we are in the process of moving house as well so it is all a bit hectic!
But thank you - i will bear this option in mind once we know more about timings etc.

I'm just teasing, page62. Hang in there. It will all work out. Change is good. It's part of growing up and you kids will cope just fine... and so will you even if it doesn't seem like it right now.

But, I'm wondering, do you really need a full time nanny or do you need more of an au pair plus who can do mornings and afternoon/evenings?

page, im sooooooooooooooooo sorry

I will have an ask about with my mafia nanny circle - though tbh most of my friends are happy in jobs at the moment but you never know

you may be better off looking for live out (more nannies) and i know many who work 11/12hrs a day and live out

have a look on nannyjob and netmums as well as gumtree

are you going down the agency route?

if so, then there are 3 i use regually and are good

sam at elizabeth henry nannies
hazel at easy green
mary at childcare company

blondes !!! (waves frantically)

thank you for coming back to me!!! i am sooo gutted but really in the end, i think this is for the best. i would have been more gutted if she changed her mind in the first few months we were there.
I am happy to have a live out - it's just long hours because DH and I will have to be out by 7am and won't be back till 6.30-7pm. But the kids are in FT school (6 and 4) so hopefully it won't feel like such a loooong day.

happy to use an agency too. I have posted the job on nannyjobs - haven't done gumtree or netmums.

i am going to go sit in a corner and cry!!!

Hi Strix

If we can find an au pair plus who is happy to do those hours, then great! But i think it's still quite a lot of hours no? - so 2.5 hours in morning (7am to 9.30 school start) + 3 hours in the afternoon (3.30 to 6.30)= 5.5 hours x 5 days per week = 27.5 hours per week.

do you know hours an au pair + is willing to work?
sorry for being defensive, i thought you were being serious!

I think a standard au pair is 25 hours, and an au pair plus is 30, maybe 35. So you could ask for those hours and throw in one night of babysitting, and do an au pair plus for sure.

The tricky bit would be things like school breaks and when the kids are sick. But, you might find someone who is sort of between au pair and nanny who would be willing to cover the odd sickness and school breaks (for more money on those occassions obviously). But, it would still be loads cheaper than what you are paying a nanny now.

Squiffy is a better au pair expert than I am. I think people recommend au pair world. I use greataupair (for nannies) and like it, but some others on MN are not such great fans.

Sorry for giving you a hard time. Was just joking. I lurve you!!!

bleeding nora
just realised who you are strix -- !!!!!
stop changing your name you are making my head spin -- my knowledge of owl species is well, limited to sarah, percy and bill

I think it might suit a newly qualified nanny quite well. There are bound to be colleges around with students about to 'graduate' from the DCE. That way it's half way between a nanny-nanny and an au pair.

So why are you calling me nora?

oh, i am bottling the move to the country now......
i am thinking - i haven't sold my house, i haven't found a house, and i am going to lose my nanny. why am i moving again?!? (yeah, i know more space, kids and fresh air ladida)....arrrrgggghhhhhhhh

Indeed wise owl!!!

When are you moving page? Renting or have you found another house you like?

I don't generally work Thursday and friday so if you need a hand let me know

I have sent a plea round my social network so will let you know if I hear anything

Def give Sam a call. She's fab

i will give them a call when i get back. i am sooooo stressed.
i think it is looking likely we will rent for a bit. i just saw a lovely house come on the market in stansted but the thought of borrowing as much as that makes me feel faint!
thank you for all the help
i came home today and me and my nanny had a good cry together. DH is steering clear of us

Firstly I would try to persuade nanny to give it a try. Sevenoaks to London trains are so frequent that it is no more 'out' of London than say South Wimbledon. I think your nanny is stressing about a huge change which in fact isn't so huge at all.

Failing that I would think seriously about an au pair. I have just checked with my boss and he tells me that school hours where you are heading are 8.45 start (doors might open earlier) and there is a late club until well after 5pm (he's not sure if it is 5.30 or 6 finish), so hours can fit around an au pair. For holidays the working mums tend to try to use the teaching assistants from the school first (they nearly all do nannying in the holidays), failing that they do a combination of au pair and holiday clus - Sutton Valence do one I think from 8 to 6 in the holidays (but only for 6 weeks, not the full 9 weeks). Might not work for your youngest.

I use aupair-world.net for au pairs but if you want to get someone to do a proper 'search' for you then you need an au pair agency.

The other mums in the school will have the best info on good teaching assistants / childminders / nannies coming free - if you ask the school they will give you the names of the social reps for the classes your children will be in - give them a buzz and see - they won't mind the call and can generally point you to someone who can help.

My boss will be happy to bring in tomorrows' Sevenoaks Chronicle tomorrow if you want to catch up quickly at lunchtime or something to pick it up - this apparantly has pages and pages of places to rent - not sure if all of the ads are in the online version.

oh squiffy, thanks for that
i think i am uhming and ahhhing about an au pair as DH and I are hoping to still try for #3. i know that is neither here nor there (i also don't mind saying we lost one at the end of last year) so we're still thinking of staying on the nanny road....
i've had several nanny cvs emailed to me from nannyjob yesterday, so a little bit promising.
would love to meet up -- but i am off from lunchtime today for mini trip over bank hols and have to be chained at desk trying to get stuff done before i leave.

If boss remembers to bring it in I will do some property porning on your behalf, and post if there is anything that looks interesting.

It will not be a chore. I spent yesterday evening drinking fizz at the 'opening' of a house sale yesterday despite having no intention whatsoever of purchasing the place . Ah, they know how to flog houses down this way

hahahahaha!!!!

that would super helpful!

Let me know the names of who has sent cv's and I may be able to give the gossip on them

Hi Blondes,
can you give me your private email again please!
i will give you names -- help!!!
Thanks,

Blondes, just to say, have spoken to Sam and she's giving me a couple of candidates.
I've never had a live out nanny before -- i know pay should be dependent on experience - but given hours (7am to 7pm most days, hopefully 6.30pm some days), but kids in FT school (9 to 3.30) - what would you guys suggest an acceptable pay range is?

thanks