Hiring a trained nanny is a serious investment when salaries for less experienced professionals start at HK$15,000. But solicitor C. Ng, who employed a nanny to look after her two children until she began working part-time a few years ago, says the expense was worth it.
'Having a trained nanny gives me peace of mind,' she says. 'As a working mother, I wanted to rely on a professional nanny rather than face the distraction of having to call home and give instructions to a domestic helper every 30 minutes.
'I didn't just want someone who could make sure my children ate at certain times or wore enough clothes. I wanted someone sensible who could stand up to my kids so that I could give them some aspects of a mother's concern even though I wasn't at home.'
Demand for nanny services, part-time and full-time, is rising, says Shirley Robinson of recruitment agency Rent-A-Mum. Working parents often seek professional help because they're reluctant to leave their children in the care of a domestic helper who isn't trained in childcare or childhood education, she says. Although most employers used to be wealthy expats, Chinese now make up a growing number of families hiring nannies, say major recruitment agencies, including the Nanny Experts and Annerley.
'More Chinese employers want a nanny to help improve their children's language skills,' says Janine Canham, director of the Nanny Experts. In many cases, they want help with English, although most of Canham's clients are looking for part- time Chinese nannies to teach Putonghua because they realise its importance for the child's future.
Full-time nannies, who usually work 10-hour days in a five-day week, tend not to live with the family. Live-in arrangements are mostly for temporary nannies hired when parents go abroad without the children. 'It depends on the parents' work schedule. If they have long working hours and an extra room, they may want to have a live-in nanny to take care of their children,' says Deborah Taylor, director of Annerley. 'But some parents may want to have time just with their children rather than always having a nanny around.'
