If Boris Johnson Can’t Afford A Nanny, Has He Considered A Childminder?

'I've compiled a shortlist, all for an average of £6.50 an hour - or 0.004% of Boris' £150,000 salary,' says Isabel Mohan.

Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds

by Rhiannon Evans |
Updated on

The Covid childcare crisis has been well-documented - nurseries and childminders were closed to all but key workers for months, and many parents are still juggling childcare costs and availability alongside their potentially compromised incomes - but until now I had no idea it was on Boris Johnson’s personal list of problems, presumably somewhere between 'attempting to run a country during a pandemic' and 'just can’t do a thing with my hair'.

According to recent reports, the Prime Minister and his partner Carrie Symonds are 'struggling' to afford a nanny - and this has exposed the fact that, while swathes of ordinary working parents have been scrambling around, a privileged few have continued to lean on unregulated nannies throughout because the more official childcare options just aren’t on their radars.

It might be difficult to sympathise with someone on a six-figure salary not being to afford, well, anything, but we all know that any drop in income can feel brutal whatever the circumstances, whether you’re currently unemployed, furloughed, self-employed and lacking work, on a reduced salary while your company tries to find its feet, just generally worried about the future, or if, like Boris, you have recently expanded your family and taken a significant pay cut.

READ MORE: Can Grandparents Provide Childcare And Hug Their Grandchildren During Coronavirus Restrictions?

I’m not saying that the PM has huge amounts in common with someone on a zero hours, minimum wage contract in the service industry, but… OK, I’m going to end this comparison here, as they have nothing in common and it would be insulting and patronising to suggest they did. But apparently Boris and Carrie are feeling the pinch because he 'only' gets paid £150,000 a year to run the country and she’s on mat leave with baby Wilfred.

Previously he took a rumoured £275,000 a year for his Telegraph column (definitely in line with what they occasionally pay me to write reviews of reality TV shows) as well as fees for public speaking engagements - neither of which he’s allowed to do as PM - plus he has… counts furiously... several… children to support, so we can see that his plummeting income could be a bit of an issue, in their somewhat hard to relate to world. But I’m keen to let Boris and others of similar pedigree know that - get this - nannies aren’t crucial.

I’m not knocking nannies - I’ve dabbled myself and it was awesome; ours was so universally kind and caring that she once rescued a really ugly baby pigeon she found floundering in the street and hand-reared it until it was ready to be set free - but they are expensive. There are other options that offer many of the benefits but without the hefty price tag.

I work for tiney, a start-up reinventing the childminding industry, and it’s become clear during my time here that many people have no flipping idea what a childminder is. Take the brilliant MP Jess Phillips for instance - when tweeting about the very issue of Boris’s childcare woes, she asked, 'Does a nanny always live in? Or is it just a fancy word for childminder?' and this is a common misconception.

Be aware there is life beyond Mary Poppins. Modern childminders are smart, caring, qualified, located around every corner and incredibly affordable.

In their ever-confusing Covid guidance, the government even used 'childminder' as a blanket term for all people who care for children for a living, which isn’t accurate at all and caused huge amounts of confusion within the early years industry - so for the benefit of Jess and anyone else feeling bewildered, please allow me to explaintiney.

Nannies are unregulated and don’t need any specific qualifications - first aid training, DBS checks and childcare certificates are merely a nice-to-have: you could list yourself as a nanny on one of the many informal childcare platforms today and, if you can string a sentence together and have a friendly face, you would probably get enquiries from frazzled parents with money to spend. Nannies sometimes live in but, more often these days, have their own place and just come to your house to care for your children while you scrutinise your own nose on Zoom, or run the country.

A childminder, on the other hand, is a proper profession. They have to train - they can do this through the council, or they can sign up with an agency like tiney and get lots of support with admin and marketing - and undergo lots of safeguarding training. They are inspected regularly, they follow the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage - the same framework used by nurseries and schools) and they work from their own homes, which they transform into often magnificent micro-nurseries. Many of the childminders on our books (actually, it’s an app) are ex-teachers and teaching assistants, others come from diverse professions - from city workers to florists - while some are the kind of mums who make you feel inadequate on Instagram because they can effortlessly whip up toast in the shape of Paddington Bear. And quite a few are actually former nannies who now want to run their own business from their living room.

