We are looking for a live-in nanny / housekeeper to join our friendly
and laid-back family, living on the border between Epping
Forest and North East London (on the Central Line tube). Our
family consists of two boys, Harlan (just turned 13) and Alexander (10), two
cats (Simbad and Zarina) and two working parents (Dominic and Rosalind). This
blog gives details of the role, what kind of person we are looking for, what
you might want to know about our family, the accommodation and location, and
has a page written by the boys. If you are interested, please send a CV to the
email account we created for this process:eppingforestnanny@gmail.com
The role
We are looking for someone to take on the role of nanny to the boys, and general housekeeping duties, Monday to Friday. The boys are in full time school, so in term time, this will involve meeting them from school (they attend the same school, but sometimes come home at different times) and bringing them home, supervising their homework and taking them to any weekday clubs (at the moment, this is just scouts and cricket, but it may change), and organising baths and the evening meal. In the school holidays, you will have the children all day (although sometimes they go to day time courses in various sports) and there is great flexibility for you to do with them the things you and they enjoy.
Usually Rosalind will get them up in the morning and (on school days) take them to school, but on occasion (rarely more than once a week) we may require you to take them in to school in term time. Usual "nursery duties", including the children's laundry and ironing and helping them keep their bedrooms and playroom tidy (we are very keen that they are involved in this, and it isn’t just left to you to do yourself), are part of the role. The children are very healthy, but if they need to take a sick day off school you will be looking after them.
The housekeeping side of the role involves doing the grocery shopping, cooking the family evening meal on week nights (we try to eat together each evening), cleaning the house once a week, doing a small amount of ironing (generally a few shirts every fortnight), and generally helping to keep the house tidy and under control. We don't expect you to be the only person putting things away, but we are often busy with our work so the role may well involve doing more than your fair share of keeping things in order.
Hours
Although there are routines for the children that you need to stick to, we do not expect any fixed timetable for your other duties. If you would rather, on school days, stay in bed until lunchtime and then do everything in the afternoon, or get up early and get things done, so you can spend the afternoon at the gym, it is all up to you. We want you to work in a way that suits you, so long as we can rely on you to get things done in time for when they are needed.
On school days, you will probably need to take the boys in about once a fortnight, and this means leaving the house by about 7.30am. Most school days, however, your first time with the children will be when you pick them up from school at 3.30. In the holidays, the children will be with you from about 8am when Rosalind leaves for work. Dominic often works at home, so that about 6pm he will generally start taking over with the children and so, after the evening meal, your time is your own. About twice a week (on average), Dominic will be out at work in the evening, and then you will be in full charge until Rosalind returns, usually around 7 to 7.30pm. Sometimes (no more than about once a week on average), both of us are out in the evening and you will need to put the children to bed (a process which is generally over by about 8.30pm). Sometimes the evening session will be at short notice (as our work can mean last minute emergencies keep us from coming home), but if we know you have an evening commitment on occasion, we can try to make sure we work around it.
We do need you to be flexible about hours because we are not always sure when you will need to look after the children after 6pm and for us, one of the main reasons we need a nanny is so that our work, which involves a lot of evenings, can carry on without disrupting the children’s lives. Having said that, we can be flexible too. As Dominic often works from home, he can take over in an emergency or if, for instance, you need to pop out whilst looking after the children. If we know you have an engagement one evening, we can often ensure that we are around.
Terms of employment
We are looking to pay about £250 to 300 net of tax per week, as well as providing accommodation and paying food and utility bills (although the cost of large phone bills will be shared). We also provide free use of and insurance of a car when you aren’t working (although you will be responsible for petrol for non-work driving). We would offer four weeks paid holiday a year, with two weeks taken to coincide with our family holiday in the summer holidays.
What we are looking for
In general terms, we will take anybody. We don't care what sex, age, nationality or shoe size you are, as long as you are happy in and right for the role. We have enjoyed having a number of very different nannies over the last 12 years, and we have always chosen people who get on well with the children, as that is the most important thing. We are looking for someone who is independent and self-sufficient with good judgment, and who is happy to organise themselves, but who is able to work in the slightly chaotic environment of a busy, active family. We are also looking for someone who has the energy and confidence to enjoy active and engaged boys. We live within an easy walk from forests, parks and open countryside which the boys enjoy playing in.
