Advice needed for holiday nanny!

[Amberc]

Now I need some advice on behalf of a nanny friend. She spends loads of time in Tenerife as she knows people there and wants to set up a business helping families with their kids on holiday. If you could afford this kind of help, what would you use it for? Would you want the nanny on the plane to take care of kids? Would it be all day and all night on call living in? Would it be daytimes, evenings whilst you went for dinner etc or through the night. Maybe starting really early so you could have a lie in. Also, what would you be willing to pay if you could afford this (assume most of us won't be able to afford a holiday nanny!). I'd be really grateful for any suggestions from real families!

Bump - pretty please?!

Why would anyone want to use a nanny on holiday? Surely the point on going on a family holiday is to do things as a family. If eating out is a problem, then go to a resort that has a creche/childminding facilites. A nanny is superfluous imho. People with more money than sense would hire one.
Mind you if the McCanns had used one then Madeleine wouldn't have disappeared.

I think it is quite a good idea. My eldest has special needs and if we had a nanny to help with the other two it would make the holiday a lot easier! I would want her to help on day trips and maybe one or two evening whilst hubby and I went out. I don't think I'd be bothered about through the night and I also wouldn't mind whether or not she was living-in. I think it would need to be more casual and adaptable than your normal nanny set-up - no-one wants their holiday planned to the minute!

No idea what you'd pay for something like this tho!

friends of mine with alot of money - had one when they went on a skiing holiday.

I saw the latest edition of Angels & Urchins magazine & it had ads from at least outfit providing this sort of service. So presumably she could do some researching of going rates by looking at the websites.

I'd also look at babysitting agencies in Tenerife - bound to be some: that would give her a bottom-line figure as being the local market to match herself against. Find out what people living in Tenerife pay their mother's help person (and then presumably add her own premium for being an English speaker for English-speaking families).

Evening babysitting would be the likeliest need, I'm sure. Perhaps also someone ready to come & take charge of babies/toddlers at wherever the family's staying while parents/older children do a day trip that would be too much for younger ones.

There was a discussion on here recently about part-time ad hoc child-minding - that should probably be her business model - sounded as if someone knew of a well-thought-out Australian place - but that had its own premises? Anyway, she will probably need a few friends/support staff to share overflow with - that could be a difficult area.

Essentially, it's a perfectly sensible good idea, with a market, definitely - so long as she's ready to flex with the practicalities. Perhaps she should do a summer contract with a package operator in Tenerife that provides childcare - that will show her the sharp end!

thanks so much everyone!

Hi Amber, I know it was a while ago you posted this up, but I used a nanny when I went to Portugal this year. I'm a single mum so it was the only way I could contemplate going or I wouldn't have had any holiday at all.

She didn't come on the plane with us, but I WISH she had, she came pretty early each morning, helped get the kids ready while I took my time in the shower. She came with us on all the trips and it was great, she was just like a husband but better!

She wasn't that expensive, another #300 on top of my holiday which I thought was worth it.

Hope that helps.