Nanny / Au Pair Job: Family Profile

Canadian Swedish couple with 2 little rascals!

We are a Canadian/Swedish family with 2 kids; Cecilia was born in October 2002. She loves to read, sing and draw. She loves to pick flowers and collect ladybugs. She is a calm but happy little girl with a very strong will. She is also fond of the computer and t.v. (we try and keep it to weekends) and is happy playing in her room. We speak English and Swedish at home, however Mats and I also speak French (so far until the children learn it, our "secret language").
Alexander was born in January 2005. He is a warm and cuddly fellow and talks A LOT. He is a very curious and social little guy, particularly when it comes to water, tools and electrical appliances (although so far fortunately not in combination!) Both children are avid swimmers. We live in a large house just outside the city, behind the train station in Saltsjöbaden. The train takes 20 minutes into the city. The house has a pool which is heated and will be open from early May through September. You would have your own room and bathroom (which we ocasionally use when we use the sauna). We live close to the water and beach. They call Stockholm the Venice of the North and it’s really lovely in the summer and very bright. The sun sets at 11pm and rises again at 4am (from May). In the winter it is reversed; it gets dark at 3pm and light again (although rather grey in my opinion at 7.30-8am). A little challenging at times!

We are looking for someone with common-sense, TIDY is an absolut MUST, reliable and positive. Someone who is firm, kind and takes initiative. Experience with young children and patience is also helpful and also someone who can swim.
It would be helpful for us if the au-pair can follow a recipe/cook, run the occasional errand and help us pick up around the house. Household duties are laundry and vacuuming (which we share and plan together). Daytime would be pretty much your own time apart from 1 chore per day. You can take a language class or do some extra baby-sitting, as long as you're here when we need you to be! A driver is helpful as the kids will be starting more activities. We are not looking for a slave – just an extra pair of eyes and hands! Someone who would be a part of our family.
I ran and au-pair/nanny agency in the South of France and worked as a nanny for 5 years, so I can relate to the job. We will look for someone September 2010. References available and encouraged.
We would like someone to help us get the kids ready for school/daycare in the morning (6.30 – 7.45) and drop them off at 8.00a.m. and then pick them up 15.30. They eat and bath before our return at 18.00.
Maybe 1 night of baby-sitting per week, if that. Max 25-30 hours/week.
You would have most evenings free and weekends (if we ever needed a weekend it would be by mutual agreement). There is a Canadian club in and the American Women's club in Stockholm as well as many au-pairs. The church near us organizes an au-pair café every other week. Salary is 3,500SEK + insurance. We will reimburse half the airfare after having stayed for half of the agreed amount of time.
If you are a member, please write and I will respond right away! We look forward to hearing from you!
Warm regards,
Kathy, Mats, Cecilia and Alexander