Nanny Canada

Parents’ expectations of care givers vary widely. Some expect the world; others are more realistic. Below are some of parents’ responses concerning expectations:

• “I want my nanny to be a substitute mother for my children.”
• “I want her to be half housekeeper, half nanny.”
• “She should be more than an employee. I want her to be part of the family.”
• “I just want  someone who’ll love and take care of my children.”
• “We want someone who’s professional, intelligent, and warm.”

Do you have more questions? Visit our Forum: CAREGIVERS in CANADA.

Here are some of care giver’s responses:

• “I want to be part of the family.”
• “This is just a job.”
• “I wish to had an employer who appreciates my work.”
• “I want to find a family who respects and understand me.”

Parents should be realistic about their expectations for a childcare worker. What in fact are realistic expectations? Let’s start with the most obvious fact: To you, it’s your home and your child, but to your caregiver , it’s a job. If the job brings attachment, love, and respect, generally everyone (especially your children) benefits. It’s no coincidence that virtually  every nanny needs to be respected and appreciated, and that the vast majority of parents who were satisfied with their permanent childcare arrangements also spoke about their relationships of mutual respect with caregivers. As a parent, you may expect yourself to be on call twenty-four hours a day, but you cannot reasonably expect this of your employee. You may give selflessly to your children, but your caregiver (who may in fact love your kids) may also have a family of her own.

If you like this post then please consider subscribing to our RSS feed.

2 Comments »

This is an example of a self-introductory letter received from a German applicant for a nanny position. The main idea is to provide information about yourself, your environment and your family.
Do you have more questions? Visit our Forum: CAREGIVERS in CANADA.

Dear family,

My name is Andrea Schwarz and I was born in Frankfurt, Germany on February 2nd 1982. My mother is a housewife and my father is a carpenter. My parents have three children: me, the youngest child in the family, my sister Anna is 28 years old and my brother Nick is 30 years old.

I think I had a great childhood and one of the most important things for me working with children is that I haven’t forgotten how I felt like when I was a child.
My home town is small and quiet but for me is the best and favorite. I miss it when I’m far away and it’s a great pleasure for me to come back after trips to other places. On the other hand, I am a real fidget and I like traveling very much. In my childhood I dreamt of a world tour.

Later other priorities happened. My brother got married early. Now he has two sons already. My older nephew, Alexander, was born when I was 16. As soon as I took him in my arms I realized: the biggest happiness in the world are children. That’s why after school I entered the Pedagogical Institute and graduated from it successfully in 2005 having the profession of a teacher of English, German and German Literature.

All that time working at school as a teacher of English, and also at families as a nanny and a tutor, assured me that I hadn’t made a mistake in choosing my mission and upbringing of children was that very thing I’d like to engage in. I like to give my knowledge to children, to teach them to make difference between good and bad, not only to teach them new things but also to bring up a child as a person.

I don’t have my own children yet . My family consists of parents, brother, sister and two wonderful beloved nephews. I love them very much and I am not shy in expressing my love to them. I enjoy and appreciate every moment of my life, I am an optimist, I like being outdoors, walking and camping. At home I also can’t sit without doing something. I can knit and sew. My nephews admire the sweaters I knit for them-new ones every winter. As for my parents, they like very much the evenings when I arrange “mini concerts” ( I completed the music school and I play piano). They have favourite melodies and I play them with great pleasure. By the way, there is a cat named Mars in our family. It is a music lover and it has its own favourite melodies too!

I like very much to spend my time with friends. Often we all together go to the country, picnic, play voley-ball, play guitar. Such enjoyable week-ends stick in our memory for a long time! My friends consider me a cheerful, frank and kind person. Sometimes they call me a fidget because I like to be challenged and to explore new things. For example, I learned the Greek language, now I take Spanish courses and also I am going to get a driver’s license.

Therefore, my participation in this program gives me a possibility to achieve two goals. The first one – I’d be able to enrich the store of knowledge and experience. The second one – the main one – I’d like very much to be useful, to give my love to children and to make new friends. I hope my dreams will come true!

Sincerely yours,

Andrea Schwartz

If you like this post then please consider subscribing to our RSS feed.

14 Comments »