Parents order Chinese

Pushy parents keen to give their kids the best possible chance of success have made Mandarin-speaking nannies the capital's hottest accessory. Londoners are so keen to see their children grow up speaking Mandarin that Chinese nannies in the capital can demand fees 50 per cent higher than average.

Parents who see Mandarin as the language of the future are paying bilingual nannies up to £15 an hour after tax, and demand is expected to increase as China's political and financial clout continues to grow. Vanessa Cook, managing director of London's Little Ones nanny agency, which specializes in supplying bilingual nannies, says that she can barely keep up with the demand.

Cook said: In the past year the growth in requests for Mandarin speakers has dramatic. Clients see Mandarin as the future business language. It's as simpleas that, and want their children to have a head start. But despite the huge demand, Mandarin-speaking nannies are in short supply. It is almost impossible for young Chinese women to get a visa allowing them towork in Britain in childcare, considered a "low skill" sector. EU expansion has attracted nannies from Eastern Europe into the country, sochildcare is not seen as an area with a skill shortage by officials in charge of immigration.