The recession may have impacted the number of births across Britain over the last few years, but 2011 is already shaping up differently. Here, Coutts Woman investigates the variety of childcare options that are helping women keep their careers while raising a family.
If births across Britain reached a ten year low during the recession, things are already changing in 2011. With the economy showing tentative signs of improvement and people under less financial pressure, starting a family is once again figuring high in people’s plans.
And particularly for career women. Having previously put off having children to achieve career success or financial stability, the number of women now having babies over age 35 has almost doubled in ten years. But with companies becoming more flexible to the needs of working mothers, and more childcare options available than ever before, women under 35 aren’t waiting around either.
Ben Black, founder of My Family Care, says: "You can work flexibly far more easily than you ever could. If you’re a consultant or accountant, it’s been possible for a long time. Now, if you work as a banker or lawyer, there’s a very good chance you can continue being a fee-earning one post-maternity. Ten years ago, it would have been virtually impossible."
But from bilingual nannies to nurseries and after-school care, how do you find the best option for you? Here, Coutts Woman investigates what’s on offer.
“I couldn’t afford to keep my full-time nanny while on maternity leave. So I found another family who needed a part-time one and we shared her”
What are your options?
At My Family Care, Ben Black’s team is retained by companies such as Proctor & Gamble to come up with solutions for their employees’ childcare needs. Black also offers this service to individuals. For a £1,200 fee, they will meet parents, decipher their childcare needs, and then deliver what’s right for them. This could be finding the right crèche, nanny, or childminder for full-time care or just four hours a week. "It takes away the stress and hassle," says Black. "We place the advertisements, sift through hundreds of candidates, and then present the best four or five that meet the client’s needs exactly. We sit in on the interviews, advise on the types of questions that need to be asked, and do all the reference checks."
Let an agency help you
Tinies, the UK’s leading and largest childcare agency, has 30 branches servicing almost the entire UK and specialises in providing nannies, babysitters, emergency childcare and mobile crèches. "We wanted to deliver a proper childcare solution to parents," says Amanda Coxen, a former lawyer who at the helm since March 2000. Starting with an initial chat either over the phone or face-to-face, Coxen’s team check through their database of nannies and childminders, and then advertising the position externally if required. Once again, they will sift through the applicants, check the references, and present the parent with a final selection for interview. How much you pay depends on your needs and geographic location. "It’s a placement fee," explains Coxen. "Typically in London, it’s about six times the net salary of your nanny’s weekly wage."
Share a nanny
Nanny share has emerged as a popular and cost effective childcare option in recent years. Simply pay £25 and get six months membership to nannyshare.co.uk where you can search and meet families online with similar childcare needs in the area. With 4-5,000 parents taking advantage of this each year, it’s considered an affordable option, sociable for the children and flexible for parents. Second time mum, Rachel Willits, says she reaped the benefits. "I couldn’t afford to keep my full-time nanny while on maternity leave but didn’t want to lose [her]. I found another family who needed a part-time nanny and we shared Victoria between us. I kept her for two days a week, the other family for three, until I was ready to go back to work."
Hire a bilingual nanny
In 2005, Vanessa Cook set up Little Ones, her bilingual nanny-finding service. "I realised you can have more from a nanny than just someone who makes sure your children are safe," she says. Today, she has an agency of ten consultants placing bilingual nannies worldwide. In the UK, French-speaking nannies are most popular, though she regularly gets requests for German, Italian and Russian ones too. Mandarin nannies are also a big trend right now, though Cook cautions their approach to childcare can be quite different to the British. Hiring a Mandarin nanny part-time or for after-school care is often a good solution. The benefits of this bilingual service speak for themselves. By school age, bilingual children surpass monolingual children in reading and writing. "They also understand grammar easily because they have other languages to compare to," says Cook, "and they’re less likely to have prejudices because they have a better understanding of the world."
“Bilingual children outperform monolingual ones in reading and writing at school, understand grammar more easily, and are less likely to have prejudices”
Online search
For those who know what they want, and have the time to find it, the Internet has a wealth of candidates and information on childcare. The problem is filtering that information down. A nanny posting on sites such as Gumtree will often yield 200 applicants, many of who are either not right for the job or even rogue traders. However, websites like findababysitter.com can help parents significantly. Sign up for free and you can locate a local nanny, housekeeper, childminder or au pair in your area within seconds. Each candidate comes with a description of themselves and references.
Childcare emergencies
The emergency childcare service is one of the fastest growing at My Family Care, according to Ben Black. With over 50 corporate companies signed up to the service, when an employee requires back-up childcare, it’s their job to ensure an emergency nanny or childminder is dispatched, or nursery space made available immediately. This service is also available to anyone at emergencychildcare.co.uk. Parents can give as little as 30 minutes notice and the emergency will be taken care of immediately thanks to the participation of 600 nurseries and reputable nanny agencies nationwide. A one-off registration of £50 applies, and then each emergency fee is dependent on the circumstances and childcare requirements.
By Barbara Walshe
