How Foreign Families Can Choose Childcare, Nannies, and Domestic Help
When choosing childcare, a nanny, or domestic help, define the boundary between caring for children and doing housework, verify the agency and worker, arrange a paid trial, and sign a written agreement. Handover notes, wage records, and household privacy rules help sustain a long-term working relationship.
Dividing childcare and household duties
The term ayi may refer to routine cleaning, cooking, infant and child care, elder care, live-in help, or an hourly worker; the skills and rates are not interchangeable. List the tasks that occur daily, weekly, and occasionally, and specify who is responsible for child safety, school runs, cooking, cleaning, overnight care, and shopping. The less clearly duties are defined, the more likely the arrangement is to run into conflict over different unspoken expectations.
The child's age, routine, language, and special needs.
Working days, start and finish times, and whether the role is live-in.
How much time is allocated to care, cooking, cleaning, and school runs.
Whether overnight, weekend, or business-trip support is required.
The room, meals, and transportation the family can provide.
Unacceptable practices and nonnegotiable safety rules.
Choosing an agency, an individual, or a childcare center
An agency may provide candidates, replacements, and contract support, but you should verify the party actually signing the contract, the service fee, and the scope of its promises. A personal referral offers direct communication, but leaves the family responsible for vetting, wages, and backup cover. A childcare center has fixed premises and opportunities to socialize with children of the same age; examine its credentials, child-to-staff ratio, hygiene, pickup arrangements, and sick-leave policy.
Who is the counterparty to the service contract.
Who verifies the candidate's identity and experience.
Who provides cover during illness, leave, or after a resignation.
Who handles contact and compensation if an accident occurs.
Which items and taxes are included in the fee.
How to end the arrangement or request a replacement if it is unsuitable.
Do not discuss only years of experience during interviews and checks
Check identity documents and current contact details.
Ask about the three most recent jobs and the reasons for leaving.
With permission, contact at least two former employers.
Review training, health, and first-aid records relevant to the role.
Use specific scenarios to ask how the candidate would handle a fever, a fall, or a missing child.
Confirm cooking preferences, hygiene habits, and use of household equipment.
Disclose cameras, pets, and the language environment in the home.
References may have been written by an agency, and certificates do not demonstrate practical judgment. Ask candidates to describe how they organize a day, respond when a child refuses food, store cleaning products, and verify identity during pickups outside the home. If the family has an infant or a child with allergies, epilepsy, or another medical risk, arrange for a professional to explain the issue and ask the caregiver to repeat the instructions back.
Use a few days of paid trial work to assess the real fit
Agree on the trial dates, hours, and pay.
On the first day, a parent demonstrates high-risk tasks.
Observe handwashing, feeding, carrying the baby, and safety outside the home.
Gradually allow the candidate to complete routine tasks independently.
At the end of each day, both sides raise three specific questions.
Record the child's response, lateness, and completed tasks.
Decide on the formal arrangement and start date only after the trial ends.
Trial work is still work and should be paid as agreed. Do not leave an infant or young child alone with a stranger on the first day, or assign heavy cleaning outside the scope discussed at interview. Focus on safety, consistency, and willingness to communicate according to the family's rules, rather than expecting immediate familiarity with every item in the home.
At minimum, put these points in the written agreement
Both parties' names, contact details, and work address.
Duties, hours, rest days, and overtime rules.
Wages, payday, bonuses, transportation, and meals.
Statutory holidays, sick leave, annual leave, and backup cover.
Live-in space, access controls, and visitor boundaries.
Child safety, medication, pickups, and emergency authorization.
Privacy, photographs, keys, and handover when the arrangement ends.
Pay wages through a traceable method and keep records. Do not retain identity documents or use a deposit to restrict resignation. If an agency contract promises replacements, confirm how many changes are allowed, how long each may take, and whether the service fee is refundable. For live-in help, also discuss private time, overnight responses, and visits by family members so round-the-clock availability does not become the default.
Illness, accidents, conflict, and ending the arrangement
Before a child becomes ill, agree on the situations in which the parents must be notified, who may take the child to hospital, and which medicines must never be administered without permission. After a fall, burn, accidental ingestion, or missing-child incident, address immediate safety and promptly seek medical care, call the police, or contact emergency services as appropriate, then retain a record of the time, place, and response. Do not conceal an incident to avoid responsibility.
If lateness, missed tasks, or conflicting approaches to discipline arise, discuss specific incidents and record a date for improvement. When the arrangement needs to end, settle wages and expenses according to the agreement, recover keys, access cards, and device permissions, and hand over the child's routine, medication, and school contacts. In cases involving theft, violence, or a threat to personal safety, secure everyone's safety and contact the police.
Differences among families, cities, and service models
Agency fees and wages are generally higher in major cities, and staff turnover may also be more noticeable around holidays. Families have widely different expectations concerning cooking, hygiene, childcare, and privacy. When there is a language barrier, create a short bilingual sheet covering the child's schedule, food allergies, medication restrictions, and emergency steps, then rehearse it together in person.
Childcare centers suit stable daytime schedules; live-in care suits families needing support for long periods; hourly workers suit clearly defined household tasks. Family needs change as children start school, the family moves, or parents' jobs change. Reconfirm duties, hours, and pay every three months rather than allowing old arrangements to expand indefinitely.
Sources and update note
This guide draws on practical material about foreign families in China hiring nannies and domestic workers and using childcare services, verified through 2026-8-4. Agency credentials, employment relationships, insurance, wages, and local childcare requirements vary with the contracting arrangement and city. Before signing, check public information from the local competent authorities, and consult a professional on complex employment or accident-liability issues.