READ MORE: The Truth About How Much Childcare Costs Differ Around The World

Childminders also offer a natural bubble of sorts - basically they invented the rule of six, since that’s how many under-8s they’re allowed to care for at once (three can be under five, and only one can be a baby under a year old) - which is why many parents are seeing it as an option they feel comfortable with in this gloomy, virus-stricken world. At tiney over the past few months, we’ve seen a surge of interest from both prospective childminders and parents interested in signing them up. But still, the industry is misunderstood, because back when we were kids, a childminder was usually just your mum’s nice mate who’d pick you up from school and stick you in front of Blue Peter with a Wagon Wheel and a beaker of squash.

I’m not entirely sure what Boris and Carrie spend all their money on - although I have noted that she has some pretty nice dresses and he has recently taken on a 'celebrity' personal trainer - but I’d like them to be aware that there is life beyond Mary Poppins. Modern childminders are smart, caring, qualified, located around every corner and incredibly affordable compared to other childcare options. In this changing world of remote working and uncertain finances, they need to be championed.

Since we all know that Boris and Carrie are busy people, I’ve done some of the legwork for them and have compiled a shortlistof fantastic London childminders, all within a couple of miles of Downing Street, speaking dozens of different languages between them, offering ready-made playmates for Wilfred, home-cooked meals, outdoor play, creative activities and all of London’s wonderful parks on their doorstep… and all for an average of £6.50 an hour - or 0.004% of his £150,000 salary. You’re welcome, Boris.

If you’re interested in joining tiney’s community of brilliant early years educators, or hiring one for your own family, you can find out more here.

Gallery

Best Parenting Books

How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t with Your Kids, By Carla Naumburg PhD1 of 30

How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t with Your Kids, By Carla Naumburg PhD

Pragmatic about helping you work through your sh*t to be a more present and positive parent. Increasingly relevant to today's parents, who are more overloaded, overwhelmed, and overworked than ever before, Carla Naumburg has the antidote to the feelings of complete despair and rage. With some humour too…

There's No Such Thing As 'Naughty', By Kate Silverton2 of 30

There's No Such Thing As 'Naughty', By Kate Silverton

This Sunday Times Bestseller details the secret to tackling tantrums, tears and laying the foundations for your child's mental health. In There's No Such Thing As 'Naughty', mum to two young children, journalist and children's mental health advocate Kate Silverton shares her groundbreaking new approach to parenting under-fives that helps to make family life a breeze!

How to Raise Kids Who Aren't Assholes, By Melinda Wenner Moyer3 of 30

How to Raise Kids Who Aren't Assholes, By Melinda Wenner Moyer

As Melinda's children grew, she found that one huge area was ignored in the realm of parenting advice: how do we make sure our kids don't grow up to be assholes? How to Raise Kids Who Aren't Assholes is a researched, evidence-based guide that provides a fresh, often surprising perspective on parenting issues, from toddlerhood through the teenage years.

Why Did No One Tell Me?: How to Protect Heal and Nurture Your Body Through Motherhood4 of 30

Why Did No One Tell Me?: How to Protect Heal and Nurture Your Body Through Motherhood

For too long, women have been told that debilitating conditions following pregnancy are normal and something they have to just put up with. Emma Brockwell is on a mission to change this. In this guide, Emma combines her expertise as a specialist women's health physiotherapist with personal experience to create a warm and informative handbook to help pregnant women and new mums take control and care for their changing bodies. Find out how to:

The Gentle Discipline Book, By Sarah Ockwell-Smith5 of 30

The Gentle Discipline Book, By Sarah Ockwell-Smith

In The Gentle Discipline Book, Sarah Ockwell-Smith debunks many commonly held beliefs about punishment and motivation and provides an alternative approach that will empower you to discipline your child in an effective way and with respect. Gentle discipline is not about mollycoddling your child or being a pushover - it means understanding your child, having realistic expectations of them, and responding to their misbehaviour appropriately. It focuses on teaching and learning, not punishment or rewarding.

No Bad Kids: Toddler Discipline Without Shame6 of 30

No Bad Kids: Toddler Discipline Without Shame

No Bad Kids is a collection of Janet's most popular and widely read articles pertaining to common toddler behaviours and how respectful parenting practices can be applied to benefit both parents and children. It covers such common topics as punishment, cooperation, boundaries, testing, tantrums, hitting, and more.

When The World Feels Like A Scary Place, By Abigail Gewirtz7 of 30

When The World Feels Like A Scary Place, By Abigail Gewirtz

This book by prominent child psychologist Dr Abi Gewirtz, brings solutions to a problem that is only going to get worse - how bad things happening in the world affect our children, and how we can raise engaged and confident kids in spite of them. Through conversation scripts, talking points, prompts and insightful asides, When the World Feels Like a Scary Place is an indispensable guide to talking to our kids about the big things that worry them - making us calmer parents with more resilient children.

