I have lived in Bali as a British expat for over 10 years and I think that now i have a pretty good knowledge of the Island and how to surf internet to find what i need . We find on internet a housemaid to help us around the house and sometimes we hire a babysitter to look after the children when we are busy. It occurred to me that this is a luxury that I and most others take for granted. I had a browse around the internet to see what information there was on the Bali nanny and pembantu industry – I found a stack of information but what I noticed was that there was nothing from the housemaids and nannies in Bali themselves. I thought it would be interesting to interview a babysitter and share her opinions on the internet.
Interview with Komang from Bali Krisna Service :
Do you enjoy the job?
Yes. I love the kids and it’s lots of fun.
What do you need to be a good babysitter?
Obviously you need to like children - speak the same language as the customer like a Bali resort and being able to swim is important too. I think the babysitter should be fun, energetic and happy person. Maybe the babysitter should be patient but also prepared to be strong with the child so you have some control.
What sort of problems do you face?
When the kids do not listen that’s all. Also when the mother is too controlling. If the pay is too low then the babysitter in Bali not do good job.
How do you deal with controlling or nervous parents?
Yeah, the parents are not always happy to leave their child with the babysitter. The worker and parents have to know each other and trust each other. The babysitter likes to be alone with the child because they feel pressure when the mother always around - you know like nervous and shy. I just make sure the child is happy to play with me and then the mother should be happy too.
Do you get difficult customer?
Sometimes the customer is very fussy or bossy they expect the worker to do everything and the things they do are wrong. And the customer sometimes expects the babysitter to work so hard and for low pay too. Like I said before if the pay is no good then the worker will not want to work hard.
Do you think babysitting is cheap in Bali?
I think so. Yes. The babysitter is like a teacher telling the child what is right and what is wrong (like a mother). Sometimes the boss pay is good but normally I feel under-paid. The boss can be greedy always thinking that they are paying too much and the babysitter not have much choice because they can’t get another job. Tourist always want cheaper because they know that Indonesia is a very cheap country.
What are some of the problems holiday makers face when looking for child carers or housekeepers?
If they not know Bali it is not easy to find a worker you can trust. You have to know some friend who can recommend an employee to you. I’m Balinese and I love looking after children and all the other babysitters I know feel the same. It can happen though when the babysitter is no good – like when she sleeping or she not really care about the children in Bali.
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