THE CZECH NANNY AS A “DOOR TO THE MAJORITY” FOR CHILDREN OF VIETNAMESE IMMIGRANTS IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

Vietnamese immigrants are the third largest group of immigrants in the Czech Republic. At the same time, in comparison with other immigrant groups and even the majority population there is higher share of children under 15 years of age. As they are mostly economic migrants and usually working as entrepreneurs, stall-keepers and owners of shops and restaurants, the pace of their work life in a new country is intense. Private family life is minimized and Vietnamese parents have to hire Czech nannies to look after their children. Spending more time with their Czech nannies than with parents, these children are slowly integrating into Czech society – through Czech fairy tales that their paid Czech nannies read them, the Czech songs they sing them, or the Czech food they cook for them. Drawing upon qualitative research conducted with Vietnamese mothers, Czech nannies, and children of Vietnamese immigrants, the paper looks into how children (born both in Vietnam and in the Czech Republic) of Vietnamese parents who grow up Czech with their Czech nannies perceive the role of the Czech nanny in their lives and what meanings they put to the delegated caregiving. It focuses on how children describe the role of their nannies as a “door to the majority” teaching them the “authenticity” of the Czech culture, mediating them their social networks, and enabling them to understand and partly experience what it means to be the part of the majority society.