We don't require a professional childcare qualification, but either that or some experience of looking after children (even if just within the family) is very valuable. Both the boys are very enquiring and we have found that people who have an interest in some (any!) educational subject (anything from history to literature to poetry, from physics to chemistry to computing) always form a close bond with them.
Mostly, we want someone with enthusiasm for what they do. It makes a world of difference for the boys to be with someone who is interested in and likes children and, whereas you don't have to be a trained chef, if you enjoy cooking you will be very suited to that side of the role. We don't expect you to enjoy the small amounts of ironing. No one does.
We have a few things that really need to be true about you, and we have good reasons for these:
1. you must be legally allowed to do paid work in the UK - we are not able to employ you if you aren't
2. you must not be a smoker – both Alexander and Rosalind suffer from mild asthma and the smoke free environment is very important around the boys
3. you must be able to drive in the UK - the job doesn't involve much driving (the school run is done via the tube and we encourage you to walk with the children) but there will be instances where driving is really needed, such as if there is an accident and you need to take them to the hospital (which has happened twice in the last 13 years!)
All about us
Harlan and Alexander are friendly and outgoing boys, who have a great capacity to get to know and love new people. They are generally kind and well-meaning, but occasionally, like all children, need a firm talking-to, and someone who stands up to them and points out the errors of their ways. They generally respond well to discipline, and want to be well-behaved. They get on well together, with the occasional disagreements, and will play contentedly together for hours.
Harlan is getting to an age where he wants to be more independent, particularly as he is now 13. He can be a serious-minded boy, keen on studying and has an insatiable appetite for information of any kind. He reads voraciously (everything from chemistry to poetry, as well as lots of more usual stories and comics), and also loves running about and playing and going swimming, playing cricket and hockey, as well as loving cooking, drama and music (he plays the piano and is studying for his Grade 2). He has a computer and loves playing with electronics.
The role
We are looking for someone to take on the role of nanny to the boys, and general housekeeping duties, Monday to Friday. The boys are in full time school, so in term time, this will involve meeting them from school (they attend the same school, but sometimes come home at different times) and bringing them home, supervising their homework and taking them to any weekday clubs (at the moment, this is just scouts and cricket, but it may change), and organising baths and the evening meal. In the school holidays, you will have the children all day (although sometimes they go to day time courses in various sports) and there is great flexibility for you to do with them the things you and they enjoy.
Usually Rosalind will get them up in the morning and (on school days) take them to school, but on occasion (rarely more than once a week) we may require you to take them in to school in term time. Usual "nursery duties", including the children's laundry and ironing and helping them keep their bedrooms and playroom tidy (we are very keen that they are involved in this, and it isn’t just left to you to do yourself), are part of the role. The children are very healthy, but if they need to take a sick day off school you will be looking after them.
The housekeeping side of the role involves doing the grocery shopping, cooking the family evening meal on week nights (we try to eat together each evening), cleaning the house once a week, doing a small amount of ironing (generally a few shirts every fortnight), and generally helping to keep the house tidy and under control. We don't expect you to be the only person putting things away, but we are often busy with our work so the role may well involve doing more than your fair share of keeping things in order.
Hours
Although there are routines for the children that you need to stick to, we do not expect any fixed timetable for your other duties. If you would rather, on school days, stay in bed until lunchtime and then do everything in the afternoon, or get up early and get things done, so you can spend the afternoon at the gym, it is all up to you. We want you to work in a way that suits you, so long as we can rely on you to get things done in time for when they are needed.