Queen Bees and Wannabes8 of 30

Queen Bees and Wannabes

A revised and updated version of Rosalind Wiseman's groundbreaking book for a new generation of girls. Packed with insights about technology's impact on Girl World and enlivened with the experiences of girls, boys, and parents, the book that inspired the hit movie Mean Girls (YES REALLY) offers concrete strategies to help you empower your daughter to be socially competent and treat herself with dignity.

How Toddlers Thrive, By Tovah P. Klein9 of 30

How Toddlers Thrive, By Tovah P. Klein

Leading toddler expert Dr Tovah P. Klein reveals why age two to five is the most crucial time for a child's brain development and how parents can harness this period to have a lifelong positive effect on their children's lives. With chapters on everyday routines, tantrums, managing change and avoiding toddler shaming, this smart and useful guide promises to inspire you to be a better parent. Sarah Jessica Parker says: 'Tovah taught me how to resist the temptation to fix everything, and instead give my children the opportunity to learn how to problem-solve for themselves.'

The Montessori Toddler10 of 30

The Montessori Toddler

This book promises to not only help you become a more effective parent but actually change how you see your children. Written by Montessori educator Simone Davies, this book shows you how to bring the educational values of a Montessori classroom into your home-while

Parenting The Sh*t Out Of Life11 of 30

Parenting The Sh*t Out Of Life

From Grazia columnist Anna Whitehouse aka Mother Pukka and Matt Farquharson aka Papa Pukka, comes the Sunday Times bestselling account of parenting told from both perspectives, and a handy guide (kind of) on how to raise a small human. The must-read for all parents and parents-to-be - and possibly the best (or worst) baby shower gift you could ever give a prospective mum or dad...

What Mummy Makes12 of 30

What Mummy Makes

Promising 130 recipes that will suit six-month-olds AND the rest of the family, this book could save you a lot of hassle when it comes to dinnertime…

Sex, Likes And Social Media: Talking To Our Teens In The Digital Age, By Deana Puccio And Allison Havey13 of 30

Sex, Likes And Social Media: Talking To Our Teens In The Digital Age, By Deana Puccio And Allison Havey

Based on their professional work with young people, parents and teachers – and their experiences with their own children – Deana Puccio and Allison Havey give you the tools to talk to children who are digital natives with experiences wildly different from their parents'.

I Am Not Your Baby Mother14 of 30

I Am Not Your Baby Mother

A thought-provoking, urgent and inspirational guide to life as a Black mother. It explores the various stages between pregnancy and waving your child off at the gates of primary school while facing hurdles such as white privilege, racial micro-aggression and unconscious bias at every point. Candice does so with her trademark sense of humour and refreshing straight-talking, and the result is a call-to-arms that will allow mums like her to take control, scrapping the parenting rulebook to mother their own way.

The Calm And Happy Toddler, By Dr Rebecca Chicot15 of 30

The Calm And Happy Toddler, By Dr Rebecca Chicot

You think a newborn is the hard bit… and then you meet your little toddler. This book promises to help you, gently, through tantrums, night-waking, potty-training and all the fun stuff that goes with having a toddler. Dr Rebecca Chicot has a PhD in Parenting and Child Development from Cambridge University.

How To Talk So Little Kids Will Listen16 of 30

How To Talk So Little Kids Will Listen

Tried and tested communication strategies to survive - and thrive - with kids ages 2-7. Users have rated this book for having a helpful toolbox of tricks that are easy to understand and carry out.

Calm Parents, Happy Kids: The Secrets Of Stress-Free Parenting, By Dr Laura Markham17 of 30

Calm Parents, Happy Kids: The Secrets Of Stress-Free Parenting, By Dr Laura Markham

Most parenting books focus on changing a child's behaviour, but this book says the truth is that children only change when their relationship with their parents changes. In Calm Parents, Happy Kids, Dr Laura Markham introduces an approach to parenting that eliminates threats, power struggles and manipulation, in favour of setting limits with empathy and communication. Bringing together the latest research in brain development with a focus on emotional awareness (for both parents and children), it will appeal to all parents who don't want to force their children into compliance and lose their temper, but want to keep calm and help their children want to behave.

15-Minute Parenting 0-7 Years: Quick And Easy Ways To Connect With Your Child, By Joanna Fortune18 of 30

15-Minute Parenting 0-7 Years: Quick And Easy Ways To Connect With Your Child, By Joanna Fortune

This also comes in a version for 8-12-year-olds and posits that just 15 minutes of mindful playtime each day in your and your child's routine could change behaviour. Created with busy parents in mind, psychotherapist and parenting expert Joanna Fortune has devised a simple but effective method to build quality playful time together at home, structured around 15-minute games that can be easily incorporated into your existing daily routine.

