Finding European Childcare Providers in Vancouver

Vancouver, BC, — Finding qualified childcare/ eldercare, not to mention bilingual care providers, is probably one of the most important and challenging tasks a parent/child will enter into. Tthe owner of Vancouver German Services Ltd. understands this process and tries to help make things easier.

Finding a placement service to locate the correct applicant saves money, and valuable time that busy parents with professional careers may not have. Vancouver German Services also offers a “self-serve” option, where for a finders fee, parents may choose to do background checks and screening on their own.

Elke Porter, with a background in early childhood education and two young children of her own, is the owner of Vancouver German Services, a brand new agency that specializes in finding German, Swiss, Austrian, UK and Australian Caregivers. The agency, through a partner in Munich, Germany, also finds young nannies that would like to spend a year in Germany as an “au pair”, providing childcare for host families in return for pocket money and German lessons.

Vancouver German Services screening process helps make each placement a success. When they present a candidate, parents/children have peace of mind because they know that each nanny has been thoroughly screened as a qualified childcare provider. All nannies that meet the criteria have their picture and details placed on the “Nanny Profiles” page, so that families can browse them and choose the candidates they wish to meet themselves. Interested families can put their details on our “Family Profiles” page, as well.

Porter is scouring the Internet for all the places that the right nannies may be spending time in order to recruit these under the “Live-in Caregiver Program.” Her German language skills make it easier to place ads in in Austria, Switzerland and Germany. “There is a demand for German-speaking caregivers in Vancouver,” Porter says, “But finding the right candidates is the greatest challenge. If you know of anyone interested in signing up with the agency, please let us know!”

Being a nanny requires a significant commitment, and requires knowledge and experience about child care. At Vancouver German Services, all nannies or caregivers need to demonstrate fluent German and/or English language skills, have a criminal records check, first aid certificate, TB Test/Statement of health and 2 letters of reference, as well as 2 references to call. Under the “Live-in Caregiver Program”, each overseas nanny needs to have fairly good English skills, at least high school graduation (or equivilant) and either 6-months training or at least 12 months full-time experience in their chosen career.
Porter is involved in the German-speaking Community around Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. She has lived in Germany, Australia and the US. She dreams of opening up a German Preschool in Vancouver, but finds a German nanny is the next best thing. On May 26th and 27th, she was a guest on “German Today” with Bernadette Berry and each year she plans a Lantern Festival in November, based on St. Martin’s Fest, the Patron Saint of the poor, who shared his cloak with a beggar.

Vancouver German Services is a full-service nanny placement service agency that tries to help parents to find qualified nannies for both live-in and live-out assignments. They also help children find caregivers for their elderly parents and those with disabilities live-in and live-out caregivers on a full or part-time basis. Finally, they send qualified Canadians between the ages of 18 and 24, to Germany as “Au Pairs.” Eventually, they also plan to find German-speaking tutors, teachers, housekeepers and other staff.