Years ago, Dinsdale promised to loan me his handbasket once he got done…so I have to wait for him to go first.
I suspect you may be right about that - why assume that the agency will pass on the extra earnings to the worker? If the place is shifty enough to be charging different fees for different races of housekeeper/nanny, I doubt they care very much about being fair to their employees.
In talking to a number of people looking at nannies, they put a premium on their children learning the Chinese language. Perhaps, there is a difference in price due to more of a demand (as well as less of a supply) of ways for their kids to be exposed to Chinese.
Just thinkin’ out loud.
The problem w/ a Chinese nanny is that you’ll always be hungry an hour after each meal, plus your kids will be running wild and speaking a language you can’t understand.
I guess Swedish nannies are passe’, too many divorces?
You could always hire a Swedish chef instead.
Bork, bork, bork!
I thought that was the problem with the Swedish nannies…
I think that involves a “p” in there…
Eh, pork, bork…it’s all labial plosives…
That’s why they needed a nanny in the first place! 
I have to wonder about this sudden interest in having young children learn Chinese. Is this a genuine concern or is this a coded way to ask for a Chinese nanny (which according to the OP are the “good” nannies) without saying you’re basing your decision on race?
Mandarin is a very widely-spoken dialect, and it’s becoming more and more important in business. Futurists often peg Chinese as the language to learn. It’s also very difficult to learn, especially if you haven’t developed an ear for the tones. Learning the language when you’re young can be a big help.
I can’t speak for everyone who’s looking for a Chinese-speaking nanny, but the couple I know who requested a Mandarin-speaking nanny were specifically looking for one because one of the parents is of Chinese descent. They wanted the children to stay in touch with their heritage, and to make it easier for them to speak with extended family. I don’t see anything wrong with that.
I don’t think the OP had an opinion about the race of the nannies; I think she just reported the agency’s assertions. It’s the agency who’s grouping human beings by their race instead of their skills as individuals.
Those nannies are the most expensive of all.
Those aren’t even nannies at that point. Those are French Maids…bow chicka bow wow…
And I am going with you. Good thing we’re already married – we can keep each other company.
Oh wait, I don’t believe in hell. Oops. 
Seriously, Little Nemo, that was laugh-out-loud funny.
I never realized you got plosive around labia! :dubious:
Ruffian, we had good luck with an agency called Superior Nannies (I think most of their people might be based in Orange County though.) I can provide contact information if you need it. Good luck!
He also gets ejective around lateral fricatives.
Have you thought about going on-line and checking out these international agencies for au pairs and nannies?
Last year my daughter was checking out the situation with a particular agency (I can’t remember the name) to explore the possibility of living abroad as an au pair for a year or so, before getting the local job she really wanted.
The situation that was presented to her was live-in, use of car and around $500 per month. If I remember correctly she had to get bonded.
I think I would prefer a young educated person broadening her horizons to work as an au pair/nanny for me.
One of the TV newsmagazines did a show on au pairs from Europe, working in U.S. homes, a couple years ago… Many of these girls were being treated much like indentured servants, working 10-12-14 hours a day doing cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. They had almost no time off and the employers would even deduct from their monthly allowance for “extras”, which was whatever the employer said it was.
I’ve thought about au pairs (and college students–we live about 15min from our alma mater), but we still lean toward an older nanny. An agency we’ve found that we like only accepts nannies with prior experience and at least two references (that they contact tol verify); their nannies are also fingerprinted and their history checked on both criminal and child abuse databases. There’s quite a bit more to the interview and placement process than that, but those features stuck out to us.
My concern with an 18-22 year old nanny is lack of experience and training. I don’t want a babysitter–I want someone who knows babies and has been there, done that to take care of our kid 40 hours a week. Still–we’re placing an ad at our alma mater to see if maybe our presumptions are wrong. We want the right person for the job, and that might mean a 19yro or a 59yro. (But not Chinese…feh…they’re terrible at taking care of kids.) :rolleyes: