Ski Club 2.0 Home
Snow Reports
FAQFAQ

Mail for help.Help!!

Log in to snowHeads to make it MUCH better! Registration's totally free, of course, and makes snowHeads easier to use and to understand, gives better searching, filtering etc. as well as access to 'members only' forums, discounts and deals that U don't even know exist as a 'guest' user. (btw. 50,000+ snowHeads already know all this, making snowHeads the biggest, most active community of snow-heads in the UK, so you'll be in good company)..... When you register, you get our free weekly(-ish) snow report by email. It's rather good and not made up by tourist offices (or people that love the tourist office and want to marry it either)... We don't share your email address with anyone and we never send out any of those cheesy 'message from our partners' emails either. Anyway, snowHeads really is MUCH better when you're logged in - not least because you get to post your own messages complaining about things that annoy you like perhaps this banner which, incidentally, disappears when you log in :-)
Username:-
 Password:
Remember me:
👁 durr, I forgot...
Or: Register
(to be a proper snow-head, all official-like!)

UK ski tour operator sacks nannies following childcare complaint: report

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Mark Warner, a long-established British ski operator, is reported to have sacked two of its nannies and launched an investigation into its childcare standards following an incident in Les Deux Alpes, France. The nannies allegedly failed to properly supervise children on an outing which involved a walk along a busy main road...

The father of a child involved provided Mark Warner with video evidence of the incident. This report is sourced from The Sunday Telegraph.
ski holidays
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Mark Warner Nanny, can't think of a worse job, well perhaps being a social worker in Middlesbrough. both are no win, no win jobs.
ski holidays
 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Mark Warner should be praised for their extremely rapid and satisfactory response tho - I can imagine lesser reputed tour ops failing to act in such a responsible fashion.
snow report
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
The issue of childcare is a tricky one. After all, you're entrusting your children to the care of complete strangers, often in unfamiliar places. I'm surprised the MW nannies are paid that much in all honesty, though the remuneration isn't, or shouldn't be the issue.

The actions of MW, whilst noteworthy, are really the minimum one would expect, after all, the evidence seems incontrovertible. Whether they are right to insist that their recruitment requires no scrutiny or alterations sounds a little arrogant to me. Lets not get too worked up over this. After all, no-one has been hurt (thankfully) and the very fact that these sorts of incidents seem isolated seems to suggest that there isn't too much to be concerned about.

We've recently been using Ski Esprit who offer a similar service, combining ski lessons with a supervised snow club in the afternoon. The general standard has always appeared to be fine, although on our last trip, I couldn't understand why, when the sun was shining the children seemed to spend so much time inside other than their morning lesson time. Previous experiences suggested strong leadership, which seemed lacking this time around.

This probably raises the thornier subject of whether putting children into childcare for the duration of the holiday is a good thing or not. After all it's a family holiday and are parents being selfish by "dumping" their kids with strangers in unfamiliar surroundings whilst they go off for some fun? My experience has been that our youngest loves being with children her own age, and if she's happy and contented, that is the main consideration. As she gets older she'll spend more time skiing with us - if that's what she wants.
snow conditions
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Mark Hunter, Do you really think that 100 pounds a week for a nanny is enough? It's not surprising that MW hire only NVQ 2 or unqualified nannies - you do get what you pay for! If MW hire fully trained nannies in the first place then they wouldn't need much training by MW either in the resort or in the UK. The trained nannies that I know wouldn't act in such an irresponsible manner - they are very aware of their charges, and of their personal liability.
latest report
 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
£100 pw isn't bad, is it? After all, you have no expenses (other than beer) while you're there.
snow report
 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I did have to laugh at this comment -

"My husband had decided that he wanted some video memories of our son on his first skiing holiday with us," said Mrs Linnane, a 45-year-old equine nutritionist (like thats got something to do with it)......

so let me get this straight. Hubby wants video memories of their son on his first ski holiday........ and takes footage of said child walking down road with members of the creche....... hardly video of their beloved child skiing and enjoying time with mummy and daddy, is it?

We waited until our son could truly enjoy the ski experience with us, before taking him skiing and in my book, that equates to him being able to put on a pair of skis and get on with it. Our lad was 4 when he first went into ski school. Old enough to learn to ski and old enough to be away from me for a couple of hrs a day, but still ski in the afternoons with mum and dad..........Prior to that year, he spent a week with my parents up north, being spoilt rotten whilst we had a well earned ski break and before that holiday, we didnt go skiing as he was still only a baby. We didnt want to use a creche.

My lad is used to child care though, as I work full time (out of neccesity not choice by the way)...... and we dont have a summer holiday either, we spend the money on our weeks skiing. That is our holiday choice and I refuse to enter debates about working vs non working mums and "luxury" holidays etc.

Summarising, you get what you pay for. My child care in London used to cost me about £250 a week for 7 hrs a day. I have no idea what the girls (at the nursery he went to) got paid, but they were all qualified, highly dedicated individuals who were loved by the children. I trusted them with my sons life. I am actually quite shocked at MW if the stories are to be believed, £100 per week pay, for £230 per child charged is downright shocking pay levels, especially if you think that they could have maybe 3 or 4 children to look after, each. MW simply cannot get fully qualified staff on that level of pay.

Thank god noone got hurt. Maybe next time, the parents will wait until the child is old enough for ski school (you dont meet many lorries coming down the blue runs either).
snow conditions
 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Elizabeth B, exactly. Food and lodgings, ski pass, end of season bonus, ski/board hire and the chance to get out during the quieter weeks. Many are also hired by private arrangement for babysitting etc and many get tips in return for happy Jonny or Tara!

pollittcl, I'd say that MW are probably paying more than most of the other companies! I dare say the training is less about how to be a nanny, more about learning the MW way in resort and their procedures etc.
ski holidays
 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Mar, you're spot on, mind you nannies are a bit of breed apart to cahlet girls/boys, ski hosts, barmen/women, plongeurs and other varities of seasonaires . The Ski Esprit nannies in La Rosiere are fearsome, definitely hunt in packs.
ski holidays



Terms and conditions  Privacy Policy