Get to work

Summer, followed by the start of the school term, is traditionally the busiest time of year for nanny agencies. A few years ago a client phoning the agency in September would have to be told she had missed the best candidates, as qualified nannies were snapped up by employers almost as soon as they'd signed up. However, this year many agencies are finding they still have a healthy list of qualified, experienced nannies, capable nursery nurses and enthusiastic college leavers, and it's the jobs that are being snapped up, rather than the nannies.

This comes as a shock to quite a few. The experienced nanny leaving full-time, well-paid work - perhaps after the family's children have outgrown needing her - who expects to walk into a similar position may well find that all that's on offer locally is two or three days a week, with no guarantee that the other days can be filled with another family. Then there's the nursery nurse who wants to become a nanny - at least she can often earn as much in three days nannying as she did in a whole week at nursery. Both these types of jobseekers need to plan for the possibility that they may not get full-time hours immediately.