Nanny shares: the employer’s perspective

“I was ready to return to work after the birth of my daughter, but needed flexible childcare to match my four-day working week. With just a couple of months to go before returning I realised I had not even thought about what type of childcare I was going to arrange. After checking out a nursery near my home I knew I wanted a different option. The daily cost was £70.

A friend told me about nannysharing and I could see that sharing would give me the quality childcare offered by a nanny without the full costs. I registering with an online nannyshare site and within just a few days I had half a dozen replies from families in my area.

They were people I would never have met otherwise.

A family just three streets away got in touch and they already had a nanny. They were looking for a share for part of the week, not only to help with the costs but also to give their baby girl the benefit of another child’s company.

The girls were six months old when the share started and got on really well. I made sure before things started that I liked the nanny and I was really impressed with her.

Work circumstances have changed since, so the share came to an end, but our two families have formed a lifelong friendship out of the share.”