When I interviewed Donna Grint as a newly-qualified BTec and placed her in her first nanny job, I knew she had a promising future, but I had no idea that 11 years later she would be telling me about her life as a nanny working for an Arab royal family in Abu Dhabi.
After a series of successful posts, Donna found herself facing a year off while her current employer took 12 months maternity leave, but wanted to keep her on. So Donna decided that she would use the year to do something completely different.
She explains, 'My fiance had worked in Tokyo teaching English and found it such an amazing experience that I decided to look for work in another country.
'I contacted the nanny agencies and had offers of jobs in Europe, but I wanted to go somewhere I'd be unlikely to visit as a tourist. In England I always feel it is essential to meet the family in their home and assess how compatible we are before accepting a job. But when a job came up as nanny to cousins of the royal family of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, I threw caution to the winds and accepted it after a telephone interview.
'My first impression on arriving there was of the searing heat and surprising greenness - there are lots of parks and gardens in Abu Dhabi. I was escorted not to an Arabian Nights-style palace, but to a luxurious house on three floors. I shared a huge bedroom with the baby, but all the nursery duties like washing her clothes or preparing her food were done by servants. That was the start of seven months of a lifestyle that was totally different from anything I had known before.
'The baby was ten days old. When you care for such a young baby you expect to get very little sleep yourself, but in this family it was customary for friends and relatives to call in to meet the new baby and what with the daytime heat, visitors would often turn up about midnight. So I would be told to wake the baby and get her dressed in her best clothes and bring her down to be admired by the guests. This made trying to get the baby into a routine of sleeping through the night much more difficult, and it gave no guaranteed sleep time to me.
'This was a strict Muslim household where the women kept their faces veiled in the presence of men. When I was working I wore a uniform. In my time off I dressed modestly in trousers or long skirts. As a nanny in England I was on first-name terms with the parents and they relied on my judgement in sole charge. In this job the parents were addressed as Sir and Madame.
During most of my stay, Sir was in Geneva, while Madame controlled everything at home and was very involved with the children.
'There were four other children and each one had an individual nanny. The other nannies were Filipino and good friends. I was the only English nanny and was given more status. Not only was I invited to have my meals with Madame but, when I ate in the nursery wing, they were expected to bring my food to me. There were a lot of visiting family members and trips to large shopping malls that had play areas for children. We were taken everywhere by car. It was far too hot to take the baby out for a walk.
'The family had a beautiful beach house and sometimes we went to Dubai where we always stayed in the presidential suite of the best hotel. For a child's birthday party a whole play park would be rented. When we flew to Geneva to visit the father, he gave me money to go to restaurants and shops.
'I had my laptop with broadband so was able to keep in touch with the UK, and every eight weeks I could fly home for a week. When I went back after my first break I really felt sad. Homesickness is rather like an emotional jetlag. It will happen and you have to get over it. Once the baby was sleeping more I spent my time in the nursery wing with the other children and nannies.
'There is a large and welcoming expats' community in Dubai. We spent my days off exploring the city and shopping in the souks or marketplaces, where everything has to be bargained for. By the time my contract finished I was having a brilliant time.
'Now I am back in England in my old job I have some absolutely wonderful memories. I would encourage other nannies to travel. Experienced British nannies enjoy a lot of respect throughout the world and there are some great jobs on offer out there.'
