Relocating to London from abroad can be an overwhelming experience. This is especially true when on top of finding a new home (and perhaps new employment), moving your family, and creating a brand new support network, you're also searching for a nanny for your child or children.
That's where Homebodies, our award-winning nanny agency, comes in. With our expertise and
personalised approach, we aim to make the process of finding a nanny in London seamless and
stress-free for your family.
How Homebodies helps families relocating to London
As a specialist nanny agency, Homebodies offers bespoke family support. We start by helping
you understand your family's needs, so you can employ the right person for you and your
children. We match families like yours with different types of nannies based on your specific
requirements. Whether you're looking for a live-out, live-in, qualified, nanny/PA, specialist nanny,
night nanny, maternity nanny, or rota nanny, we can help.
We support you in handling the hiring process, which includes:
Understanding your unique needs and requirements not just around hiring a nanny, but
hiring a nanny in the UK. For example, will you need babysitting because you don't yet have a local support network? Are expectations different? Etc.
Navigating payroll and legalities.
Carrying out careful selection and vetting.
Hand-selecting a shortlist of the most suitable high-calibre nannies that match your
specific needs.
But we also help with:
Proceeding through the various phases of contract drafting and signing.
Ongoing support and communication.
Reviews and adaptation to your contract.
And much more.
With everything we do, our specialised nanny agency takes pride in going the extra mile. That's why, if you're relocating to London from abroad, we also provide resources and guidance to make settling into London life easier for you, by connecting you with various services and partners. Our bespoke approach aims to make your relocation experience smooth and enjoyable. And that's what we have done for many families in the past.
Here are a couple of examples from families who relocated to London and chose to work with us to find the perfect nanny for their children.
A relocation case study - Family M, moving from the US to London
Family M, relocating to London from the US, was recommended to Homebodies around six months before their move. This gave us plenty of time to look for the perfect nanny for them. While this was the family's first experience hiring a nanny, they'd previously employed a maternity nurse for their daughter in the US.
When we first spoke, the family was keen to find out how long it would take them to find a nanny in the UK. Would they be able to choose someone who could start working with them as soon as they moved? They also weren't sure about their specific needs, which is where we added value through our experience, expertise, and connections.
As many families do, Family M had plenty of practical questions. For example:
How many hours could they expect their nanny to work? What's the norm here in London?
What's the expected market salary for a nanny in the UK?
How would they pay their nanny and what would their responsibilities be, as employers?
In broader terms, they had an idea of where they were going to live in London, but they hadn't secured a property yet. And they weren't sure how this was going to affect their search for a nanny. When they first got in touch with us, they were still looking at two different locations - one in North West London and one in South West London.
An example of an initial Zoom interview for a family relocating to London
To get things started, we had a consultation on Zoom with the family where we explained what the role and duties of a nanny are here in the UK, and what they could expect from working with a nanny.
We also discussed our process of working and agreed to start the search for their UK nanny at least two months before their arrival. We explained we would organise video interviews, but also highlighted the importance of having a face-to-face trial with the nanny before making an offer. Our advice was to have a shortlist of two candidates they loved and to trial them both in person. This would mean making a final decision on their nanny once they arrived in the UK.
During our consultation, we spoke extensively about their values as a family, their parenting style, and what's important to them in terms of their daughter’s development. Before starting our search for a nanny, we learnt about their daughter’s routine, her interests, her sleep, and her feeding patterns. We also gained insight into the family's lifestyle, the parents' personalities, and their expectations.
Uncovering the practical aspects of working with a nanny
Naturally, we discussed the more practical aspects too. For example, we talked about the market rate salaries for nannies, and the hours they needed (a working pattern of 8am - 6pm is most attractive to nannies in the UK) compared to what's standard in the US. We also established the kind of support they would need in the future. An important factor to consider if you have no family or support network in the country you're moving to is regular babysitting. This is something your live-out nanny can do for an additional fee, but it's best to agree to it in advance. Plus, we talked about their requirement to have a nanny who could drive and who would be prepared to travel with the family, at least occasionally.
