Finding the right childcare professionals for your needs is never the easiest thing in the world. This is a huge decision and one that you’re sure to agonise over a good few times before settling on the route that’s right for you.
Finding expert help in this regard can be a major difference between finding the right person right off the bat, or having to go through the process more than once. The latter is never a good situation because it’s bound to confuse and possibly upset your child when they have to get used to more than one person looking after them.
For that reason, knowing your options is a great place to start. A governess is one of them.
What is a Governess?
A governess is a childcare professional whose job it is to support your child’s basic care needs but also their social and educational development. Governesses typically work with children between the ages of around 4-18 years, but the core age group is around 5-15 years.
The thing which makes a governess stand out from other professionals in this field it that they are also qualified teachers.
A nanny will work with newborns, infants, and toddlers, and once the child starts school, that’s when a governess will take over.
A governess’ role is to look after the child in the parent’s absence, such as preparing meals, helping around the house in some cases, administering medication if necessary, helping with dressing and getting ready for school, etc.
However, a governess is also responsible for helping with the child’s education, though extra tuition, homework support, and answering any questions the child may have about what they’re learning.
Governesses often teach the child an extra subject or skill, such as a musical instrument, a foreign language, or a sport. In addition, a governess will also help the child with their social development, such as helping to build resilience and independence, while allowing the child to become more confident in all situations they may face.
The beauty of hiring a governess is that you can also choose different working patterns. For instance, you can have a governess that lives in the home with you and works set hours, or you can have a governess who has their own home but attends work as usual.
Our governesses are also flexible and able to travel with you whenever necessary. Many have worked for families of high social standing and understand the importance of discretion and confidentiality.
What is a Rota Governess?
Taking the idea of a governess further, a rota governess is another working pattern you can choose.
In this situation, the governess will work alongside another governess, and they will work ‘one on and one off’ throughout the week or across the month. This means your child has continuity of care and access to two professionals from whom they can learn different skills.
This situation is particularly useful for parents who work away a lot or work long hours. As such, the child is always cared for and they will become used to their governesses, allowing them to feel safe and comfortable in their care. In addition, you will have total peace of mind that your child is looked after and happy in your absence.
Rota governesses can also travel with the family; again, if you’re away on business, this type of working arrangement may be a good choice for your family.
Why Hire a Governess From South Africa?
We have many governesses on our books who are from South Africa.
You might wonder why hiring a governess from South Africa is a good choice, but we have found that our governesses from this part of the world are particularly popular thanks to their hard-working nature, fantastic organisational skills, and their love for travel.
The other plus point is that our South African governesses all follow the British school educational system and National Curriculum, and they are native English speakers. However, the fact that they live in South Africa means that they can teach your child a great deal about their culture, the nature in and around their home, and plenty of history to boot.
Rota governess positions are particularly popular amongst our South African governesses because many like to return home to visit family and then go back to work again. The rota situation allows them to do that without interrupting a placement or the continuity of care they give to the family they’re working for.
Of course, a governess from South Africa, whether rota or regular placement, can work on a live in or live out basis. It really depends on what works best for you and your child. Our governesses also love to travel as much as you, so when you’re due to head off on vacation or you need to travel for business and want your child to travel with you, your governess can accompany you and your child will be able to stay in their regular routine.
We all know how children can easily become difficult or throw regular tantrums when they’re not in their normal surroundings or their regular routine is disrupted. When your governess is with you, they’re able to reassure your child and keep things ticking along as they normally would.
As such, your child is comforted and more able to relax into their routine. Your governess can also take your child out to see the local sights and teach them about what they’re seeing, along with the culture of the country.
All in all, it’s not hard to see why a governess is a great choice for your family’s childcare needs, and our governesses from South Africa offer a great deal of flexibility to cater for whatever needs you have.
Let us Help You
Here at London Governess, we’re under no illusions as to how difficult it is to decide upon the right childcare professional to look after your child.
Leaving your child with someone other than a close family member or friend is a hard thing to do, but you can rest assured that our governesses are of the highest quality and offer everything you could possibly need within a service.
It’s also important to remember that your child will have a very special and close bond with their governess. They will spend a lot of time with them, which means they will feel able to talk about any problems they’re having.
As a parent, if you’re busy working or you have other responsibilities you also need to attend to, it can be difficult to always be there for your child as much as you would like to be. However, when you hire a governess to work within your family, you effectively have another family member to rely upon, and your child will feel safe and comfortable in their presence.
All our governesses have been vetted to the highest possible standard prior to signing with our agency. We understand just how important peace of mind is to you as parents and you can have extreme confidence in our ability to ensure that only the best and most reliable professionals sign with our service.
Our governesses are also qualified teachers and have years of experience. Many have extensive travel experience and speak more than one language, while also having teachable knowledge in other areas, such as music, art, and sports. As before, many of our governesses have also worked with high profile families in the past, so they understand how importance it is to uphold confidentiality.
All you need to do is reach out to us and let us know your requirements. From there, we can work to match you with your ideal governesses. If you would like to consider hiring a governess from South Africa, this is also something we can arrange, so your child can learn about a new culture too.
We’re able to arrange a shortlist of governesses for you to look at within a very short amount of time, but the more information you can give to us, the better. Let us have all your information and then let us do the hard work.
It’s never easy to find someone to trust with your children, but when you put the hard work in our hands, you’re guaranteed quality, safety, and the very best care. We pride ourselves on our years of high-quality service.
So, contact us today and let us get to arranging for the best governess to join your family.
