Considering a nanny for my 2 week vacation abroad - help !

My husband and I are thinking about (finally!) taking a vacation without the children. We're thinking of heading to England for 10 days. While we're still in the very early stages of planning, one big concern is arranging childcare for our three children. We're thinking of hiring a nanny to stay in our home with the kids while we're away. We're located in Ottawa, Ontario. Does anyone have any experience with the various nanny services out there ? There seem to be tonnes of them, and I would feel a lot less aprehensive going with one that had been recomended by a friend. :glomp: What is a reasonable amount to pay a nanny ? Some of these organizations want you to pay a membership fee to view their registry of nannies - is this an industry norm, or just a scam for a company to make $. So many questions.....Any other suggestions and thoughts that folks would like to share would be very much appreciated. (The reason we need a nanny is the grandparents are not able to help with our childcare) Thanks for your feedback all !:D

Not sure how flexible you are on your dates for the trip but I have seen on kijiji where a nanny will advertise that the family she works for is taking a vacation and she is not needed for two weeks and looking to pick up additional work.

Thanks for the help, ladies ! :flower: I don't think the kijiji option is for me - I need to book things well in advance so I can give my daycare parents notice of when I'll be closed, as well as make sure that my back-up contacts for the nanny (my sister and brother) are in town and not away on their own vacation. I'll be sure and check out the canadian nannies site - that sounds like a good start. :D Have a great Friday !