Celebrity childminders

SANDY ALGAZE can spot the type quickly: young girls fresh off the bus from some Midwestern state, hoping their ticket to Hollywood will be stamped by looking after the children of a major movie star.

'The girls who come in here asking to be placed with a celebrity family - that's usually the last place I'll send them. They come to Los Angeles to become actresses or producers and figure this will be their way in. But nobody wants someone star-struck looking after their children.'

Algaze is the owner of Family Matters, an LA-based agency specialising in recruiting home help as well as personal assistants. About 25 per cent of the company's clients are in the entertainment industry, ranging from US$15 million (HK$117 million) per picture stars to directors, producers and writers.

And despite their fame and affluence, they are, for the most part, normal families looking for qualified people to look after their offspring - and more than happy to pay for it.

Unlike Asia, where domestic help is inexpensive and the system is so easily abused, things work differently in rights-savvy Hollywood. Here, reputable and experienced nannies working for celebrities know their worth, are usually treated like a member of the family, and enjoy some of the perks of celebrity.

Like Heather Welch, a soft-spoken and straightforward teacher-turned-nanny who has worked with Hollywood families and acquired a reputation for her integrity and discretion. Welch has been nannying for 13 years, having made the switch from teaching after meeting a young nanny from Denmark. 'I couldn't believe that what she did was making more money than I was, and she had less experience and fewer credentials. It just blew me away.'