finding a mother's help online?

[JJ]

We're moving again and I need to find a mother's help in East London. I'd like a live out part time person and, as my boys are older now and I have more experience finding someone, don't want to use an agency if at all possible.

The job would entail doing the stuff that I do, basically (which isn't a lot -- no cleaning the house while looking after a 3 year old ) so I have time to work on other things. I have a few ideas for things that I'd like to try out work-wise, but they'd all be at home and insanely flexible. My current babysitter is a student and the job is perfect for her (I think!) as we schedule around her exams and classes.

Sorry for being babbly, but I'd like to have a clear idea of where to look and start getting on it now. Unfortunately, we won't be in London until the end of the month, so a lot will have to be done online. I found my current saviour (oops, babysitter) this way so am comfortable doing the initial screening via email.

I'd also like someone young-ish (ie younger than me, 33 yo) as I'm a bit more comfortable with that. (Oh please don't jump on me!)

Sooo, where should I look? Any good websites with people looking for positions?

you've probably done a search already so you're tired of hearing it: but here it is again

gumtree gumtree gumtree

• go to "work wanted" then "London based" "nanny/homehelp" - there are literally dozens every day

• if you put your own ad on you will get 50+ responses from a single day - and if you like you can do it all by e-mail, which is brilliant for screening

Thank you binkie! That's exactly what I was looking for. Hadn't turned up on my searches, either.

Would you know what permit is required to work legally in the UK? I don't want to pay cash in hand and will use NannyTax for the IR stuff, but thought I should ask foreign nationals upfront if they have the proper permit.

Thanks again. So far I've hired (in my fantasies) a butler, gardener, full time nanny, cook and cleaner.

The bestbear website is good for rules & regulations. When I put my own ad on gumtree (PS found someone wonderful) I was looking for a full-time nanny/housekeeper so included in my requirements "full work permit - not au pair". Because of the enlarged EU a lot of the people looking for work are eastern European - Polish etc. (bit sweeping, but I would generally very much recommend), and there are no employment problems at all there of course.

Citizens from the accession countries do need to register with the authorities for their first year in the UK (which is a bit like a guaranteed work permit).

So if I ask them if they have a full work permit, I should be ok? I have a short list of people to email, although a lot of the positions wanted look like people want them immediately, so I might wait a week or two.

Thanks again for your help, Ameriscot and binkie.

Funnily enough, as I understand it, asking them if they are entitled to do the job is enough. My dh is quite keen on this fact (having employed a lot of different nationalities in his last job) and will point out that the law changed - it used to be the employer's duty to ensure correct permission; now it is the employee's duty to have it & the employer's only duty is to have asked the question. That's probably a very crude extract though, and I bet Ameriscot has a better grasp! (Over to you Am'scot)

If they are from accession countries, then they are entitled to work here. They don't need a work permit up front, but they are supposed to register with the Home Office (this is to prevent benefits tourism). After a year, they become like anyone else from the EU.

It's up to them to register (although you would probably need to help them with the forms, and then the subsequent NI number acquisition) and pay the £50 fee. Your knowledge that they are from the EU is enough to cover you - so if you are in doubt, ask to see their passport.

If they are from outside the EU, and outwith the au pair programme, then you would need to secure a work permit for them before they could be admitted to the UK.

Here's the link to the Home Office information on the Accession State Worker Registration Scheme:

makeashorterlink.com/?Z1B862969

Home Office bumph

Thank you thank you thank you, esp for the link.

Will do my research and find the going rates and figure out a not so rambly job description.

Thanks again. Feel like you guys should send me a bill or something.

JJ (keep meaning to e-mail you about schools in London!) - I have spent a large chunk of my adult life, including as a parent in Easter Europe and can thoroughly recommend Eastern/Central Europeans. A lot of girls have childcare experience through extended families and are used to being left on their own with babies/small children in their teens. Have had three Eastern European nannies and all have been fantastic.

Tanzie, thanks! There seem to be a lot of Polish women looking for work .. part of the job is cooking (not while watching the boys, obv) and I love Polish food. Yummmmm...

I've found a school and registered. Yay! Just took my husband and our eldest to the train station to go to the airport so they can go and start the lease on the house. Everything has happened so quickly. Anyway, ask away about schools when you have the chance. I didn't visit any in SE London, but do have some info from the agency about a couple down there.

We've had some Lithuanian cleaners - fab girls and my partner highly recommends Polish cleaners as well.

Commonwealth girls normally here on a 2 year working visa which allows them to work for a certain period - something like 14 months of the year. When they leave they can claim back the tax that you have paid !! Could be useful in negotaiating pay.

jj - you could try simplychildcare.com. It's not free - you subscribe to their magazine, and you can put an advert in it. It does tend to be nannies mostly, but some mother's helps too. The other thing - if it is really a mother's help that you want, would be to try your local college - lots of NNEB students are keen for work experience.

JJ - I agree, Simply Childcare is great. The people are sooo helpful. We got a great temporary nanny from there when we were briefly in London. But she was Italian, so no pierogi, bigos or barszcz!

Thanks again, just wanted you to it again as I've found someone and her first day was today. It's alarming how perfect she is for us!

Binkie, thanks esp as I used gumtree. I got over 60 replies to my ad and am still receiving them. One from a skinheadp%ssy@... who was a real applicant! But there were a lot of great people who replied.