We would like to share our bad experience with Nanny (Live-in caregiver) to everyone, and caution other employers of nannies to keep an eye on them. We had sponsored a Nanny Visa for Melwida Erive from Philippine. When she came here she said they were treated very inhumanly in HonKong where she was working earlier. We had a long chat with her and told her that we would give you all the respect and treat her as our family member. We also suggested that she should be open and honest with us. We told her also that for us you are a stranger, yet we are keeping our small kids in your hands and we would trust her and do not break our trust.

She worked well for around one and half month and then later we noticed that she is not concentrating on her work and we felt that something is going on. In the meanwhile she had started working outside on the weekends, so we thought that she is not concentrating at our work. We showed our concern and asked her if something is wrong, she said there is nothing and she will concentrate on her work properly.

I had told her to take my 16 month old daughter to the playgroup at the nearby community centre on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. I used to pay her the drop in fee for the playgroup. The community centre is attached to the elementary school where my older son goes to kindergarten. Once when I called the centre to enquire about the summer camps and wanted the forms to be handed to my caregiver as it was the playgroup time, the receptionist informed me that they have not come to the playgroup. Infact, I was the one who had dropped them in the morning that day in front of the community centre. I was shocked as we had completely trusted her and never anticipated such a thing would happen. I did not know what to do, where she is taking my daughter to. I called her up on her cell phone and asked her and she said she is going back home from the playgroup as it is finished. She lied to me, when I enquired at the centre I came to know that there are several days when she did not take my daughter to the playgroup. When I asked her where you took my daughter she said she took her to the friends place, I do not know if she was telling the truth. To crosscheck I asked her friends number and called her friend, she said that she went to her house only one day But my nanny was not telling me where did she take my daughter on those other days. I completely lost faith in her and could not trust her anymore and had to ask her to leave. She committed to her mistake and apologised for it and she said give me another chance. But as she proved to be not trust worthy and unreliable, we felt we could not take a second chance as it is kids matter.

Because of her all of a sudden now I do not have a caregiver who can take care of kids when I away working full time and as every body know getting a daycare spot is not that easy and every where is waiting list.

By writing all this here we want to beware others out there who would like to have a live-in nanny and trust them completely and keep on eye on them.

Teja,
Victoria.