How to Find a Nanny Job

Jul 23
07:13

2012

Rob Forbes

Rob Forbes

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Finding work as a Nanny or Au Pair somewhere in the world has become very popular, especially for younger people who are looking for something to do o...

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Finding work as a Nanny or Au Pair somewhere in the world has become very popular,How to Find a Nanny Job Articles especially for younger people who are looking for something to do over the summer. Living with another family is a great way to experience a different country and its culture, because you get to see aspects that other tourists do not usually experience. It is reasonably well paid, and your accommodation is provided, and in addition any activities that you do with the children of your host family will be paid for by the parents. This means you can practice the language you have been learning, and go on all sorts of excursions, and still get paid! If you enjoy being with children, working as a Nanny or Au Pair is really a great experience, and you often end up making friends for life.

How to find a Nanny Job

There are two ways to go about finding a job as a Nanny or Au Pair - privately or through an agency.

If you prefer to look for a job privately, you need to pick the area in which you would like to live, and then look for job advertisements for nannies in that area. There are many advertising services, most of which have online search facilities, which you can use to find such advertisements. Alternatively, you can place your own advertisement, and hope that someone contacts you. Many people have been successful is this approach, but there are some dangers and disadvantages. The worst is that there are many 'nanny scams' that use online advertising services to look for victims. Another problem is that you really have no way to screen the family that contacts you, and no way of knowing how reliable the arrangements might be. A third disadvantage is that you will need to arrange all your own visas, transport and insurance yourself, which is not too hard, but you do not often get the bulk discounts that an agency has access to.

Most people seek work as a nanny through a placement agency, many of whom have really good websites. These agencies work to try and match you with a suitable family, and then help you with visas, transport, insurance and a whole lot of other practical issues.  If it is your first time, you can specify that you would like a family that has worked through the agency previously, and that has provided a good experience for other nannies. You can screen prospective families, and choose the number and ages of children that you would like to work with. The best agencies have multilingual websites, which broadens your scope even further. They will also be familiar with the legal requirements in each country that they provide service, so you can be well protected. The best aspect is that if things go wrong with a family, the agency can often help you resolve the situation, or help relocate you to a different family.

The advantages and protections provided by using a nanny finding agency are so many that it is a wonder that people still do it privately! Getting a good listing with an agency often costs a bit of money (ranging from $10 - $45 per month), but in reality, the cost of finding a job privately can be even higher, and there are fewer helps and protections.

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