We hope you'll be able to find all the information you need about our after school service below. If you have any other questions, just get in touch at support@korukids.co.uk, or check out our Help Centre.
We believe finding outstanding childcare in London should be simple. We recruit, vet and train top uni students and older people to help local families after school. When you register for free with Koru Kids, you'll instantly be able to look through all the nannies in your area who meet your requirements. If you decide to hire one they’ll become your regular nanny every week during term-time.
We wish we could guarantee one of our amazing nannies for every family that signs up with Koru Kids but your chances of finding a nanny do depend on where you live, when you sign up and what requirements you have.
90% of families that live in London will have nannies to choose from. If we don’t have anyone suitable available when you sign up, we’ll be sure to contact you as soon as a new nanny who matches your requirements becomes available in your area. We’re constantly recruiting nannies, and have new nannies completing training every day.
Finding a top after school nanny
- Register and you’ll immediately be able to look through the profiles of all the nannies in your area who meet your requirements, using our Instant Search feature.
- You’ll be able to see a Live Count of all the nannies who meet your requirements. (Top tip: try tweaking your search criteria (such as which days you’d like a nanny for, how far away the nanny lives, language and driving preferences) to see how it affects the number of nannies visible to you.)
- Any nannies you think might be a good fit for your family, you can ‘Invite to Chat’ to start a conversation about working together. (Nannies you have invited to chat will be shown under the ‘Shortlisted’ tab.) Our Matching Team will also send you their recommendations – nannies that look like a particularly good fit for your family.
- If the nanny accepts your invitation, you can then talk to them directly and book an interview with them through our system.
- You’re welcome to meet with multiple candidates before deciding which one to go ahead with. You can meet the same nanny more than once or organise a trial to make sure they’re the right fit for your family. (Note: trials must be paid for through Koru Kids.)
- If you decide you’d like to hire one of our after school nannies, Koru Kids takes care of all the admin for you including setting up your contract and payroll. But it doesn’t stop there – we’ll continue to support you and your nanny for the duration of your time together.
How long will it take to find a nanny?
We hate to say it but… it depends. Once you’ve registered, you can instantly see all the nannies in your area who meet your requirements. If you think any of them would be a good fit for your family, you can invite them to chat, discuss the specifics of the role with them and meet for an interview before agreeing to work together. This whole process can take less than a week if both sides move quickly.
Is there a minimum or maximum number of hours per week the nannies can do?
There’s no maximum. Nannies’ schedules differ — some can work all five afternoons each week, others less.
We ask that parents offer their nanny at least 9 hours of work per week as a minimum. If you need a nanny for less than 9 hours per week, you can agree to pay a higher rate.
If your nanny ends up working fewer hours than the minimum, we will round up the invoice at the end of the month. More information on how this works can be found here.
Why do we have this minimum?
- To balance our families’ fluctuating childcare needs with our nannies’ need for a consistent income
- To ensure the job is sustainable for our nannies and they receive a guaranteed salary
- To cover our set up and ongoing costs
If your nanny can’t work for 9 hours a week during term time, please let us know and we’ll adjust your invoice accordingly.
What can the nanny help with?
Nannies will of course turn up on time and keep the kids safe! But they’ll do loads more than that.
Firstly, the nanny will pick up your kids from school and take them home to your house, or to any after school activities. At home, they can supervise homework, cook simple meals and snacks, and help the kids get ready for bed.
They’re all looking forward to having fun with the kids, playing games and other activities and using their skills in music, art, sports etc to engage and bond with the children.
We have an active online community where the nannies swap tips for crafts, cooking, outdoor activities and trips and we share new ideas with them monthly, so they’re always armed with new ideas.
After school nanny shares
If you know another parent at the school and you want to share a nanny we can help set that up. You’ll also save money – our nanny shares cost £9 per hour per family. Plus the nanny will get a payrise so it’s a win-win. Read more here.
Who are your nannies?
Most of our nannies are university students, studying in London for a wide range of degrees. They make great nannies because they’re smart, energetic and want to work part-time around their studies unlike professional nannies who usually need to work at least 20 hours a week.
We’ve also started to train amazing retirees who are passionate about childcare and are looking for part-time work to suit their lifestyle.
Are the nannies DBS checked and first aid trained?
