An English-speaking nanny from Poppins

Why it is on the list

Poppins, founded in 1987, was the first company in Japan to train and arrange nannies.¹ Its nannies are trained in Norland College methods and in CPR and AED.² It has about 2,000 of them, among them former schoolteachers, kindergarten teachers and English teachers, and their qualifications include childcare worker, nurse and ACSA-certified babysitter; about 30 percent of applicants pass selection, and training continues after it.³ It covers all of Tokyo, with night care from 18:00 to 8:00, and cares for children from the day they are born until they leave high school.⁴³

It is the wrong choice for English lessons: English care is for a family that speaks English at home, and a child who speaks Japanese day to day is taught through the tutoring option, okeiko nanny.⁴ That option adds JPY 2,200 an hour.⁴ A child who is ill is cared for only once a doctor has seen them and the diagnosis is passed on.³

How to get it

At a hotel, start with the concierge: Poppins takes visitors' bookings through the concierges of its partner hotels, which quote the price and take payment.² Neither the list of partner hotels nor their prices is published: ask your concierge whether the hotel works with Poppins and what it charges an hour, or put the question to Poppins through its English enquiry form.²⁵ English-speaking nannies are sent on request, and same-day requests are taken when a nanny is free; ask as soon as your plans are set.² A nanny can also go along on the family's outings, or look after the children at a conference, wedding or event.²

A family living in Tokyo joins a course, the Standard one through the enquiry form on the website.³ On the Standard course the joining fee is JPY 50,000 and the annual fee JPY 10,000 a child; care for a pre-school child is JPY 3,500 an hour from 8:00 to 18:00, three hours at least, JPY 1,400 an hour more from 18:00 to 8:00, and English JPY 1,200 an hour more.⁴ A second child of the same family is half price.⁴ The Premium course, JPY 100,000 to join and JPY 10,000 a month a family, charges JPY 4,300 an hour, three hours at least, and adds a dedicated concierge, a visit before joining and booking by LINE.⁴ An order placed from 9:00 the day before costs JPY 5,500, one from 18:00 the day before JPY 11,000, and an emergency between 20:00 and 8:00 JPY 22,000; travel is a flat JPY 1,200 a nanny.⁴ Phone orders are taken only for urgent requests within 72 hours.⁴ A booking cancelled between 9:00 and 18:00 the day before is charged 50 percent of the order, from 18:00 the day before in full.⁴ Nannies give prescription medicine only, with the family's written request, and no over-the-counter medicine.³ A nanny can also travel with the family, from JPY 42,900 a day plus fares, meals and lodging.⁴

Discretion

For a hotel guest the nanny works in the family's own room.² Only Premium members can name their nanny; on the Standard course a preference is noted but not promised.³ Before the first visit the nanny calls or texts the day before and arrives 15 minutes early to go over where the child is cared for and the family's approach; a meeting ahead of regular care can be booked at JPY 3,500 an hour.³⁴