Childcare Advisor

I became a fully qualified Nanny in June 2006 at Wellington Nannies College. I then moved home to Kapiti to live with my parents and Nanny up there.

I joined PORSE as I had heard they were the most well known agency and I wanted to make sure I'd never be without a job. PORSE did a police check on me and of course it came back clear so they sent me to an interview.

Only 1hour after my interview I heard from PORSE Kapiti to say I'd got the job which was great as it was only 15 houses away from my parents house.

I started immediately and straight away there were issues with the mother of the kids. She was a single mother and according to her she was rather wealthy and planning to move to Wellington into a huge mansion and wanted me to go with them to continue nannying.

After 2weeks it was pay day as PORSE only pay fortnightly. I had spent the night in Wellington at my partners house as I was not due to start work till midday that day. Just as I was almost home to shower and get ready for work I got a call from PORSE to say the money from the family had not come through to them so they could not pay me. I asked what I should do and they said they didn't know and it was up to me.

I arrived at work after 1hour, ontime to start, and asked the mother about what PORSE had said regarding my pay. She told me to get the F out of her house. I called my PORSE Co-ordinator who told me to try speak to her again and if I needed her to call her and she'd come help. I sat outside the house and waited for the mother to come outside again. I simply said that PORSE had told me that she had not put my pay through to them and when could we expect that to be done. She screamed at me and told me to get off her property or she'll call the cops. 

By this stage I was terrified as this was only my 2nd job out of Nannies College. I got into my car and drove straight to the PORSE Kapiti office and sat in the back office while they tried to contact her and sort it out. They spent an hour trying to sort it out and then told me to go home and they'll call me later. I went home and cried all afternoon. I was also scared that since I lived so close to her she might come round.

That night as I was going to bed I had still not heard anything from PORSE or the mother. I then got a text message from the mother to say 'sleep well sweetheart. sorry for today. See you tomorrow'. I called my PORSE Co-ordinator and she said that yes, I was to go to work tomorrow as usual.

My mother came with me the next morning and we were both worried about what was going to happen. Plus my entire family (but not me) were heading overseas that weekend for 1month so I would be on my own at home. The mother assured my mother that yesterday was just nonsense and she didn't know why I'd made such a big fuss and that nothing like that would ever happen again.

The very next week I had still not been paid or heard from PORSE at all. I went to a PORSE Arts and Crafts evening at a local Art store after work one evening. After 30mins I got a phone call from the mother asking where I was. I told her and before I knew it she stormed into the Art store screaming and yelling at me about all kinds of rubbish. The PORSE lady in charge took her outside to attempt to calm her down but it didn't work and the police were called. I was just sitting in the Art store surrounded by fellow nannies crying as I knew I had noone to go home to and I was scared again because she lived so close. 

I went home that night and sat on my couch with all the lights on and texted my sister saying that I needed mum and dad but she said I had to do this on my own.

The next day I got a call from PORSE who said I was not to go back to work at all.

2 days later I went to my mums work to use her internet and googled the mothers name. I was absolutely shocked at what appeared on my screen. She had a very extensive criminal history. I printed off all that I could and took it straight to PORSE. They were just as shocked but never apologized for putting me in a dangerous situation.

PORSE also gave up on trying to get my pay from her so I never did get paid for my 3weeks work. I decided to take the mother to court myself to get my money but she never showed. They sent her a letter stating she had to pay but she never did and the court told me that was all they could do.

PORSE never apologized for anything. I then left PORSE and became self-employed.

I am still in shock that PORSE do not do police checks on families to make sure the nannies are safe as well as the kids as I know they do police checks on nannies for that reason.

I will never work for PORSE again and have managed to build my own little client base myself working full-time as a Nanny in Wellington.