On school days, you will probably need to take the boys in about once a fortnight, and this means leaving the house by about 7.30am. Most school days, however, your first time with the children will be when you pick them up from school at 3.30. In the holidays, the children will be with you from about 8am when Rosalind leaves for work. Dominic often works at home, so that about 6pm he will generally start taking over with the children and so, after the evening meal, your time is your own. About twice a week (on average), Dominic will be out at work in the evening, and then you will be in full charge until Rosalind returns, usually around 7 to 7.30pm. Sometimes (no more than about once a week on average), both of us are out in the evening and you will need to put the children to bed (a process which is generally over by about 8.30pm). Sometimes the evening session will be at short notice (as our work can mean last minute emergencies keep us from coming home), but if we know you have an evening commitment on occasion, we can try to make sure we work around it.
We do need you to be flexible about hours because we are not always sure when you will need to look after the children after 6pm and for us, one of the main reasons we need a nanny is so that our work, which involves a lot of evenings, can carry on without disrupting the children’s lives. Having said that, we can be flexible too. As Dominic often works from home, he can take over in an emergency or if, for instance, you need to pop out whilst looking after the children. If we know you have an engagement one evening, we can often ensure that we are around.
Terms of employment
We are looking to pay about £250 to 300 net of tax per week, as well as providing accommodation and paying food and utility bills (although the cost of large phone bills will be shared). We also provide free use of and insurance of a car when you aren’t working (although you will be responsible for petrol for non-work driving). We would offer four weeks paid holiday a year, with two weeks taken to coincide with our family holiday in the summer holidays.
What we are looking for
In general terms, we will take anybody. We don't care what sex, age, nationality or shoe size you are, as long as you are happy in and right for the role. We have enjoyed having a number of very different nannies over the last 12 years, and we have always chosen people who get on well with the children, as that is the most important thing. We are looking for someone who is independent and self-sufficient with good judgment, and who is happy to organise themselves, but who is able to work in the slightly chaotic environment of a busy, active family. We are also looking for someone who has the energy and confidence to enjoy active and engaged boys. We live within an easy walk from forests, parks and open countryside which the boys enjoy playing in.
We don't require a professional childcare qualification, but either that or some experience of looking after children (even if just within the family) is very valuable. Both the boys are very enquiring and we have found that people who have an interest in some (any!) educational subject (anything from history to literature to poetry, from physics to chemistry to computing) always form a close bond with them.
Mostly, we want someone with enthusiasm for what they do. It makes a world of difference for the boys to be with someone who is interested in and likes children and, whereas you don't have to be a trained chef, if you enjoy cooking you will be very suited to that side of the role. We don't expect you to enjoy the small amounts of ironing. No one does.
We have a few things that really need to be true about you, and we have good reasons for these:
1. you must be legally allowed to do paid work in the UK - we are not able to employ you if you aren't
2. you must not be a smoker – both Alexander and Rosalind suffer from mild asthma and the smoke free environment is very important around the boys
3. you must be able to drive in the UK - the job doesn't involve much driving (the school run is done via the tube and we encourage you to walk with the children) but there will be instances where driving is really needed, such as if there is an accident and you need to take them to the hospital (which has happened twice in the last 13 years!)
All about us
Harlan and Alexander are friendly and outgoing boys, who have a great capacity to get to know and love new people. They are generally kind and well-meaning, but occasionally, like all children, need a firm talking-to, and someone who stands up to them and points out the errors of their ways. They generally respond well to discipline, and want to be well-behaved. They get on well together, with the occasional disagreements, and will play contentedly together for hours.
Harlan is getting to an age where he wants to be more independent, particularly as he is now 13. He can be a serious-minded boy, keen on studying and has an insatiable appetite for information of any kind. He reads voraciously (everything from chemistry to poetry, as well as lots of more usual stories and comics), and also loves running about and playing and going swimming, playing cricket and hockey, as well as loving cooking, drama and music (he plays the piano and is studying for his Grade 2). He has a computer and loves playing with electronics.
Alexander is an active boy with an incredibly varied imagination. Like his brother, he is very active and loves running about and unlike him, is a really keen footballer (his team is Tottenham Hotspur). He also enjoys cooking and drawing and writes lots of stories. He has a real talent for music, singing and playing the recorder (he is about to start playing the flute). He also reads voraciously and he loves building things out of Lego. Alexander has a great sense of humour and almost perfect comic timing, particularly if he is trying to get out of trouble.
