Nannies from US, UK or Australia

woozel · Post by **woozel** » Sun, 31 Aug 2008 4:23 pm

Thanks for the reply. I think the difference here is I am not looking for a maid, to pay $600/month to. I am looking for an early childcare worker or equivalent, in place of sending my child to a childcare environment (I know this doesn't suit everyone, but it is my personal preference for my children to have this kind of early care / education).

I would expect to pay a salary commensurate to what I am asking them to do.

Leaving my kids behind is just not an option I would ever consider.

I have formally advertised on a different local community site for someone who fits these criteria and will hopefully find the right person.

As I am not looking for a maid (which is what is reserved for traditional sourced persons), there should not be any problems with getting someone on a WHP to take this position.

Thanks for the help!

thesicks13 · Post by **thesicks13** » Sat, 27 Sep 2008 12:01 am

perhaps, if you have a "care giver/nanny" at home already you could pay for her to come and visit singapore when you move here. She would be able to stay on a visitors pass while you and your husband interviewed local helpers. I don't think it will take you long to find someone who can take care of your kids while you both are at work. Why not ask all here if they know of someone who might be looking for a new job around the time you arrive? Go down to any Cold storage and there are plenty of ads from expats recommending their nannies to new arrivals.

Best of luck...

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Sat, 27 Sep 2008 12:50 am

I'd be interested to hear how you made out as I don't think the MOM here makes a differentiation between the two but just lumps them together. So you do manage to wrangle a way around it, be kind enough to come back and feed us the skinny so the next couple that has that kind of budget and desire for their children can benefit from your experience. That's what this board is all about.

sms

batgirl_cdn · Post by **batgirl_cdn** » Sat, 27 Sep 2008 8:50 am

We tried to get an Au Pair from Finland but the MOM would not issue a visa because Finland is not on the approved list of countries for a Foreign Domestic Worker pass.

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Sat, 27 Sep 2008 11:13 am

batgirl,

I already know the answer as we've been there before. However, in light of the rapidly decreasing local gene pool, the MOM and ICA have been doing strange things lately in their quest to refill the pool which is pretty stagnant at the moment.

mrdodge · Post by **mrdodge** » Sat, 27 Sep 2008 1:46 pm

For those still interested, my wife and I both work and have a a 3 year old and one on the way and have a Filipina nanny/helper. Its not easy finding someone suitable, but it is certainly possible.

Part of the answer is to have a sensible employment agent who can understand your requirements. In our case, we had a referral to someone who has been dealing with expats for a long while, so she knew what we were after and was able to screen out the unsuited candidates. Agents catering for the local market have the implicit assumption that there will be an extended family present and that a healthy (and cheap) pair of hands is all you need as their will be onsite supervision, not true in our case.

Having said that it still took a while - I was astonished to hear some of the answers to questions like - "the baby has had an accident and it has hurt its head and bleeding, who do you do?" - ranging from waiting for Sir to come home, to calling a security guard, so there is a lot of weeding out to do.

However, competent, trustworthy, friendly nannys are around. We've done this twice now, as our first helper got married and left to have a family, so are pretty confident its doable.

Cheers

smounsey · Post by **smounsey** » Sun, 28 Sep 2008 1:28 pm

Hi, you should have a look on the website http://www.newaupair.com
There are nannys on here from all over the world, plus experienced singaporeans who might be able to help too. Hope this helps!

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Sun, 28 Sep 2008 2:11 pm

smounsey,

It would have been good had you bothered to actually read the thread before posting. They are wanting to bring over a westerner as an au pair or nanny, not an asian. Therein lies the problem. MOM will not allow that. Unfortunately, you link doesn't bother to explain that so you've sent all rushing over there only to be disappointed. Unless they happen to decide to hire a local that is.

batgirl_cdn · Post by **batgirl_cdn** » Mon, 29 Sep 2008 5:49 pm

If anyone knows of a person from the accepted list of countries for the Foreign Domestic Worker pass who can speak fluent Finnish, please let me know.

woozel · Post by **woozel** » Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:38 pm

smounsey

Thanks for the website - it may be a good source for an experienced / qualified Singapore child carer. It is not so much the western vs asian that we are concerned about, it was finding a qualified childcare worker / teacher or similarly qualified person to take up this position that we were battling with.

We have gone with hiring a person who is in Singapore on a working holiday programme visa. We are not hiring a "maid/nanny" in the Singaporean sense of the word, but are hiring someone who is a qualified childcare worker, and who has worked in daycare centres. Her job is to essentially take the place of a pre-school teacher for four months whilst we all settle in to Singapore.

She will have specific educational requirements e.g. to do speech therapy and occupational therapy exercises with my son. Based on this I don't believe this qualifies as a reserved position, and as we are not bringing her into the country as a FDW I don't believe we have any issues on this front either. She has no restrictions on her visa that would prevent her from taking up this position.

Thanks also to mrdodge as we will be going down the maid option eventually so good to have that feedback. We just needed some time / breathing space to find the right pre-school / maid and speech / OT therapists and to get the kids settled in.

leeanndeemer · Post by **leeanndeemer** » Thu, 09 Oct 2008 3:42 pm

Once you have a chance to look around, I think you'll find that there are some wonderful FDWs available. Just keep interviewing until you find someone who you really get a good feeling about, on top of all the things that look good on paper. We've been here for 18 months and have had a wonderful Filipina FDW almost that entire time, including for the birth of our third child. I probably interviewed 2 dozen women before I found her, but she's smart, warm, super-competent, trained as a midwife in the Philippines and has excellent English speaking, reading and writing skills. She is also very thoughtful and creative with how she plays with the children. We paid for her to attend a 3-day children and infant first-aid and CPR course specifically for FDW given by the Singapore branch of the American Red Cross. We are now considering paying for her to take swimming lessons. We don't know how long we'll be here in Singapore, but having her in our home and in our family is turning out to be one of the highpoints of our experience here.

EdwinaCrockett · Post by **EdwinaCrockett** » Thu, 16 Oct 2008 9:22 am

Hi,I can go through some information with you regarding Australian nannies as we have thought about the same process.

please do not post your personal phone number for safety reasons - moderator

Edwina,Australian mother of one !

pumpkinseed · Post by **pumpkinseed** » Thu, 16 Oct 2008 2:48 pm

Hi, this is a very interesting thread for me. I'm currently expecting my first child but quit my job just before finding out. It's been very hard for me to find employment in the meantime as local employers refuse to even grant me an interview the moment they learn I am pregnant.

Would anyone be interested in hiring me on a temporary basis? I am due in Mar, so am available until Feb. Have looked after kids since I was 10 so am quite comfortable with them. Age range from infant all the way up til 12 yrs old. Do send me a message if this sounds like a possibility for you! I'd love to be working again.

pumpkinseed · Post by **pumpkinseed** » Thu, 16 Oct 2008 2:51 pm

Oh, and why I wrote in this thread was because I was a nanny for more than 3 years to a lovely family in Hawthorn VIC. They have moved to the country and I lost touch with them

oscarthegrouch · Post by **oscarthegrouch** » Wed, 10 Dec 2008 8:45 pm

mrdodge,

i read your post with great interest. i have been looking in vain for a suitable domestic helper that is more qualified than those that are catering to the local market and DEFINITELY willing to pay more for suitable candidate. However the employment agencies that i go to have not proved successful so far. would u be able to pm me the contact of your agency? i am new to the forum and therefore unable to pm you. thanks.

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