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I don't have a driving license. Can I still apply?
Yes you can. We place a large percentage of candidates without a driving license though of course a driving license is an advantage.
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Can I choose the city I want to go to?
We get positions all over, however availability varies so we can't guarantee to place you in a specific town. If you do only want to be in a specific town indicate it on your application and we'll do our best to place you. It could make the application process longer.
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How long will it take once I submit my application?
Depending on how attractive your application is we can arrange placements at short notice. Many candidates receive placement shortly after their application has been received. Some candidates are placed within 1 week. Even inexperienced candidates can be placed at short notice depending on demand.
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If I get homesick, can I go home?
Yes but think carefully before you apply. Take into consideration that it's a serious job and your host family is relying on you. They have also put a lot of effort into finding the right candidate for their family and the children are looking forward to getting to know you. You'll be away from your own family for a long time and your host family are hoping that you will fit in. Some candidates get homesick in the beginning, which is natural, but most quickly overcome this. They have a new environment to explore, new friends and most of all a new challenge. For the few that find it difficult to adjust they have their host family, new friends to help them and most of all the backing of totalnannies.com's organization. Nowadays with technology it is however easy to keep in touch with family and friends at home with email and Skype.
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What are most host families like?
In the majority of cases, both parents work and they usually come from a good social background. Lawyers, doctors, chartered accountant, business men etc. Most families have other domestic staff. They spend .weekends in the winter in ski resorts and in the summer (from June to September) in beautiful seaside resorts. You would go with them. All our families are professionals who are looking to establish a friendly relationship with their au-pair or nanny which can develop into a long lasting friendship. One of their main concerns is to find a serious dedicated child carer for their children. Many host families travel extensively and you would accompany them.
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What are the different possible positions available?
There are 4 different possible jobs available.
AU-PAIR: where you work maximum 6 hours per day for 6 days per week. You look after the children and do some light housework. You have minimum 1 full day off per week. 2 evenings you may be asked to baby-sit whilst the children are asleep if the parents have to go out. The pay is about £170.00 Pounds Sterling per week and it gives you time to go to school if you wish.
MOTHER'S HELP: You work for about 10 hours a day for 5 and 1/2 days per week. (Maximum 55 hours per week). You look after the children and may be asked to do a bit more heavy housework. You have a minimum of 1 1/2 days off per week and you may be asked to baby-sit for a maximum of 5 evenings a week whilst the children are asleep if the parents have to go out. The pay ranges from about £210.00 to £350.00 Pounds Sterling per week and depends on age, experience and qualifications. The exact salary will be specified in the job description.
NANNY and GOVERNESS: the same as mother's help with only childcare duties. The time off is the same. You may be asked to get up at night to feed a baby. You must have a nanny diploma. For Governess positions you must be a qualified teacher. The pay ranges from £400.00 to £1000.00 Pounds Sterling per week depending on age and experience.
MATERNITY NURSE: A maternity nurse is a qualified nanny that takes care of a newborn baby 24 hours a day for 6 days a week for the initial period after it is born to get it into a routine. You must have a nanny or child care diploma. The pay starts from £600.00+ Pounds Sterling per week.
Please note that we do sometimes get tutor/governess positions for older children. You need to be a qualified teacher to apply for this position. These are general guidelines. Your precise hours of work, time off and salary will be specified in the family job description.
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I come from Australia. Do I still only get £200.00 travel contribution payment when I complete my agreed length of stay?
Yes you do. It would be too expensive for families to pay a higher payment and non European candidates would be at a disadvantage compared to European candidates. For this reason we have established that all candidates will receive the same travel contribution payment.
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What nationalities do you accept on your program?
We accept a wide variety of nationalities on our program. Unfortunately we cannot accept all nationalities because of visa restrictions. Please refer to our
application form to see which nationalities we accept. If your nationality is not listed we are unable, at this time to accept you on our program.
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I am available to travel from January for 2 months. Can I use your program?
Yes you can but it will make your application more challenging. Unfortunately we don't often have host families who accept candidates during the year for such short periods. During this time the usual length of stay is 6 or 12 months. We do however have many short term placements that go from 1 month to 4 months during the summer period (June to September).
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I am a boy interested in your program. Can I apply?
We do accept males on our program but you must be aware that there are very few families that accept male candidates. You need to be patient as your application will be more challenging. We will however do our best to satisfy your request.
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We are a couple and we would like to find a position in one family. Is this possible?
Unfortunately at the present time we are unable to accept placements from couples as there is no demand for this type of placement.
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We are two friends interested in your program but would like to be placed close together. Is this possible?
Yes it sometimes occurs that two friends or more request to be placed in the same area. We can try and arrange this but this will make your application more challenging. Please be aware that European countries are small and travel is cheap so even if you are not placed in the same city it is quite possible that you will be placed quite close by and can meet up in your days off. However if you are flexible about the area where you are placed we will do our best to place you as close as possible.
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I am very interested in your program but I do not have sufficient funds to pay for my fare abroad. Can my host family advance my fare and then maybe take it off my first salary?
It is not possible for a host family to advance the airfare for a candidate. It is against agency policy to arrange such an agreement. You would have to find the funds for your fare abroad yourself. Remember that when you arrive in your host family you won't have any expenses and will be quickly in a position to pay back any money you may have borrowed for your fare. We also have details of cheap travel agents in our
Additional Information page
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If I leave my host family early will I receive the travel contribution payment?
No. You only get the travel contribution payment if you complete your agreed length of stay.
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I have a cat. Can I bring my pet with me?
Unfortunately not. Host families are not willing to accept pets in the family.
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I would like to apply for a position in Italy but cannot speak Italian. Can I still apply?
This is not a problem. Most of our host families speak English so the only language you need to be able to speak is English, whatever country you would like to work in.
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I would like to participate in the program but I am a single mum and want to take my child with me. Can I still apply?
Unfortunately we do not have host families willing to accept a candidate with a child.