Dominic is a journalist who also runs a business as a headhunter and technical expert in the field of quantitative finance, effectively an area of work in banking that may or may not have caused the credit crunch. Rosalind is a partner in a law firm in the city, specialising in pensions. We are both busy people in our working lives, but believe that there is no point in having children if you don't spend time with them, so do try to do things with them whenever we can and make it a policy that one or both of us always attends school events like plays and sports days. If you want to come along to school events and other performances, you should feel free to (we will buy you a ticket if one is needed). Don’t feel obliged to come to everything, but the boys would love to see you if you can attend at least some of them.
Having two children has taught us that you can't just have one set of rules for parenting and that different children, different ages and different situations need different approaches. As a result, we don't really have a philosophy of parenting, but tackle new situations as they arise. Having said that, we do believe strongly in consistency and have always backed up any carers, be they nannies, teachers or relatives, in any discipline or rule they have imposed on the children (although we may discuss with you privately whether we want that rule to be imposed again). We always like to discuss significant issues with the children's behaviour and development with our nanny and get their input, before deciding together how to tackle the problem, to ensure consistency.
Our general approach is that the children do need to know the rules, and both boys do tend to thrive on that, but we don't have too many rules. Important things (looking before you cross the road and holding hands on dangerous roads, not hitting people or lying, being kind to others) we have rules about, and if we have them we enforce and follow through. We have at times used structured behaviour controls, like rewards and sticker systems, when this is necessary. Unimportant things can be left alone - if they really want to wear the t-shirt that is too small, or deal with their anger by sulking in their rooms for half an hour, then we don't really care. Although we like to take the children out to see places, and they have always gone on trips to central London with their nanny in the holidays, we do like them to have time at home, just playing and using their imaginations. As a result, they do not spend much time at day camps in the summer, to make sure they have plenty of time to play in the parks and the woods, go to the library and have fun helping at home with things like cooking or washing the car.
Accommodation and location
We live in Buckhurst Hill, which is in Epping Forest, north east London. Because we are on the Central Line, the journey into London is quick (30 minutes to the City, 40 to the West End) and there is a train every two or three minutes (the last leaves Oxford Circus at 12.30am, if you are out for the evening). Despite this, it is quite rural, with lots of open space, but useful things like hairdressers, shops and a Waitrose supermarket two minutes away. We are close to the M11, which means that Stansted is a 40 minute drive for cheap flights to Europe, and via the M25 most of England is easily reachable in a car. Buckhurst Hill has a number of restaurants and the local area has a number of clubs and quite a lively scene if you are young enough to enjoy that. There are several local gyms that you may want to join. There are a lot of children and their carers that our nannies have made friends with locally and through the school. This is where we are:
The house is quite a large one, with a long garden and a castle (actually a shed with a climbing frame), out of which there is a door leading into the forest. Because it is old, the walls of the house are pretty soundproofed and the front is double glazed, but anyway the road is generally a quiet one. Our "nanny room" is a large bedroom, with its own cable TV, fast broadband internet and telephone. You share a bathroom with the children. Your room is entirely your own - we will not enter it uninvited except in an emergency, and you may have any friends to visit or stay with you overnight or for a few days (although you are responsible for their conduct, including no smoking and no loud noise in the late evening/night). We also have two cars and you will be insured on both. When you are not working, you have free use of the smaller car, and previous nannies have driven to Wales and Ireland on their holidays in our second car.
What Harlan and Alexander think
We
are looking forward to meeting some new people and finding a new nanny to look
after us. If you want to be our nanny,
we would like you to play active sports with us, and to like taking us out to
interesting places like museums and swimming pools.
We
think you would like being with us because we always have a lot to say and we
want to find out about you (but not in a creepy way!) We will always try to be nice to you and do
what we are told.
We
have always liked having nannies because they are interesting people to talk
to. It is also quite fun helping them
with their jobs in the house. We have
lots of different interests. Sometimes
Alexander will be working on his book which is a fantasy story about demons,
and Harlan will be trying to get his computer to do something strange
(including actually working).
We
look forward to seeing you!
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