About Susie
My name is Zuzana, but all children call me Susie.
I am the founder of Susie's - helping you with your children since 2014 until now.
I am 39 years old, a happy mum of two, and also a former Nanny myself (among others), thus I can look at the Nanny - Parent relationship from both angles.
When I am choosing any new nanny to join Susie's, I judge her as a parent who is deciding whether to entrust the care of their most beloved children in the hands of somebody else and I weigh all the pros and cons. Primarily, I look for nannies who are empathetic, responsible and will be the right role models for children's lives. That's why sometimes even a candidate who doesn't have much experience with babysitting yet can get a chance at Susie's, if she has the right character traits.
On the other hand, I can look at candidates with a critical eye and assess their abilities in the role of a caregiver, because as you probably know, children often behave differently with their parents and differently with other adults. The nanny must be able to not only entertain the children and guide them in the right direction but also must be able to cope with challenging situations we parents all know can occur with young children.
When choosing a long-term nanny for you, I always try to choose only those candidates, to whom I would not be scared to entrust the care of my own children.
I care very much about high reputation of our family business and I cooperate only with the most reliable and nurturing babysitters, to whom I am not afraid to leave my own children too. See for yourself my reviews and read about how happy other families were with us.
My qualifications (mostly gained in the United Kingdom):
- Ba (Hons) in English as Foreign Language (Leeds Met University)
- BTEC National Diploma in Early Years - Level 3 (Shipley College)
- Czech diploma in preschool pedagogy (Předškolní a mimoškolní pedagogika- Maturitní obor)- SPŠ Futurum
- Classroom Assistant Certificate (for Primary schools)
- TEFL (Teaching English as Foreign Language) Certificate
- First Aid Certificate
- Other certificates from trainings related to childcare
My personality:
I consider myself as a caring, responsible and friendly person. I have never had a problem to start a new relationship with adults or children and I think I am open-minded and flexible.
Children often said about me that I can be strict but also fair and fun. In my past jobs I was able to gain children's respect and manage well their behaviour by positive motivation as well as set rules which I adapted to the age, ability and personality of the children. I am person with great deal of respect for other people, their opinions and values and I teach children to not just respect but celebrate the differences among us. I understand each child is unique and always try to work in a close partnership with parents to ensure I can provide an individual approach, best suited to your child.
In my free time I really love traveling and getting to know new cultures! In the same way I love meeting new people and socialising with my friends and family as in my opinion our life relationships are the most important thing in life!
I also like home-design and developing our family cottage, reading, skiing, swimming and dancing.
More about my background
and life experience which led me to start Susie's
Spending almost 8 years in England, I used my time there to study both my college and a University degree there. While studying (on Leeds Metropolitan University), I was gaining loads of working experience from variety of public and private schools on days when I was off from Uni, when I worked for 3 years for an agency (Randstad Education) providing Supply teachers in schools.
This experience gave me a large overview of different teaching techniques, different backgrounds of children and different approaches from the teachers. Before coming back to the Czech republic, I had also worked in private creches, kids-clubs (for example Virgin Active V-club) and later managed one after-school club myself, still in England.
And then friend of mine persuaded me to move with her to the Austrian Alps, where we worked one whole season as Holiday Nannies in Lech am Alberg, looking after children under the age of 3, who could not ski yet. This was a fantastic experience (not just for the skiing part ☺️) as again I was given the opportunity to get to know different children every week, but this time from a Nanny's perspective. Again, I obtained a completely new experience that I treasure.
When I was 28, I felt I was missing my home country and my family too much, that is the resaon I decided to come back to the Czech republic and settle down in Prague.
First two years in Prague I worked in Parklane International School in a Nursery class and it would not be me, if I would settle down for just one job :D. So while working there I decided to start my own babysitting agency - Susie's Babysitting.
At first I began just as a very small business, working just on my own. But soon my reputation grew and people started recommending my services to each other, I quicky needed to find other babysitters to help me fulfill the demand of parents.
Thus my career as a "babysitting organiser" and nanny searching provider began and it has been growing ever since.
Nowdays I am actually experiencing quite an expansion, as after a 5-year break on my maternity leave, I started to "function" again as a nanny broker in January 2023.
Our business is lately changing and growing a lot, and I am excited that perhaps YOU might also become one of our valued clients!
Want to talk to Susie in person?
Book an online appointment right away 👇🙂