Two Greek women find niche in London nanny market

By Lina Giannarou

They speak Greek, cook traditional Greek dishes and know all the songs and nursery rhymes from back home. Looking back, the idea that Elena Tsoka and Fenia Attilakou came up with was bound to succeed: The Greek Nannies agency the duo set up recently in London provides solutions to hundreds of families who have left Greece and emigrated to Britain in search of employment and are looking to hire people to take care of their children.

“The top priority for parents is the language,” Tsoka told Kathimerini. “No matter how keen they might be, they work very hard in order to make a success of things and it’s difficult to maintain the Greek element in its entirety. This is especially true in the case of children who are born in Britain, who may lose their Greek when everyone around them speaks a different language. The Greek nanny solution is ideal in this case.”

The agency works with nannies who belong to two broad categories: young women who have trained as teachers as well as older women who also emigrated to Britain looking for work. “We are very fortunate because we have met some remarkable women. Some of them are young and have fantastic academic qualifications, while others are older women, mothers of students who work here or women who came here because of the crisis and have experience in this particular field. Every category has its own advantages and covers the families’ different needs.” 

Working as a nanny is not about earning extra pocket money. The two businesswomen point out that they’re “not in the babysitting services sector.” “Nannies become an extension of the family and, consequently, the selection process is very strict. It’s also a very well-paid profession and includes all the...