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The nanny - a new-born career for Singapore women
SINGAPORE - More women here are signing up to be trained as confinement nannies amid rising demand, with participants of one programme drawing salaries of up to S$2,600 - equivalent to the average monthly starting pay of a fresh graduate.
Under the Confinement Nanny Training Programme, jointly offered by the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) and Thomson Medical Centre, participants undergo a seven-day course comprising both theory and practical lessons, and have to pass an audit before being successfully certified as trained confinement nannies. They will also have to complete a confinement assignment within six months of completing the course.
The programme, launched last May, is aimed at attracting economically inactive women back to work, while "addressing the acute shortage of confinement nannies". The WDA subsidises 90 per cent of the course fees.
According to the authority, more than 80 individuals have enrolled in the programme to date, with 60 having completed their training. For a 28-day assignment, they can command up to S$2,600 if they stay-in, and as much as S$1,900 for non stay-in jobs, a spokesperson from the Thomson Medical Centre said.
Homemaker Ang Pek Lan, 52, underwent the training in August last year. While she had experience taking care of children, Ms Ang felt that the programme taught her the intricacies of caring for newborns and their mothers. "Previously, there were steps which we blindly followed because of old wives' tales, but I've learnt why certain herbs are good for mothers, or how to better care for babies by keeping a logbook," she said.
The joint Confinement Nanny Training Programme conducted by the Women's Initiative for Ageing Successfully and KK Women's and Children's Hospital has also seen an increase in participants - from 19 in 2010, to 32 in 2011 and 34 last year.
Agencies TODAY spoke to said demand for confinement nannies has risen amid tight supply - about 20 per cent over the past year due to the Dragon Year effect, with demand rising slightly in the years before, driven by expatriates here.
Ms Jo Tan, owner of confinementnanny.com, said mothers are also starting to request a longer confinement period, up to four months. But she, as well as other agencies, said the supply of nannies has been the issue, with a high turnover rate in the industry.
Although more Singaporeans are being trained as confinement nannies, they demand higher pay which Singaporean customers do not want to meet.
PEM Confinement nanny agency estimated that locals request more than S$3,000 a month, as compared to the Malaysians' rate of about S$2,000 a month.
The industry also faces challenges in rising costs. Agencies, for example, were told recently that the work permit application costs for a confinement nanny will rise by S$10 to S$30 per permit, TODAY understands.
Faced with a declining birth rate, agencies were sanguine about the future, saying that as long as demand is more than supply, which causes fees to remain high as is the case now, revenues should remain stable.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori...255251/1/.html
SINGAPORE - More women here are signing up to be trained as confinement nannies amid rising demand, with participants of one programme drawing salaries of up to S$2,600 - equivalent to the average monthly starting pay of a fresh graduate.
Under the Confinement Nanny Training Programme, jointly offered by the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) and Thomson Medical Centre, participants undergo a seven-day course comprising both theory and practical lessons, and have to pass an audit before being successfully certified as trained confinement nannies. They will also have to complete a confinement assignment within six months of completing the course.
The programme, launched last May, is aimed at attracting economically inactive women back to work, while "addressing the acute shortage of confinement nannies". The WDA subsidises 90 per cent of the course fees.
According to the authority, more than 80 individuals have enrolled in the programme to date, with 60 having completed their training. For a 28-day assignment, they can command up to S$2,600 if they stay-in, and as much as S$1,900 for non stay-in jobs, a spokesperson from the Thomson Medical Centre said.
Homemaker Ang Pek Lan, 52, underwent the training in August last year. While she had experience taking care of children, Ms Ang felt that the programme taught her the intricacies of caring for newborns and their mothers. "Previously, there were steps which we blindly followed because of old wives' tales, but I've learnt why certain herbs are good for mothers, or how to better care for babies by keeping a logbook," she said.
The joint Confinement Nanny Training Programme conducted by the Women's Initiative for Ageing Successfully and KK Women's and Children's Hospital has also seen an increase in participants - from 19 in 2010, to 32 in 2011 and 34 last year.
Agencies TODAY spoke to said demand for confinement nannies has risen amid tight supply - about 20 per cent over the past year due to the Dragon Year effect, with demand rising slightly in the years before, driven by expatriates here.
Ms Jo Tan, owner of confinementnanny.com, said mothers are also starting to request a longer confinement period, up to four months. But she, as well as other agencies, said the supply of nannies has been the issue, with a high turnover rate in the industry.
Although more Singaporeans are being trained as confinement nannies, they demand higher pay which Singaporean customers do not want to meet.
PEM Confinement nanny agency estimated that locals request more than S$3,000 a month, as compared to the Malaysians' rate of about S$2,000 a month.
The industry also faces challenges in rising costs. Agencies, for example, were told recently that the work permit application costs for a confinement nanny will rise by S$10 to S$30 per permit, TODAY understands.
Faced with a declining birth rate, agencies were sanguine about the future, saying that as long as demand is more than supply, which causes fees to remain high as is the case now, revenues should remain stable.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori...255251/1/.html
