Nanny&Me

There are two options for sponsoring a live-in nanny; you can either sponsor someone who is already in Canada or you can sponsor someone who is currently in another country. It is very common for nannies from the Philippines to go to Hong Kong to get work experience and then apply from there (Hong Kong has much shorter processing times for a work permit than the Philippines). When you sponsor a foreign worker, it means that you’re taking on legal responsibility for that individual. If you’re bringing someone into Canada, then by law, you are also required to pay for his or her transportation into the country.

Hiring nannies from the Philippines is probably the most common practice in my neighbourhood. Here’s what I know about that so far: financially it’s a win-win. Live-in nannies are paid minimum wage (and given room and board) and for us this is very affordable, but for them it can be a significant amount of money to help support their families in their home country. Most nannies come over here with the goal of becoming Canadian residents. The time that they spend here nannying counts towards their residency (having said that, the Federal government is looking at changing the laws so that their time spent here doesn’t count towards residency to try and dissipate the immigration flow via the live-in caregiver program which is a shame in my opinion). Okay, so for many nannies, the main goal is being able to support their family, this is where some people take issue with hiring a nanny. There is a possibility (if you aren’t a good judge of character) that you end up with a twenty-something nanny who is more interested in hanging out with her local nanny friends, adventuring around the city, and providing for her family, than actually caring for your children….my stance on this?...it’s like anything, there are people who are good at their jobs and those who aren’t. Are you a glass half full or half empty kind of person? I’m a glass half full FOR SURE which means that I presume that I’ll be able to find a very loving, committed individual who will care for my children deeply.

One friend suggested that it’s important to put the word out (the job posting) through good, reliable, caring nannies and tell them that you want them to act as a buffer for sharing the posting with those nannies whom they trust and see as aligning well with their own standard of work. The nanny community can be very tight knit so this definitely makes sense.

My experience since posting for a nanny has been that I have received so many wonderful cover letters and resumes from women who sound truly invested in caregiving as a career and really enjoy being around children. Most of them state the same point that all they really want is to be treated like family, and in return they will love your son or daughter like their own.