BEIJING – A trendy new job in China of being a home companion for children offers applicants high salaries of up to 80,000 yuan (S$15,000) a month, attracting many highly educated young people to apply.
There are no clear definitions for the role of child companion beyond having to develop programmes for learning, sport and play activities, in accordance with requirements from the parents.
The companion is also supposed to inspire the children and help them kick bad habits.
The size of the pay cheque depends on each family’s budget and its requirements for the companion’s educational background and skills.
Though there are no official figures, pay usually ranges from 10,000 to 80,000 yuan per month, with the majority around 20,000 to 30,000 yuan, according to CNR News, an official news outlet in Beijing.
A manager at an education consultancy in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, told CNR News that over 6,000 people submitted their resumes in a year after the company set up the child companion business.
The manager said that more than 60 per cent of the applicants have master’s degrees, 30 per cent graduated from China’s top-tier universities, and 10 per cent are doctorate graduates.
“I really want to hire a well-educated person to keep my daughter company when my husband and I are at work. My mother is helping us take care of my four-year-old daughter, but she can’t keep her eyes on the girl due to the housework,” said Ms Li Nan, a 38-year-old mother who works for an advertising company in Beijing.
“I have only a very general knowledge of the profession, which is different from a regular babysitter. I think most of the parents hiring a child companion want them to teach English, maths or art-related courses during the companionship,” she added.
Ms Cai Yan, a teacher from Chongqing Three Gorges Medical College who is trained in infantcare, said that stable emotional support for children is more important for a family hiring a child companion, when the parents lead busy lives.
“As far as I know, the job description does have some similarities with a family tutor. But a child companion pays more attention to assisting the children’s education by inspiring them and guiding them to form good study habits, rather than putting the focus on good grades,” she said.
“Psychological counselling is also an important part of the job. The companion should sense the children’s unhealthy emotions during the companionship and offer them counselling,” Ms Cai added.
She said that a child companion must have patience, sound knowledge of child psychology and good communication skills.
“But so far, there is no official training course or certificate for the profession. I think the management of the profession will be improved in the future given the large market demand.” CHINA DAILY/ASIA NEWS NETWORK