| 1) | Who are these Asian nannies? |
| Asian nannies are young (and sometimes not so young) women from the economically less privileged Southeast Asian countries. The nannies from the Philippines usually have a secondary education but a substantial number have a tertiary education. Some of the domestic workers in Singapore possess university degrees like Bachelor of Science in Education or Bachelor of Science in Nutrition. | |
| 2) | What can Asian nannies do? |
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Asian nannies are unlike au pairs. They are not merely mother's
helpers, working half the time and soaking in the culture of their
host families and picking up a new language.
Asian nannies are often career nannies and they not only take care of
babies, infants and school-age children, but also do the housekeeping as
well: cooking not only for their young charges, but the whole family;
keeping the house neat and tidy; and also do the laundry.
Lacking opportunities at home, she gives her best as a nanny in Singapore. When these foreign nannies have gained enough experience in Singapore, they gain in confidence and look for better prospects elsewhere, especially Canada.
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| 3) | Why do educated young (and not so young) women want to work as nannies? |
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Faced with lack of meaningful employment opportunities at home, many
of these women who have tertiary education have little choice but to
accept less glamorous positions and work long hours as seamstresses in
garment factories, as sales clerks or cashiers.
Those who come to know that as domestic workers in nearby Singapore they may be even better off, decide then to become nannies. The next logical step, when they have become fluent in English and adjusted to life in a different country, is to look for a similar position in Canada or the U.S.A., where the work is pretty much the same, except less taxing and pays better. In Singapore the working hours are not regulated by law and so the nanny ends up being a housekeeper as well and sometimes is kept busy the whole day long, until madam comes home. Employers in Canada are surprised at what these nannies who have been used to life in Singapore can and will do for them. |
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| 4) | What will it cost to employ an Asian nanny? |
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The salary depends on what province you live in and it changes from time
to time. The salary is usually equal to the minimum wage set by the
province, around C$1,200. Out of this, the employer pays C$900 in cash
and C$300 in kind - for the food and lodging provided.
As for agency fee, send us
an email to find out how
affordable it is.
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| 5) | How long will it take to hire an Asian nanny? |
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Visa processing for Canada takes about 4 months (according to the
Canadian High Commission). But before a nanny's request for a visa will
be entertained by the Canadian High Commission, the prospective employer
needs the approval of HRDC. Some employers get their approval two weeks
while others take longer.
But an Asian nannyfrom Singapore is well worth the wait. Find out why.
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| 6) | I want to sponsor an Asian nanny from Singapore. What do I do next? |
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If you decide you want to sponsor an Asian nanny from Singapore,
click here and you will find useful numbers and links
to HRDC web sites which much information and advice and also a search
facility to help you locate a Human Resource Center in your area.
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| 7) | Will an Asian nanny go to work in a rural community? |
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If population density were a criterion, an Asian nanny would probably
rather work in Manila, Jakarta, Colombo or Singapore. If she has a
chance to work in a Metropolitan area, an Asian nanny will be glad. If
she has a chance to work in a small town in the Yukon, she will be
glad, too.
Given a choice between Singapore and Aklavik, an Asian nanny will choose Aklavik anytime. Or Yellow Knife. Asian nannies have gone to work in small cities like Yellow Knife, Aklavik and Inuvik. And they will continue to do so.
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| 8) | How are Asian nannies for Canada recruited? |
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We recruit nannies while they are still working in Singapore. This
gives us the opportunity to assess their spoken English.
As it does take more than a couple of hours to get to know a nanny's capabilities, we ask the employer for an assessment, based on 10 character traits such as honesty, reliability, diligence, competence, etc. Finally, we require a nanny to furnish a testimonial from her current employer. Prospective employers in Canada, looking at the application, the testimonial and our own interview report can then decide if the nanny they have in mind will fit in. Some employers will not give a reference in the belief that their nanny will leave them in the lurch. Fortunately some are more enlightened and agree to furnish a reference on the understanding that their nanny will not leave without first giving them enough notice to find another nanny.
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| 9) | Are Asian nannies good with children? |
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Although most of the foreign nannies/housekeepers in Singapore are
good with children, there are some with less experience with children.
The resumes show the ages of the children in their charge. In the case of previous positions held, the ages of the children shown are the ages when they left the position. For example, if the ages of the children are shown as 6 and 8, and the nanny has worked for the family for the family for 6 years, then the ages of the children when she began working for the family would be 0 and 2.
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| 10) | Why hire an Asian nanny? |
Asian nannies are more than nannies. Within the limits of their
abilities, an Asian nanny typically performs the following duties
while both the parents are occupied:
The more accomplished ones, who may have a Bachelor of Scienc in Elementary Education also organise play and/or learning activities of their young charges. While their abilities are important to the would-be employer, what is even more important is their attitude. They typically work long hours without complaining. So working 40-50 hours a week is for them is no big deal.
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| 11) | Can an Asian nanny from Singapore work as a caregiver for an elderly person? |
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Some nannies have training as midwives. The course lasts two years and
the trainees are assigned to a hospital for two semesters. There they
perform the duties that might be expected of a caregiver for the
elderly or sick.
Others (not so common) are nursing graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing who gave up waiting for a job as a nurse and decided to work in Singapore either as a nanny or in one of the homes for the elderly. Then there are those who are "trained on the job". The family cannot afford a full-fledged nurse and so hire a "maid" who is trained on the job - by professionals in the hospital or visiting health care workers like physical therapists and nurses. If you require someone with knowledge and/or experience in the care of the elderly or sick, please be sure to say so. In case a caregiver is not formally trained but has valuable experience, she can be required to take a course in first aid and/or CPR to satisfy the officer at the Canadian High Commission in Singapore that they are qualified for the position offered.
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Occasionally one is lucky to find a nanny who is more accomplished,
who might have been a teacher if a suitable teaching position could be
found. Nanny Janet (shown here) is one such nanny. She is not only
nanny-cum-housekeeper, but a teacher as well.
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Updated: September 15, 2000 |