Recommended Babysitting Service While on Holiday in the Netherlands

Another poster recommending services yet with a history of no previous posts, always makes me suspicious.

As an aside, I would never entrust my children with a complete stranger irrespective of background checks which really don't mean much at all. Having investigated child abuse cases for many years I've encountered far too many paedophiles in positions of trust who had simply never been caught, a register is not an infallible system.

Having children means making sacrifices and if I have to forego a few drinks at a bar or a meal at a restaurant with just my wife to ensure the safety of my children then so be it, there'll be plenty more opportunities once they're older.

Hi JC,

Isn't there a first post for everyone? After watching many of Rick Steves' shows I finally logged on and checked out the forum. Thanks so much for your opinion, everyone is entitled to them. I was simply recommending something that has been very helpful to our family as people who love to travel with their children. While this service may not be useful to you in particular, I pass it along (without judgement of anyones parenting styles) to parents who may be interested in visiting or moving to the Netherlands.

Thanks!

This company was featured last year in several national newspaper articles as a new start up. As far as I can see it is a bonafide business.

but... there are some things not quite correct

1) Interesting, and illegal staff requirements: 18 and female. The last part is illigal under Dutch law as it is discrimination based on sex.

2) The legally required company data on the website is not easy to find. The listed Chamber of Commerce number seems no longer in use and the listed VAT number isnt correct either (possibly spelling mistake: F instead of B)

3) Again under Dutch law... if consumers can order your product, prices have to include VAT (which this website doesnt include). Even mentioning that your prices dont include VAT isnt allowed.

4) This one is not legal, just strange. I was just curious what makes a babysitter certified
from their FAQ: What are the certificates and qualifications that Holiday-Sitters must have?
- Valid passport
- Valid work and living permit
- The majority of our sitters are international students in the leading universities of Amsterdam, therefore, we ask for students and other documents relevant to their studies.
- All our sitters will be trained in first aid and child health & safety

since when is having a passport a qualification to be a babysitter?

Isn't there a first post for everyone? After watching many of Rick Steves' shows I finally logged on and checked out the forum.

Ivy, yes, everyone has a first post however from experience the majority of legitimate first posters are not endorsing companies/products/tours etc. The majority of spam posts typically originate from someone with no history of posting so that's the reason for my cynicism.

I'd be interested to know how the company conducts background checks as there is no intra-European facility to enable this. Currently the only DBS checks that exist between EU countries are between the UK, the Netherlands and Latvia. If the majority of the babysitters are foreign students I struggle to see how adequate checks can be made against their police record.

I don't understand why it is important to the company that their sitters should be international students. Aren't there any Dutch women (or even men) who love children and want to care for them?

It isn't anything about being able to pay them a lot less than a knowledgeable local is it?

If I were leaving my infant - I'm not - I would prefer a local person who if there were a problem would still be around rather than returning to their home country. I'd also want them to have local knowledge about parks, local laws and rules, and nearby health providers.

hmmmm.

Thanks for posting your preference, Ivy.

By the way - which country do most of the ladies who you leave your 4 children with come from? Was that your choice or theirs?

First this statement

who recently moved to the Netherlands from the USA,

then this one

We have been using this company for over a year now

So which is it?

Your post would have likely been better received if it had been a response to someone asking about b-sitting service, than the 'detailed commercial' including this kind of info---"Booking and payment can all be down via the website, making it a quick and easy transaction."

Cannot help but wonder why, if you have been there for year, you are using this type of service rather than using someone local in your neighborhood.

Your post may very well may be a 'helpful hint', but I believe there is is a rational basis for skepticism and for anyone who does feel the need for babysitting services to approach with caution.

I noticed that she used the words "on holiday" in her subject title, yet said she was from the US. Generally, the term "on holiday" is used by Europeans while Americans tend to use "on vacation." Not definitive, but another check in the spam column.

Hi All,

I'm just going to post a general reply to everyone. This is not spam. It is simply a recommendation of service that has been useful to my family. I am not pushing this service on anyone, merely informing. There is no need to pick apart the grammar, details or vernacular used in the post; even I did not put that much thought into it. Hopefully, you all find something better to do with your time and energy than troll a forum and comment on a service that you will probably never use.

Thanks!

Another Britishism (after saying that the move was from the US) is ending the post with "Cheers!".

troll a forum

what do you mean by this?