u/Necessary-Coat2148

Who would you recommend? Kind of looking for a one stop shop for supply and fit. Ideally under €10k for 115 sq m new build 😅

My spouse and I are both doctors and have two children who are going to be 1 and 5 years old when we will need full time childcare. The local creche does afterschool collections but doesn’t mind babies. The next nearest creche who minds babies would make for a difficult commute to and from work. But even if we managed it, the waitlist is nearly 2 years long. My scheme wont wait that long.

Asking around a few of our colleagues have had luck with au pairs and mindme, but I personally have trust issues stemming from childhood accidents I’ve seen at work which many might relate to in this sub. I have also learned a lot about how many au pairs are (perhaps unknowingly) in illegal arrangements in Ireland vs other EU countries, especially around minimum pay. Ireland classes au pairs as domestic workers with all the same rights as a nanny, and once you pay them properly a career nanny isn’t that much more expensive in the end.

Our standards are basic I think - don’t text and drive, cut grapes etc into quarters and supervise meals, know CPR/first aid, know how to swim, be a nice person who actually likes children most of the time. We wouldn’t expect a nanny to also be a housekeeper and primary school teacher (some of the ads on nanny agency websites are in fact this demanding).

It’s difficult to find someone who you know will be a good fit, but I met a few in my daughter’s creche. Just wondering if anyone here hired a live out nanny, perhaps from a local creche or an agency, and how it worked out. We are considering offering a salary match with proper payslips (PRSI etc) to a room leader. They’d never be asked to work holidays or weekends either.

I have basically gone through every childcare option for two children aged 1 and 5. Creche/afterschool, childminders, au pairs etc. Realistically a nanny is the only thing that works for us because of healthcare jobs, commutes, unpredictable finish times and the fact there are no local creches that both mind babies and do school collections. Waitlists are also about 1.5 years long and I need to return to work long before that to maintain qualifications. It will cost us a minimum of €3000 a month for 38-40 hours over 4 weekdays, plus the cost of payroll for revenue compliance.

What I’m really struggling with is trust. Working in healthcare I’ve seen too many horrific childhood accidents and emergencies, often under the supervision of loving competent parents. I know good childcare professionals are trained, experienced and safety conscious, but I cannot bring myself to hire someone random off Facebook or Mindme cash in hand. I feel like I need to genuinely know and trust the person supervising meals, driving children around, managing tantrums, potty training accidents etc.

There is a room leader in my daughter’s creche who she absolutely loves and who my husband and I also think is fantastic. We’ve wondered about asking whether she’d ever consider nannying with at least a salary match, proper payslips/PRSI and more flexibility with annual leave. There are a couple of others there we’d also trust equally. But I feel conflicted about potentially poaching staff from a struggling sector, even if the pay would likely be better, and I also have no idea how to approach someone out of the blue with something like this in socially appropriate way. My daughter is leaving the creche soon and the nanny job won’t start until Spring 2027, so at least if they decline it won’t be awkward.

Any ideas?

Thank god her lies were noticed and reported. Why did this person lie and not care about another?