Once you’ve met the nanny you would like to hire, and you've both agreed to the match, we will process an enhanced DBS check on your behalf. This usually takes 1-2 weeks to complete. We will also invite your nanny to attend one of our paediatric first aid courses. There are no additional charges for these – they’re covered as part of our £13 per hour fee.
Usually the nanny will have the completed DBS check and first aid training within two weeks of you deciding to hire them. Sometimes your nanny may start before these are complete – just let us know if this is an issue.
Please note: Our short-term coronavirus contracts operate slightly differently. For these contracts, we are temporarily making DBS checks optional for a £50 fee. Your nanny will still receive First Aid training as before. You can find more information here.
How does your pricing work?
Our pricing structure is really simple. The service costs:
- £13 per hour for more than 9 hours a week. (This is what most of our families pay).
- £15.50 per hour for less than 9 hours a week.
- £9 per hour if you share your nanny with another family.
These costs are all-inclusive (gross). Per family not per child.
We’ve kept it simple because childcare is complex enough and we want everything we do to make parents' lives easier.
This cost covers your nanny’s pay, the costs associated with you being an employer (e.g. taxes) and our services.
Unfortunately, neither tax-free childcare nor childcare vouchers can be used with this service as our nannies are not Ofsted registered. The cost of getting your nanny Ofsted registered usually outweighs the savings from paying in this way.
*Please note: For our short-term coronavirus contracts, we are temporarily making DBS checks optional for a £50 fee. You can find more information here.
More frequently asked questions
How does the employment contract work?
As you will be the legal employer of your nanny, the contract exists between you and them. Koru Kids will write the contract for you so you don’t need to worry.
When we set up your contract, we will ask you to complete our set-up form which will ask for some preferences. We’ll then send out a draft version of your contract for you to review. If you wish to make any changes, just let us know!
In our standard contracts, we recommend a probation period of two weeks where the notice period is 24 hours. After the probation period, the suggested notice period is 2 weeks. However, this is free to be amended on agreement between you and the nanny.
For our short-term coronavirus contracts, there is no probation period. Instead, there will be a 24 hour notice period for the first 4 weeks of the arrangement, during which time you or your nanny need only give 24 hours notice to end the contract.
What happens if my nanny leaves?
Like all employment situations this is always a risk. As part of our vetting process we ask all of our nannies to verbally commit to working until the end of the academic year.
If your nanny does end the contract early or the nanny's university timetable changes and they can no longer work the contracted hours we will rocket you to the top of our priority list and will try to find you a replacement as soon as we can – just let us know as soon as you find out and we’ll get the ball rolling.
Are the nannies available in holidays?
If you need your nanny during school holidays and inset days, they’re very often available to help. We have an active online community where the nannies swap tips for crafts, cooking, outdoor activities and trips, so they’re always armed with new ideas, meaning longer shifts are no problem.
Our nannies are very often available to help during school holidays and inset days, and usually love picking up the extra hours.
Holiday work should be arranged directly with your nanny, and as far in advance as possible. You can pay for these hours in the usual way through Koru Kids.
We have an active online community where nannies can swap tips for crafts, cooking, outdoor activities and trips, so they’re always armed with new ideas, meaning full-day shifts are no problem.
Please be aware that not all nannies will be able to help during the holidays and it does depend on each nanny's availability. If holiday care is essential for you, please make sure you discuss this with nannies at interviews.
If your nanny is unable to work in the holidays, let us know and we can try to find another nanny to help out. We can't guarantee we'll be able to find cover, but we'll always try our best!
Can the nannies drive?
Some can, but the majority can’t. So if you need a driver, it does limit your chances of finding a Koru Kids nanny. Our nannies are all comfortable taking children on public transport.
What languages do the nannies speak? Can I get someone who speaks French, for example?
All of our nannies speak fluent English. For most, it’s their first language, but many speak other languages as well. Our nannies come from a range of backgrounds so just let us know on the registration form if you have a preference and we'll do our best to send you nannies who speak that language. If it’s a bonus rather than a deal breaker it really increases the number of potential nannies we can send you.
Can the after school nannies look after babies and toddlers?
Our after school nannies are generally only comfortable working with school-aged children, i.e. 4 years and older.
However, if you’re interested in nanny share for your baby or toddler check out our free family finder, which connects you with local families looking for nanny shares.
Simply enter a few details and we’ll show you all the families in your area with similar childcare requirements who you can then chat with and arrange to meet. All free of charge! Sign up here.
