Helper can't speak proper English - Will it affect kids education ?

Hi all,

I am about to hire a helper who seems kind and patient. She is a bit shy but I guess this will improve while staying with us by getting to know more about us...

She has spent 14 years working with Chinese families only, and the negative point is that she can't speak good English. Both my husband and I work very much so my baby daughter will stay only with her most of the time. My concern is : do you think it will affect my daughter ability to speak good English? I understand that even if it is the case, the situation will get better when my daughter will go to school etc.. but I really wish my helper to be involved in her education by singing songs, playing games, reading books...

Now my baby is not in age to talk yet but this will happen very soon and I would like to have your advices.

Besides, neither my husband or I are native English speakers.

Thanks in advance!

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Posted by madtown (378 days ago)

Huh? Are you hiring a helper or a language tutor? Can you communicate your wants and needs to her? Do you expect your helper (at 3600/month) to have better language skills than you?

Posted by mijo (378 days ago)

Well, I don't expect an English tutor of course, but meanwhile I am not expecting someone who would just clean and cook. I would like a helper who could play with my kids. We don't have any families or relatives in Hong Kong so I guess I don't want my kids to stay most of the time with someone who can't really interact or communicate well with them... Am I expecting too much??

Posted by cd1611 (378 days ago)

i think you will find that most helpers are very smart and quick learners. if you always speak to her in english, her level of english will definitely improve.

Posted by Susie1 (378 days ago)

If you are a stay at home Mum, then the fact the helper couldn't speak good English wouldn't matter, as you can teach your helper English at the same time as the children, and you could read the stories to them. You could even send the helper to English lessons. If you intend to leave the child care to the helper more often, then her lack of English would not benefit the babies development, as they need to be spoken to and have nursery rhymes and songs sung in the language you want them to learn. By the time they went to school their English language skills would need a lot of catching up, and would be behind their peers.

Posted by cara (378 days ago)

i wish my previous helper had spoken tagalog to my kids when they were little. i asked her to, but she just laughed. she thought i was joking whenever i brought it up to her.

i figured that my kids get english from me (and tv, movies, books etc) and cantonese from daddy.... another language would only ever open doors, never close them!

maybe that would be a way to get around your worry?

as for being "behind" in english.... by the time the kids get to school, if they attend an english-medium school, they will catch up in a matter of months, if not weeks. not really something to worry about.

Posted by Susie1 (377 days ago)

If you haven't actually signed up for the helper, you always have the option of finding one who does speak English, otherwise if you can't communicate with her properly how are you going to give instructions on how your children are looked after properly, it could lead to many mis understandings in the future.

Posted by rob_378 (377 days ago)

mijo,

Will you be speaking to your daughter in English as she grows up? If so, will you have similar concerns about the affects of your imperfect English on her?

I think your concerns are premature in anycase since your daughter is presumably only a a few months old. If you read through many of the posts on this forum you will notice that your helpers inability to speak perfect English may be the least of your problems.. By the time your daugher is at speaking age you may have already employed another helper.

Agree with Madtown also, you are not emplying a language tutor.. Perhaps a rethink of your expectations will help you to make your decision?

Posted by FIFIB (377 days ago)

I think your main concern should be whether she can understand and follow your instructions.
My helper's English is bad. I work part-time so not really an issue for me (I don't speak to my kids in English either so they learn from friends, Daddy, school etc.)

My helper does things wrong many times, I ask her one thing but she thinks I want another.
Their English improves only if they want to improve. Mine has been with me more than 6 years and stills saying 2 potatoe, 10 dollar, noting milk, etc
I already gave up on her English

Cara: Why would you like your kids to learn Tagalog? If you want them to speak another language why not one that at least is spoken in more than 1 country?
Even many Filipinos married to westerners here in Hk won't talk to their kids in Tagalog.

Posted by malka (377 days ago)

Any additional language spoken to babies and toddlers enhances their brain neural networks. Chances are they will not use nor remember much but that is not the point, it is brain food and exercise.

If you want a language that 'counts' maybe Cantonese or Mandarin speaking maids will be better but not all can afford the extra cost. How about indonesian as a more common language than tagalog?

Posted by mijo (377 days ago)

Many thanks for your opinions Ladies.

For some reasons I am focusing more on how the helper can interact with my child, instead on her capacity to follow my instructions. The reason I want to hire this specific one is because I had a good feeling with her, she seems very sweet, kind and patient. I have interviewed many and she is the one I like the most despite her lack of English.

Perhaps I have not enough experience with helpers but it matters less to me if she can't understand my instructions clearly, as household and cooking are not my priority. I work full time, so sadly my helper will stay with my daughter more than I will, so I was just wondering if this would be okay...

Posted by cara (377 days ago)

but she also needs to understand your instructions regarding your child!!! if you are at work full-time, how are you to know if she understood what you said in the morning regarding the care of your child???

i think you have this all backwards...

to the others: as i've said, learning languages only opens doors.... never closes them. i don't care what the language is... i stand by my personal philosophy. of course, if i had a mandarin helper, i would like for them to speak in mandarin... or a thai helper speak thai... etc. it just so happened that my helper at the time was from the philippines.

Posted by malka (377 days ago)

Mijo,

In an emergency, how will she be able to communicate e.g calling ambulance, explaining what happened just before and after incident, etc.

If you like her so much and she has learned some chinese enough to function properly, maybe you should learn chinese.

Think about all scenarios.

Posted by mijo (377 days ago)

Thanks again. Well I guess you guys were right.. I was focusing too much on how the helper could actually be kind, entertain and play with my kids and I didn't think about the rest. I was supposed to see her today, but even for this simple thing, I struggled explaining where and when to meet. In the end, she missunderstood and stood me up... (!!)

it is so hard to find a helper to hire, and I need one asap...

Posted by malka (377 days ago)

Well that sounds really bad! Some agencies will let you try different helpers until you are satisfied - you can get one to start and state all your criteria.

Posted by missprincepessa (377 days ago)

From the beginning of this thread it sounds as though your issue mainly relates to the ability of your helper to work with your child in English, not your ability to communicate with the helper. I am guessing that English is not your first language and therefore is not what you speak to your child to at home? If you expect your helper to fill in the gaps on English language education, then don't. Find a good tutor.

Posted by deedeeq (376 days ago)

Speaking from experience, I would definitely find a helper who can communicate properly in English. There are a lot of helpers looking for jobs. Just take the time, as it's worth it in the long run.

Posted by narnia (369 days ago)

If her English bothers you, hire a native English tutor to play with your child and have the helper there to observe. Maybe she can pick up on some 'playtime' English and basic pronunciaton. You can't have it all. Personally, I'd prefer a helper who can do her job well because I'm sure your child will be exposed to English at playgroup, on playdates or from educational programmes.