It could be the lure of an exotic location, the prospect of a heftier pay packet and the chance to sample the high life with a wealthy family. The idea of working as a nanny abroad can be captivating and the rewards considerable. But before you up sticks from a position in the UK, say au revoir to your friends and pack that suitcase, you need to take off the rose-tinted spectacles for a moment and face some tough questions.
Katie Bill, who runs the agency Tinies' international business, asks all potential overseas candidates 'whether they have really asked themselves why they want to work abroad, and how they will feel in a foreign country where the family may not speak English. Nannies need to ask themselves: Have I got commitments at home, am I doing this for financial reasons, or am I doing this to further my career and get experience?'
Then there's self-reliance, which Claire Braddick at Imperial Nannies insists is essential. She says, 'I don't know a nanny who has not got homesick in the first few weeks in a foreign country. You will need to be able to stand on your own two feet.' Claire says the agency strives to put new overseas nannies, who should have already been in live-in positions in the UK, in touch with others through networks. She urges nannies to make Europe their first job target, 'so that if they feel low they can pop home to their families. This is not easy from somewhere like Hong Kong'.
Louise Taylor, who is in charge of overseas postings at Kensington Nannies, gives each nanny a letter warning them that their first month will be the hardest. If a nanny comes to the agency with her parents and other family members in tow, Louise is immediately alerted to the likelihood that she will not stay the course.
'If the nanny is not independent enough to make the trip down to London on their own, they will face problems being alone abroad,' says Louise. 'We expect nannies who go overseas to be grown up. If they have a problem I want to hear about it from them, not their parents. They can't behave like children, because they are supposed to be looking after someone else's children.'
Louise tells nannies to sign up for language courses when they arrive, both to improve communication and to avoid isolation by building themselves a social life. 'If I think a nanny does not have it in them to take this step, then I don't send them abroad,' she adds.
If the self-confidence hurdle is successfully negotiated, the next, and most crucial stage, is for the candidate to be interviewed by their prospective employer, usually by phone in the first instance. 'I always say to parents that if the chemistry is there in the phone interview, they should then fly over the candidates they click with, so that they can meet face to face. And, if at all possible, I think nannies should spend a trial period with the families,' says Katie Bill, emphasising that the contract used by Tinies regards the first four weeks as a trial.
The phone interview is an opportunity for both sides to explore a range of questions: D Does the family really live in the heart of Paris or Madrid? Susan Griffith, co-author with Sharon Legg of The Au Pair and Nanny's Guide to Working Abroad (Vacation Work Publications, 12.95), says that nannies must not get dewy-eyed about the location. 'A lot of jobs are nowhere near city centres, just as when a nanny comes to this country thinking they will be in London when in fact they will be miles out in somewhere like Rickmansworth,' she says.
D Will the family let the nanny go out in the evening on her own? 'Nannies need to make it clear that they are used to going out alone and have been independent for years, or else it can be very constraining,' says Susan.
D Is there adequate medical insurance, or should the nanny get cover in the UK? Susan Griffith says that Belgium provides comprehensive cover, while Greece and Turkey do not. She adds that nannies should continue to pay basic national insurance contributions in this country while they are away to ensure that they do not lose entitlement to benefits if they have to make a claim on their return.
Where the nanny lives is often the most troublesome issue. Katie Bill says that nannies may see a post offering 'separate accommodation' and immediately assume that they will have their own flat. In some cases that will be the situation; others may find themselves cooped up in a local hostel, more reminiscent of a university hall of residence than a penthouse suite. 'When things go pear-shaped, it is more often than not something to do with accommodation, and that is why it is so important to see it before you begin work,' says Katie.
Nannies also have to put pay levels in perspective. Katie Bill says that salaries are weighted according to the local cost of living and tax. In high tax countries, such as Sweden and Finland where tax levels are at 60 to 65 per cent, nannies can count on proper state health and dental services. 'I've just placed someone in Portugal in a post paying 150 net a week, which seems low compared with UK salary levels, but it's probably higher because of the cost of living there,' she says.
Then, nannies must decide how they want to be paid. Some prefer to receive all their salary paid in sterling into a UK account, while others opt to receive some or all of their money in local currency.
While many of these issues can be raised over the phone, not all of them can be dealt with fully, and that is why part of the familiarisation process should involve discussions face to face. However, Claire Braddick says that while flying candidates out for further interview is preferable, it is not always possible, especially where the location is somewhere distant.
And even if you meet the family face to face, appearances can be deceptive, as Jane Robinson (not her real name) found during a nightmare week looking after two children aged four and two in Paris last month.
After an initial telephone conversation with a friend of the family, she flew out for a further interview to a palatial home in the French capital replete with swimming pool, tennis courts, even a cinema. She found the wealthy parents to be charming and the children, whom she saw for about half an hour before their afternoon nap, did not seem naughty, just boisterous and excited.
'When I arrived, the housekeeper said she hoped I would stay longer than the previous nanny, who lasted three days. Apparently the family had employed 25 nannies in three years,' says Jane. 'I was referred to as a babysitter and told that I had no right to discipline the children in any way. The four-year-old boy kicked me in the face and made my nose bleed. I was smacked and pushed. I tried to talk to the parents about this, and they were not nasty to me - they just would not listen. The children behaved like little delinquents and trashed the place.'
Jane, 33, who has 15 years experience as an overseas nanny, has blunt advice for those seeking posts abroad. 'Be thorough, and never go in "blind". The family carries out checks on you, and you should do the same on them. Try to spend a couple of days with the family. Get a feel of what they are about, their culture, their rules and regulations, and find out whether it suits you.
'If at all possible, talk to nannies who have previously worked for the family. When I was coming to the end of a three-year stint with a family in London, I spoke to all the nannies who came for interview.'
But while Jane felt angry and disillusioned over the Paris debacle, she is not dissuaded from working overseas. 'You can't dwell on bad experiences, only learn from them,' she says. 'In any case, the good experiences far outweigh the bad. I've worked for some lovely families and I've stayed in touch with many of them for years.' In future she plans to work for a family initially based in the UK and go with them when they relocate overseas - an option which nannies might regard as a useful way of acclimatising themselves to working abroad for the first time.
Fiona Parkin (not her real name), 34, is also a long-standing member of the unofficial nannies' globetrotting club, which has taken her to Australia, France and the US over the past ten years. Her most recent assignment involved shuttling with the family between Paris, Miami and Georgia. 'I've visited places and stayed in hotels that I, coming from a working class family in Newcastle, could only have dreamed about. It's a nice life if the parents are confident in you and can see the kids are happy with you. That means you have to be adaptable to the parents' needs and wishes, and respect their culture, but also be prepared to speak up if you think things are wrong.'
