Switzerland starts hiring Pinay nannies

ZURICH, Switzerland – The close coordination between the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Swiss authorities proved fruitful as there is now a gradual phase-in of new recruits for Filipino au pairs or nannies in Switzerland.

Ambassador Teresa Lazaro relayed the good news adding that almost 50 newly hired nannies have started working with their respective Swiss employers.

“There’s actually a demand for our Filipina au pairs. We seemed to be very good with languages and very good in taking care of the young children,” said Lazaro.

Under the agreement, there is no placement fee for the applicants, and the average take home pay is almost 1,000 Swiss Francs or almost P43,000 every month.

According to Lazaro, the applicant must meet certain qualifications. Her age should be 18 to 25 years old. She must also be single, and should learn the German language which will be paid up by her employer.

The work contract, as stipulated in the law, will only be for 18 months or one-year-and-a-half and with no renewal.

For those interested, Lazaro said they need to coordinate with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

“There are certain offices, agencies, here that are specializing on Filipino au pairs,” she said.

Meanwhile, Lazaro is also pushing for the training agreement with Swiss government to allow the recruitment of Filipino nurses to Switzerland.

“Switzerland is already in need of health workers,” Lazaro said.

It is possible, she said, that the recruitment of Filipina nurses would start next year as there is now a big demand in various university hospitals in Switzerland. –Danny Buenafe, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau chief