Nanny Canada

In the last decade, many nanny agencies came to life like mushrooms after the rain. Only a few of those are still around but new ones keep coming and vanishing at an alarming rate. Some of these agencies owners came to Canada as nanny and later decided to put their “own shingle” and bring other nannies into Canada. Usually they operate out of their own basement, no professionalism, no license, no labor code. In some cases they offer their service free of charge to anyone willing to select their candidates. That should make you wonder: Where does their money is coming from? This fact alone should set the alarm bells ringing and the red lights blinking.

A few rules of thumb to remember when you are looking for a nanny agency:

• How long have they been operating? Are they operating from their own home?
• Are they members of Better Business Bureau?
• How do they find their candidates, locally and overseas? What is their screening process? What requirements the nannies must meet?For instance: in person interviews, childcare experience, first aid, CPR, etc.
• Do they have complete files of their applicants? What training / work experience they have?
• What if the selected nanny doesn’t work out?
• Who takes care of all documents and procedures?
• Does the service include support after the nanny starts working?
• Is there a contract / agreement between client and agency?
• Is there any obligation on the client side if no candidate is selected?

For the majority of employers who hired a nanny before, these questions are not new. For the new ones, all these questions are very relevant. It’s best if you follow one simple rule before you start your search:

“Investigate before you invest!”

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According to Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, “a nanny is a person who looks after the child or children of one family in their — the child’s — home. Modern nannies may live in or out, like other domestic workers, depending on their circumstances and those of their employers.

A nanny may perform tasks such as:

* Providing childcare during the hours agreed upon with the employing family
* Supporting the physical, social, emotional, creative, and intellectual development of children
* Protecting children from harm and ensuring that they have a safe environment
* Preparing appetizing and nutritionally-balanced meals and snacks
* Maintaining good communication with the parents, informing them of each child’s development and concerns
*Maintaining the cleanliness and neatness of the house as affected by the children”

The same source a Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, defines au pair as “an anglicization of the French term “au pair,” which means “on par” or “equal to” and describes a young person living on an equal basis with a host family in a foreign country. The au pair helps the family with childcare, housework, or both while staying as a guest of the family and generally receiving a small allowance (or pocket money). An au pair will typically be a young woman, or sometimes a young man, who is accepted into the host family as an extended family member. Both the family and au pair are expected to respect cultural differences and display tolerance towards one another.

Arrangement
An au pair placement is an arrangement where an unmarried person between 17 and 30 years old lives for up to two years in a foreign country as a member of a local family, helping in the home for a set number of hours a day, often with at least two full days off per week. In return, they receive a reasonable allowance and a private room.
Treatment
An au pair shall be treated as an equal part of the family, not as a servant, and shall not be required to wear a uniform. There can be misunderstandings on both sides about what this means. The usual practice is that au pairs eat with the family most of the time, and join in some of the usual family activities such as outings and trips. However, host families normally expect to have some private time to themselves, particularly in the evenings. During this time, an au pair might retire to his or her room to watch TV or study, or go out with friends.

Being an au pair can be a great opportunity to experience a different country and culture. The “job” of the au pair will vary depending on how much the host family expects, although there are government set limits as to how much you are allowed to work. Jobs vary from taking/picking up kids from school, taking the kids to after school classes, cooking, cleaning, ironing, babysitting,etc. The au-pair is given a monthly allowance and all living/insurance/food expenses are paid by the host family.”

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