Mission impossible: a part-time nanny in Cambridge

[gizmo]

By the power of mumsnet I will crack this one.

Has anyone got any good ideas on how to find an afternoon nanny in central Cambridge? From September I need someone who can cover five days a week, 1 pm - 6pm. For some reason many agencies find that very funny .

Here's what I've tried so far:

Tinies
Childcare.co.uk
Gumtree
Nannyjob
My existing nanny and her lovely extended clan of nanny friends

Happy also to consider a nanny share if I can find a family with complimentary needs to me.

I'm not proud, I'll stand in Petty Cury with a large placard if needs be, but I am a bit picky and I'd like to avoid having to work with someone who I'm dubious about because they are the only game in town.

So, what haven't I thought of? Does anyone have sneaky hacks for finding good childcare?

No sorry - having same problem! In fact, even worse as I only need them 2 days a week. Have had 2 no shows from gumtree and care.com. Tinies were telling me that they had candidates (but I don't want to pay the fee yet) so it might be worth another chat with them?

Hopefully someone will have a solution!

I might have a solution and will PM you!

I should think the problem is most nannies (like myself) are looking for full time or part time jobs which are full days so we can easily fit 2 together. The job market has changed and I think a lot of nannies are sticking to their jobs. Have you tried contacting other families to see if they would be interested in sharing with you? As for agencies, I would recommend Dee at Gingham kids nanny agency though if you are already advertising you probably won't reach anyone different.