The Joy Journal for Magical Everyday Play19 of 30

The Joy Journal for Magical Everyday Play

With a foreword written by Fearne Cotton and written by Russell Brand's wife and mother to his two children, this book has star ratings. But it's also hugely useful and full of games and tips to keep children preoccupied in ways that don't involve screens, which everyone knows is very much half the battle of parenthood...

French Children Don't Throw Food20 of 30

French Children Don't Throw Food

Part travel book and autobiography, this book shares journalist Pamela's parenting tips she learned from living in France. And, for added glam, it's set to be made into a film, starring Anne Hathaway...

The Whole-Brain Child21 of 30

The Whole-Brain Child

Designed to help children of different ages, this pioneering, practical book for parents, neuroscientist Daniel J. Siegel and parenting expert Tina Payne Bryson explain the new science of how a child's brain is wired and how it matures. Different parts of a child's brain develop at different speeds and understanding these differences can help you turn any outburst, argument, or fear into a chance to integrate your child's brain and raise calmer, happier children.

The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (And Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did), By Philippa Perry22 of 30

The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (And Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did), By Philippa Perry

Philippa Perry has been a psychotherapist for the past twenty years. She lives in London with her husband the artist Grayson Perry, and they have a grown-up daughter, Flo. Billed as a book for parents and children (and those who aren't yet parents), this book comprehensively covers lots of different stages of life and has a host of celebrity fans from Nigella Lawson to Fearne Cotton.

Your Baby Week By Week23 of 30

Your Baby Week By Week

The book to shove in your pregnant friend's hands and tell them to only read week by week. A helpful manual of things your baby might and could be doing, week by week. As with all books, best taken with a dose of salt too – use the helpful bits, ignore the unhelpful/ones you can't quite face (i.e. the sleep bits…)

Nobody Told Me24 of 30

Nobody Told Me

If it's weaning or sleep-training schedules you're looking for, this might not help exactly, but this book of poetry will make you smile. And probably nod your head a lot. And sometimes cry, and sometimes feel understood. Which goes much further than you'd think.

The Second Baby Book, By Sarah Ockwell-Smith25 of 30

The Second Baby Book, By Sarah Ockwell-Smith

This guide examines the specific issues that can arise with a second pregnancy and birth. From the common concerns about siblings, such as how to prepare your firstborn for what's to come, to how to cope with the practicalities of life with two young children. And the feelings parents are likely to experience, too - because it's easy to forget about this part.

Between: A guide for parents of eight to thirteen-year-olds26 of 30

Between: A guide for parents of eight to thirteen-year-olds

Raising a teenager can leave you feeling like a parenting beginner all over again. Children in the 'between' stage change daily, leaving parents struggling to understand the child they once thought they knew. In Between by parenting expert Sarah Ockwell-Smith uses biology, psychology and sociology of adolescence to give readers practical parenting advice that you can use to help your child through the tricky transition from childhood to adulthood.

How to Talk so Kids Will Listen and Listen so Kids Will Talk27 of 30

How to Talk so Kids Will Listen and Listen so Kids Will Talk

Parenting experts Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish provide effective step-by-step techniques to help you improve and enrich your relationships with your children. Read this guide to learn how to break a pattern of arguments, cope with your child's negative feelings, engage your child's co-operation, set clear limits, express your anger without being hurtful and resolve family conflicts peacefully.

The Danish Way Of Parenting: What The Happiest People In The World Know About Raising Confident, Capable Kids, By Jesica Joel Alexander And Iben Dissing Sandahl28 of 30

The Danish Way Of Parenting

What makes Denmark the happiest country in the world, and how do Danish parents raise happy, confident, successful kids, year after year? This upbeat and practical guide reveals the six essential principles that have been working for parents in Denmark for decades:

Baby Knows Best29 of 30

Baby Knows Best

Baby Knows Best is a comprehensive guide that shows parents how to respond to their babies' cues and signals; how to develop healthy sleep habits, why babies need uninterrupted playtime and how to set clear consistent limits. After reading as parents you will be more relaxed and also have more confident, self-reliant children.

Calmer, Easier, Happier Boys30 of 30

Calmer, Easier, Happier Boys

Calmer Easier Happier Boys sees parenting expert Noel Janis-Norton explains simple strategies for the unique challenges of raising motivated, cooperative and confident boys. Using the stellar techniques Noel has developed over many years of working with families, parents can get back in charge. Living with boys can become calmer, easier and happier.

Just so you know, we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this website - read why you should trust us