These days, the pace of modern life is such that more households up and down the UK are finding that they have little choice but to take on the services of a professional nanny. But at the same time, thousands of families that could benefit enormously from taking on such services are giving no real consideration to doing so, having bought into a variety of myths and falsehoods regarding the idea in general.
Right now, finding a nanny in London or anywhere else has never been easier – much of the credit for which of course going to the web. As such, it really is the ideal time for those already struggling to balance their hectic working lives to give more than a passing thought to the idea of taking on a nanny, as to do so really can be life-changing in the most positive of manners.
So if you’re among the rather sizeable proportion of UK residents who still firmly believe any of the following, it may be time to rethink the subject from top to bottom:
They Only Work Full-Time
While there are of course plenty of nannies who work full-time, this doesn’t mean for one moment that all nannies are able to work only full-time. In fact, it’s extremely common for families to take on the services of a professional nanny to be called upon more on a part-time or even a casual/infrequent basis. When and where there’s help needed to both look after the kids and chip in around the home, there’s an ideal nanny out there just waiting to get stuck in. Whether it’s once a week, twice a month or every other day that their services are needed, service packages can be tailored to perfection.
They Have to Live-In
Along with the myth regarding nannies working only full-time, a great many people still firmly believe that all nannies must live with the families that hire them. Once again, there is of course such a thing as a live-in nanny and the services they provide can be genuinely essential to facilitate normal family life. However, the overwhelming majority of nannies these days don’t in fact live at the home of the family they work for, but rather commute in and out from a local address as and when needed.
They Are Too Expensive for Most
This is perhaps the biggest and most long-standing myth of all when it comes to nanny services in the UK. As the rich and famous families of the world tend to use nanny services as standard, it’s inevitable that many will reach the conclusion that it is only the rich and famous that can afford them. In reality however, things are quite to the contrary as depending on what kind of service you need and on what basis, nanny services can be extremely affordable – even money-saving, in some respects.
For one thing, many nannies will work on an hourly or daily basis just like any other worker. As such, you only pay for the services they provide which in the case of an occasional helper doing a few odd jobs can be extremely affordable. What’s more, the services of a nanny can also be used to allow the adults of the household to work full-time or as many hours as they like, which can in turn bring in far more money than would be spent on the nanny’s services. And when factoring in the amount of time saved on standard domestic jobs like cooking and cleaning, it would be very much in the best interests of a great many more families to continue bringing in a little help from time to time.
They Require Long-Term Contracts
Last but not least, some nannies on the lookout for a long-term positon that’s guaranteed for a set period of time at least will ask that a contract be signed. However, the vast majority of nannies working in the UK today are significantly more flexible than this and will be happy to work on a much more casual, non-binding basis.
You may be looking to move house and need help for a few weeks, perhaps a business commitment is forcing you to be away from home for a month or two or it could simply be that things are getting on top of you and you need a little temporary help. The right nanny can make all the difference in the world and does not have to be taken on with any kind of contractual obligations or commitments to speak of.