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Koru Kids

14 replies

mrsjabberwock · 07/07/2018 10:44

Hi,

Anyone have any experience with Koru Kids? We're looking at hiring an after school childminder through them and I wonder if anyone who has done this before could give me a little summary of their experiences? I'm worried as they are uni students, they might be unreliable and cancel last minute. How much support does the company provide? Any responses greatly appreciated.

K

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dameofdilemma · 17/07/2018 12:15

Bumping as we may also be looking for after school childcare and came across KK too....

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GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat · 17/07/2018 12:16

They aren’t childminders... Hmm

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FlibbertyGiblets · 17/07/2018 12:32

I've had a look at their website, looks great and 13 per hour is pretty reasonable for a London Nanny imo.

I don't know why op is calling the nannies childminders as the website has FIND A NANNY all over.

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jannier · 17/07/2018 22:14

Really annoys me when people call nanny's and babysitters child-minders and often they don't even have any qualifications (sorry to those who have but you don't legally have to) I wish Pacey would do their job and represent us to the public about what we really do and how we are a professional alternative to nurseries not a fill in....

But I expect this may be an ad in disguise.

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mrsjabberwock · 18/07/2018 07:57

Let's get this topic back on track.

I'm still interested if anyone has actually used Koru Kids? Any first hand experience with them?

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GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat · 18/07/2018 07:58

Go and post in the nanny area for relevant answers.

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dameofdilemma · 18/07/2018 14:01

Relax people...the OP confused CMs with nannies not serial killers...

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jannier · 18/07/2018 14:32

So do you need a nanny or is it just after school care, if you need a nanny not too bad but look at who pays pension, NI etc. on top if you need a childminder to collect child and care for them elsewhere for up to 3 hours feed etc. then its normally around £15 per session.

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Waitinforaflamin · 19/07/2018 12:48

Hi, there are already a few threads on them (which I’ve commented previously on and no I don’t work for them!!). We use them and are very happy, but it is more expensive than a childminder and isn’t necessarily good for someone wanting 5 days a week as a lot of students can’t commit to that. We have had three nannies now through them, once lasted a month and was flakey, one we had for 9 month and aboslutely adored her. Onto our third now and they are working out well for cover over the holidays. Childminders are a great option and we did try to go down that route but there was no availability in our area for what we needed so this suits us better even if it’s more expensive. It’s definitely worth exploring as an option to see if they have a nanny who would be a good fit for you. 2 out of the 3 have been really mature and no issues with cancellations, just we do need to be a bit flexible around exam times which is fine for us to do.

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MarlenaGru · 19/07/2018 17:21

Hi there, we've been using Koru for about 6 weeks. The process of finding a nanny was very well organised. We had 5 or 6 potentials. One didn't turn up to an interview which was annoying (she'd already been placed) and 2 didn't have enough actual experience (I don't count looking after a relative sometimes). We loved one but she had bucketloads of experience so I suspect had a million families after her and chose someone else. And then we found the one we have now.

The fee you pay includes all NI, tax, holiday pay etc. But the nanny gets quite a lot less.

She has some training from Koru, but is essentially a student. We have previously had several au pairs of varying competence and the main benefit of Koru is having our house back but obviously the cost is significantly more.

Our nanny is hugely flexible which is great. The children love her. She could be tidier, but is better than our au pairs have been and she lives locally which is so much easier. Some of them drive, ours doesn't and I'm happier with that in Zone 3 London anyway.

I fear we might lose her sooner than we had hoped as she might not be going back to uni in September, but we'd probably use Koru again. We have no childminders in our area and the ASC at our school is too rigid for me\DH to get back in time with then needing to do homework etc.

So in short it's a good choice for us. I just wish there was a long term guarantee!

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mrsjabberwock · 19/07/2018 17:43

Thank you, Waitinforaflamin and MarlenaGru for your responses. Very helpful. I think we'll give it a go and see how we go!

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starlite026 · 14/08/2018 17:33

Hello there

I wouldn’t trust Koru Kids. At the start, I was impressed because they seemed to have lots of students available but then when you try to contact them, they don’t return your calls/texts. they are definitely cheaper but the after their students do not have proper experience. The student who looked after my son was useless.

Like any start up, they have all the latest technologies to set you up with a nanny but students are not DBS checked until you signed the contract; the student over claimed hours and Koru Kids is forcing me to pay full amount.

If you can, stay away from them! and make sure you have a signed record of the hours they actually worked on a daily basis.

This is probably a cheap option for evening babysitting but certainly not an after school nanny!

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Marr105 · 12/01/2021 22:06

Sorry to post on an old thread but trying to gather some insight. Has anyone here used MyTamarin? Would you recommend them?

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Emyna · 08/04/2022 13:27

Please please please do not signup with Koru Kids - they tried to take my money twice, they delayed sending me documentation i was entitled to receive and they delay sending HMRC information. When you sign up you enter a 40+ page terms and conditions. 40+ pages for a nanny service? Spooky! I made the mistake of signing up with them end of last year when I was desperate for help and my experience has been terrible throughout.

Babysitter cancelling last minute appointments is the least of these issues.

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