We also covered other duties they would love the nanny to support them with, such as:
Running the occasional errand.
Doing their child’s laundry.
Helping to keep her toys and clothes organised and tidy.
And cooking fresh healthy meals for their daughter from scratch, including batch cooking.
What do Homebodies do with the information?
Having these types of conversations upfront and in advance of your move is fundamental. The information allows us to find a candidate who meets your requirements. If you're relocating to London from abroad, you may notice that employing a nanny in your country is different from how it works in the UK. You may have expectations that prove to be unrealistic, so it's important to uncover this upfront.
Having the help and support of a specialised agency from the start of your search allows you to better understand your own needs and articulate requests you may have not thought about. But it's also a crucial step to ensure you have the right expectations from the onset, and you don't waste your time hiring a nanny who may not be a good fit for your family.
Assistance with location and support network
During our initial consultation with Family M, we also talked about where they might decide to live in London. We highlighted the importance of making this decision before we could start the search for their perfect nanny. This is because we wanted the nanny to live close enough to them so that her commute would be manageable and acceptable. We find that a lot of nannies prefer to walk, cycle, or drive to work (if parking is available). For those who use public transport, it needs to be a straightforward journey - ideally around 30 minutes but no more than 45 - 60 minutes.
We also discussed the importance of location in terms of nurseries and schools they may want their daughter to attend in the future. To help with that, we referred the family to an education consultant who could also guide them on this.
We suggested we could also connect them to other networks in London, such as private family clubs in the area for an amazing place to socialise with other nannies and families, for example. We're pleased to say we were able to connect them with other local families and directories too, so they could get additional support.
A lovely testimonial from Family M
"Simone really guided and supported us with our relocation from the US to London. She took the time to understand our needs, and only introduced us to candidates who really matched what we had discussed we were looking for. As a result, she found us the most wonderful nanny and our daughter simply adores her. The whole process was made so much easier with the guidance and expertise Simone gave us and we felt very supported. I would highly recommend Homebodies Nanny Agency if you are looking for a professional agency who offers a bespoke approach to finding a nanny in London."
A relocation case study - Family Z, relocating to London from China
We recently supported another family (who we'll call Family Z) in their search for a nanny during their relocation to London from China. The family got in touch with us asking to help them find a nanny who could care for their school-age daughter and their baby son. Their previous nanny, in China, was an older family member. As it often happens when family members look after children, she also helped with some cooking and cleaning.
As nannies typically aren't expected to carry out cooking and cleaning duties for the family, we suggested to Family Z that they should search for a nanny and hire a separate cleaner or housekeeper/cook to support them. Our initial conversations focused on talking the family through the typical duties of a nanny. We explained what type of nanny they may need. In the end, we agreed to look for a professional nanny, but the family also decided to hire a housekeeper to help them each day.
Finding the perfect candidate for your family
The nanny we found for Family Z understood the British educational school system and knew their area well. That meant she was able to offer additional support. For example, she helped
them settle into the neighborhood by suggesting local classes for their baby to attend. She also had an existing network of other nannies working in the area. This was great as it allowed their baby boy to socialise with other children of his age.
The family particularly valued our expert guidance on getting their contract set up. They also appreciated being connected to Nanny Tax for their payroll here in the UK. On an ongoing basis, the family has been contacting us for advice regarding their nanny, which is something we offer to all our clients. For example, we've been able to help them decide what to pay their nanny after her one-year review so they remain in line with the market level.
Relocating to London? Would you like Homebodies to help you find a nanny?
If you are a family relocating to London from abroad and would like more information on this topic, head over to the blog post How to Find a Nanny if You're Relocating to London. And if you're ready to enlist our help in finding the perfect nanny for your family in preparation for your move to the UK, contact us now for an informal chat. We'll be happy to assist you and discuss how we may be able to help!