Have you ever dreamt of working overseas? Do you have a passion for taking care of children? If your answer to these questions is yes, then being an International Nanny could be the position you’re looking for. However, some will wonder about what it’s really like to work as a nanny in a foreign country.
Melissa is an international nanny with more than 13 years of experience. She is one of Little Ones’ nannies that have been working with our Senior Recruitment Manager for more than 10 years. She started her journey as an Au pair and is currently working as a full-time international nanny.
In this article we will go through her experience and what she does every day with the children she is looking after. Melissa is currently working with a family in Poland, who have twins. She starts working from early in the morning, finishing late in the evening. When Little Ones started the searching for an international nanny for the family, they asked us to find someone with twins experience and who has English as their mother tongue - Melissa was the perfect match.
The reason that this family was looking for a nanny with English as their mother tongue was that they are mostly based in Poland, the parents and relatives speak in Polish to the children and almost all the staff at the house speak Polish. The best way for the twins to learn English from an early age is having a nanny who communicates with them only in English.
The family has been more than happy to have Melissa helping them with their twins for more than a year. The children she is looking after are toddlers, so her days are pretty busy. What she always does at the moment of starting working with a new family, and what we advise to each of our nannies to do, is to talk with the parents about what they are looking from their nanny and the family dynamic, for example, if they have had a nanny before, what they liked and what they didn’t like, and to talk as much as they can about their children and how they want to raise them.
For her, the most important thing is to help with the development of the children she takes care of. Melissa has always had a good relationship with the families she has worked for. She stayed 8 years with her previous family before moving to Poland for her new job.
The family for whom she’d previously worked told us that Melissa was fantastic with their daughters, in a very warm and friendly manner, and she was incredibly honest. They had the following to say about Melissa:
She was able to communicate with us in a very easy manner and meet the girls' needs. Melissa is well-versed in child development, due to both her studies and experience, and has a natural affinity towards children. She related to our daughters in such a delightful way, turning practically everything into a fun game, and had endless enthusiasm. Melissa knows how to structure time well, but is also flexible. We felt incredibly fortunate to have had Melissa in our home. Her approach to caring for our daughters complements our parenting well, as she respected our personal philosophies while being confident enough to independently make day-to-day decisions regarding our daughters.
Most of the families who hire international nannies will require the nanny to have more than 5 years of experience, others search requirements include for the nanny to have had childcare studies and to be flexible to travel with them when the family needs it.
Melissa has a vast experience in childcare; she has looked after children from newborn to teenagers. With the twins she is currently looking after, she will wake them up in the morning to spend all day with them. She shared with us that the family she works for has requested her to follow a specific diet for their children, who need to eat all their meals at the same hour of the day most of the time. If the weather is good, she will go to the park or playground with the twins, so they spend as much time as they can exploring outside.
Because the twins are of toddler age, she teaches them how they should behave at mealtimes, reinforcing bath and bed routines, and has started potty training. Melissa is supporting the twins and parents through all the different stages that they are going through, like teething and how to manage their feelings when they get upset or frustrated.
During the day, she will take the children to the park or playground if the weather is good. To help the children with their development, Melissa makes puzzles and does shape sorting with them. Going through basic words, like colours, parts of the body or fruits cannot be missed from their day. Because the twins are learning how to socialise with other children and people, Melissa plans playdates with other family’s children, friends and children from the nursery that the twins attend.
She told us that is important to be discreet, patient and flexible at all times. Be prepared for any requests and the related gear at short notice e.g., photoshoots, ski trips, doctor appointments, parties, themed playdates, classes and trips to different time zones/climates. Above all, have the children’s safety as a priority at all times. Have fun with the children and teach them through play, so that they grow to love learning and life.
To any nanny who wishes to try and work internationally, don’t go with a rigid approach. Each culture has its own way of doing childcare. Each family wants help, but be flexible and, above all, be respectful.
However, Melissa pointed out that it’s the client’s expectation and working with a different work condition that’s been the toughest for her. “Working with international clients is sometimes difficult, as they have different expectations than I do. Hours, conditions and work environment can be a challenge too”, she mentioned. She advises nannies to always be clear from the start on what tasks they are willing and not willing to do in order to avoid miscommunication.
“These families can be very kind employers too, but they need to feel their children are in capable hands, so all eyes are on the nanny at all times. One has to know how to organise the children’s schedule, as well as finding the time to get our own needs met. The hours can be long when travelling and one has to be patient, flexible, able to communicate and work in a team.”
Now that you have considered the advantages of hiring an international nanny, the only thing left to worry about is where and how you will find the best candidates. Manually searching can be challenging, especially since the nanny can come from different parts of the world. The easiest and most practical option will be to rely on an established agency, who can assist you all the way through your employment process. Trusting an agency will save you from wasting too much time finding and interviewing candidates that you might think are perfect for the role, only to have them ending up off the market or out of your budget.
One of the leading international nanny agencies in the UK is Little Ones, which has been successfully running for more than 15 years in this industry. Little Ones offer premium childcare and housekeeping services including international nannies throughout London, the UK, Europe, Russia, Middle East and Asian countries. The company is composed of expert recruitment consultants, who devote their time to helping families and accommodating them at the topmost standard.
Little Ones has an outstanding reputation for placing childcarers and domestic staff in full-time and part-time, live-in and live-out, temporary and permanent positions. The prominence is due to their thorough vetting and hiring procedure, which screens only the finest candidates. Their work also involves taking care of all the paperwork and complex processes to save the family from stressing over the employment. Everything is made easy for the families, which is why the company promises comfort and convenience during their nanny search.
The company’s policy of extremely strict vetting procedure ensures every family that we are employing trustworthy and qualified candidates who will agree to your demands and offered salary. Aside from international nannies, Little Ones provides local nannies, housekeepers, nanny-housekeepers, au pairs, private staff such as tutors, butlers, house managers, chef, handyman, domestic couples, executive assistants, and chauffeurs.
With Little Ones’ excellence and commitment, the team pride themselves on being able to delicately align prime, luxury services to those who put their trust in them. Would you like to talk with one of our expert consultants? You can call us on 02071830309 or send us an email at enquiries@littleoneslondon.co.uk
