She says, 'I've been with this family for three years. The youngest child went to school six months ago. I'm still getting a full-time salary for doing some housework but I am really bored. I want a job where I have children to look after during the day.'
If she had lived in a large city, she would probably have found another family and organised a nanny-share, but this is not always possible in rural areas.
The Professional Nanny/Nannytax survey of nannies' salaries in January noted that many more families are prepared to pay full-time salaries to nannies who stay on once the children are at school. So I talked to some of the nannies who have such jobs.
Jane Grant started her career as a live-in nanny in London in sole charge of three children aged under five. She says, 'I loved my first job. I had always said that I would never become a housework dogsbody. Then I got married, moved to a village close to my parents and worked with a family where the youngest child went to school after three months. The parents offered to keep me on full-time pay if I would do some housekeeping. I got on well with the family, so we agreed that I would take over all the laundry, do the weekly food shopping and clean the house. As long as my mobile phone was switched on, in case a child was ill at school, I was free to go out if I wanted to.
'It worked very well. The parents were tidy people. Housework is boring, so I always allotted myself specific times to get things done. Some of my London nanny friends seemed to spend their time popping here, there and everywhere doing little errands. I did any dry cleaning or other errands on the day I did the family supermarket shop.
'Being a nanny without children around can be quite lonely. At first I used to see my friends at the weekly nanny group, but you can't turn up at mother/toddler groups or Tumble Tots without a child.
'There was always a period in the day when I had nothing to do, so I would go swimming or to the gym or maybe meet a friend for lunch. When I looked after younger children, activities were always done in the morning or early afternoon, so the last part of the day was the most tranquil when I would be getting them ready for bed. With older children the period from after school to bedtime is the busiest time of the whole day.
'I would advise any nanny who takes on housekeeping to make sure the duties are itemised, so you know exactly what your responsibilities are. I enjoyed my job but people's attitudes could be patronising when they heard I did cleaning. As far as I was concerned, the jobs I did for the family were no different to the housework in my own home, plus I had freedom to organise my time and still had lots of fun with children.'
TWO JOBS AT ONCE
Australian temp nanny Heather had a very different experience. She worked for two months in a family where the mother did a residential course before starting a new job.
She recalls, 'Both boys were at school and they expected me to do everything just as the mother had always done. They would leave clothes strewn on the floor, take food into their room and never put so much as a spoon in the dishwasher. They were not nasty children, just spoilt.
'By the end of the two months I'd trained them to put clothes in the laundry basket and clear away their own dishes, but I think the parents were surprised at my attitude. Now at interviews I always ask - with a smile, of course - if they are a messy family!'
Lara Carey took a job caring for three girls who were all at school. The family had a cleaner so Lara did not do housework, but she was responsible for the girls' laundry.
She says, 'I had just left college with my BTec and wanted to do nursery or school work. The parents paid me full-time and were happy for me to spend my free time helping in the local primary school, as long as I organised everything for the girls. I got on well with the teachers, so when a classroom assistant post became vacant I got it. This gave me extra money on top of my salary.
'I used to get annoyed when people said I was lucky to get paid for pleasing myself during the day, because I actually did work hard in the morning and the evening. Every day each child had to go to school with the right combination of uniform, PE, outdoor and swimming kit, not forgetting their reading, spelling and library books, notes to the teacher and homework. In the evenings, besides cooking their supper I had to ferry the girls to Brownies and Guides, swimming, dancing, piano and flute lessons. I had to make sure homework and music practice were done. I was also responsible for dental appointments and buying uniforms or shoes.
'I would advise any nanny to help out in the local school - when the staff see how capable you are it may lead to other things.'
THE CHILDREN FROM HELL
Jenny Day took a job caring for 12-year-old Callum and ten-year-old Lucy, the year before she went to university to train as a teacher.
She says, 'I got a university place on the basis of my BTec National Diploma, but I felt I needed time to study a Psychology A-level to get my brain into gear for university, and needed to save some money to pay my fees. According to their parents, Callum and Lucy were bright children who required lots of stimulation to achieve their potential, but had had communication problems with their last au pair, so they decided to get a nanny.
'By the end of the second day I decided that Callum and Lucy were the children from hell. They were rude, sullen, argumentative and unco-operative. I soon learned that in the past six months they had had "problems" with five au pairs who had arrived and left in quick succession. Their parents had high expectations of the children but were too busy to give them much attention. They needed to pass an entrance exam to get into boarding school but were underachieving at school. I also suspected they were trying to see how quickly they could get rid of me.
'On the first Friday evening I sat down with the parents and told them just how badly their children were behaving. The father pointed out that I was being paid a high salary to change that behaviour. When I went home my mother was unsympathetic too. She pointed out that if I couldn't cope with two naughty children, how on earth would I cope with a whole class, and maybe I ought to change my career plans.
'Luckily my psychology tutor was very helpful. Over the next few weeks I talked, I listened, I negotiated, I was firm, I was fun, I kept my sense of humour. Eventually both children began to accept that I was here to stay, I was not their enemy and life would be a lot more pleasant if they co-operated with me. By Christmas we were even having fun.
'They were both quite nervous about their exams, so I helped them with their schoolwork. At the end of the summer they went off to boarding school and I went to university, but I came back each holiday to look after them. Not only did I enjoy this, but also the money I earned paid a lot of my university expenses. In my teaching career I have frequently taught children like Callum and Lucy whose naughtiness hides insecurity or other problems. I know that my experience as a nanny has taught me a great deal about how to cope with them.
'I would advise any nannies who want to go into teaching or child-related professions such as social work or psychology, to spend time working with older children. Not only will you earn money towards your fees and have time to study, but you will learn a different set of skills needed to handle older children.'
All names have been changed. Helen Kewley is the proprietor of Nice Nannies Now in Huntingdon
