Under one roof

A demand for live-in nannies, but a shortage of candidates, was a trend highlighted in this year's nanny pay survey (see Professional Nanny, 19 January). A lot of nannies I know started their careers living in, so I decided to ask their opinions on it, and discover if anything might lure today's nannies back to sharing a home with their employer.

Barbara Saunders comes from Peterborough and has worked as a nanny for more than 20 years. Mainly she has had residential jobs, working in Australia, the United States and London - having a brilliant time, she adds. Barbara says, 'When I was only 17 and due to start a childcare course at college, someone who knew my mother needed a nanny, but she lived in London. At that time there were very few local jobs around, so I decided to take the plunge and get some experience. I am glad I knew the family, because their first home was a flat that would have felt claustrophobic if they'd been strangers. Luckily they moved to a house shortly after I started, but I always lived very much as a member of the family, which was great for a young girl in London for the first time. I soon made lots of friends and had a very active social life.