Maybe the atrocious fake Irish accent Charlotte’s nanny in the second Sex and the City movie is to blame, but it seems having an Irish accent is a bit of an obstable if you want to work as a nanny abroad.
A former Rose of Tralee finalist has revealed that she is ‘angry and frustrated’ after she was turned down for a nanny job in Russia because of her accent.
Grainne Boyle from Gartan, Co. Donegal was told by a London agency that everything about her was perfect – accept her accent, which wasn’t ‘BBC’ enough.
Grainne was told she needed to sound more English to get a job
“At first I thought it was amusing, but then it made me quite angry,” said the 26-year-old who has a Masters in Education and has studied linguistics. “I was laughing with family and friends because I was sent to elocution lessons for 13 years,” she added.
The agency in question, Bonne International Nanny Agency, have revealed that all wealthy Russian families want ‘BBC English’ and accent is the first criteria they look at when choosing a nanny for their children.
Since revealing the truth to the media about what the agency informed Grainne about her strong accent, the Donegal nanny has been receiving a lot of job offers, a couple from previous employers and others who have heard about her story.
Don’t let that accent die out yet, Grainne!
