How easy is it to get a nanny job in Japan?
Not that easy, it must be said. Jobs there are becoming increasingly rare.
If one does crop up it will be with an expatriate family, either British or American. It would be unusual to find a job with a Japanese family, who are much more likely to use Filipino carers because they will have a similar approach to childcare and are cheaper to employ. Most British and American families living in Japan are based in or around Tokyo.
How much would I earn, and are there special perks?
Nannies can earn up to 600 a week, but this isn't as good as it sounds, because the cost of living is so high. You are unlikely to have separate accommodation, as rented property is very expensive and at a premium, and don't expect to be given your own car, since most families are allowed only one parking space.
What kind of visa would I need?
In order to get a Certificate of Eligibility - a 90-day visa - you must have a sponsor. Visas can be renewed and you may then become eligible for a work permit, which is valid for as long as you continue to work for the same employer.
Should I learn the language?
You can get by without knowing any Japanese if you are living in the expat community, although it's useful to know a little, especially when shopping.
What kind of climate can I expect?
Very varied. Japan has distinct seasons and is cold in winter, with plenty of snow even in the middle of Tokyo, and very hot and sticky in the summer.
Is Japan a safe country?
On most levels, yes, but there is always the risk of an earthquake. Small quakes occur almost weekly in Tokyo but do little more damage than knocking pictures off the wall. They are also a sign that pressure is being released gradually, making a big earthquake less likely. The Japanese are constantly on the alert and have regular earthquake drills. Each family also has survival packs at the ready, which contain emergency supplies to last for about three weeks.
How's the shopping?
It can be tricky if you don't speak the language, and few Japanese people speak English. Although all the usual things you use such as toiletries, non-prescription medicines and even your favourite breakfast cereal are available, it can be difficult to identify them in the shops, so it's best to take a stock with you. Buying clothes and shoes can also be difficult unless you are very petite, like most Japanese women. Otherwise, it's best to take all the clothes and shoes you need with you.
REAL LIFE STORY It wasn't meant to be a long- term job, just something to tide her over the summer. After a period working in the United States, Melanie Chalfont-Griffin had returned to the UK and taken a job in London which turned out to be a big mistake, and she was looking for 'something exciting' as a means of escape. She was already a well-travelled nanny and the offer of a job in Japan was enticing. She went there, planning to stay only for a few months, fell in love with the family and ended up working there for three years.
She was nanny to the three children of a British family, who were aged three, two and nine months when she arrived. Both parents were bankers working very long hours, so Melanie had sole charge for most of the time.
She took her in loco parentis role very seriously indeed, even becoming a class 'parent' and a member of the PTA at the children's British school.
'I really got involved organising things like the Christmas bazaar and the summer fete,' Melanie says. 'There weren't many nannies so most of the people I met were parents.'
The expat community try to live life much as they would at home and, as Melanie admits, Japanese culture did not impinge on her everyday life to any great extent. It was a very comfortable existence. She lived with the family in a Western-style house in the centre of Tokyo. 'The city is heavily populated and polluted, but there is no anger or aggression, so it is a very peaceful life and there are lots of beautiful parks and playgrounds.'
Amenities for children are good. 'There was a lovely indoor playground called Children's Castle where I used to regularly take the children,'
Melanie says. What struck her immediately was how very differently Japanese children behave. 'They just don't rush round like our children. They are so sedate and they always look tidy, with perfect shirt, perfect socks, even at the end of the school day. Western children who are used to charging around letting off steam seem like hooligans in comparison.'
To Western eyes, life for the Japanese young seems rather demanding and austere. 'You don't see many very small children, as the under-threes are mainly kept at home. Then from the age of five they are in school from 8am to 4pm each day, and older schoolchildren don't arrive home until the evening.' Melanie also thinks that Japanese parents can be quite harsh disciplinarians. She recalls one shocking occasion when she saw a mother hit her small child so hard that he was knocked off his feet, but no one else around them seemed at all bothered.
When Melanie wasn't working there was no problem filling her free time.
'Once you become a familiar face you are readily accepted by the expat community, and I had the most fantastic social life.' There are endless festivals in Japan and if Melanie wanted a big night out she could visit an area of Tokyo which has been compared to Las Vegas because of the huge number of bars and restaurants open round the clock.
She felt totally safe travelling around the city in the middle of the night. 'The Japanese are very well behaved, unless they are extremely drunk and if I did get accosted there was always help nearby. It was usually an American marine who came to the rescue. Then it was a problem getting rid of the marine!'
She also continued to indulge her love of travelling. Because, initially, she had a visa which only permitted her to stay for 90 days, she had to take some time off in order for it to be renewed. She took the opportunity to visit China and Hong Kong. It was also possible to spend long weekends in Australia. When she had been in Japan for 18 months she was given a permanent work visa which allowed her to stay indefinitely as long as she continued to work for the same family.
Melanie was very happy in Japan but, sadly, her job came to an abrupt end when both employers lost their jobs in the wake of changes that came after 9/11. But she is still in contact with the family and she looks back with great affection to her time with them. She is glad that she went as an experienced nanny in her late twenties - the lifestyle of the expats, she warns, does hold some inherent dangers for the young and less experienced.
Fair-haired, fair- skinned women are considered very attractive in that part of the world and sometimes it can be difficult to cope with all the attention they receive. Then there are the expat men who earn 'silly'
money, as Melanie puts it, and will shower a girl with gifts. 'One girl I knew met an English banker who promised her everything. She agreed to see him and then a few nights later he turned up at her employer's home for dinner, complete with his wife and young baby!'
With thanks to Clare Braddick at Imperial Nannies for contacts