Editor's view

Summer's here, and newly-qualified nannies are looking for their first jobs. If you're heading for the bright lights of the big city, you'll be interested to hear what it was like for other nannies who've beaten that same path, in our feature on page 6 - and if you're already a hardened city nanny, you'll like comparing your experiences and perhaps congratulating yourself for surviving. Probably the best advice from the nannies and agencies we spoke to is: don't jump in at the deep end, but take a first job you know you can handle, that's close to what you're used to. It's worth remembering that many London suburbs are as tame as any town and you may never get out of them. But you could get a job where you're expected to be streetwise, especially if it requires driving or negotiating the London transport system. If you're not ready for this it's only fair to warn your employers. Wherever you are, nannying in 2001 involves defining your own role and setting your own limits and in some ways taking more responsibility than it did in 1901, when everybody knew their place, as you can see on page 16.