Babysitting is not officially regulated in Romania yet, as this activity is not itemised in the official job register, where there are only two similar positions: kindergarten teacher and tutor.
One who intends to establish a babysitting company has to fight against a legislative void. "Everybody thinks they are good with children," says Crinela Vilciuc, the initiator of the first babysitting training course.
"All parents or grandparents think they have expertise in this field, but a lot of them make mistakes. That is why those dealing with childcare should be especially trained for this."
The core activity of Oradea-based company Trapez Proiect is interior design, but it has recently started to expand in the field of services, with a new activity: babysitter "rentals". "It is very difficult for a parent to find the proper person to take care of his child," says Crinela Vilciuc, the project initiator.
"Finding the best person in a large city, where people do not know each other, takes several months. That is why we want to help parents by establishing a specialised company." Trapez Proiect organises training courses for those who want to be babysitters. Courses spread over three weeks and are held by tutors, teachers and paediatricians.
"We are aware that a nanny is not a common employee. Once she enters a family, the child spends a lot of time with her, more than with his mother, and this is going to influence the child's further psychological development. That is why we carefully select the persons who want to be babysitters," Crinela maintains.
The graduates are employed by the company, which is an intermediary between them and the parents. Any father or mother may come to the head-office to see the babysitters' files.
These comprise a picture, a CV and an assessment of the candidate's personality profile. "When parents choose a babysitter, they will be able to learn everything about her, from food or movie preferences to foreign language skills."
The contracts are very strict. "We are legally and morally responsible for all the possible troubles brought about by the person we have recommended as a babysitter.
The candidate first signs an affidavit assuming responsibility for anything that happens to the child while taking care of him," says the company's representative. The contracts also stipulate whether the babysitter is allowed to watch TV or eat together with the child.
The tight selection criteria imply rewarding salaries. The parents have to pay a quite high salary to these babysitters. "We are not offering them a common person, but a trained one, which is qualified to work with children," says Crinela Vilciuc.
Parents who resort to a babysitter's temporary service pay between 25,000 and 30,000 lei per hour, while those who need one-month services pay 1.5 million lei. The highest fees are levied for babysitters who speak foreign languages, have PC skills or can play a musical instrument.
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