The managing director of an agency which recruits nannies nationwide has noticed an upsurge in demand for nannies who speak Mandarin Chinese.

Vanessa Cook, of the Little Ones agency based in London, said more and more parents are looking for Mandarin Chinese speakers because they believe it is the business language of the future.

"In the last 18 months, we've noticed this rise," she told Recruiter. "People see China as a place where their children might do business in the future, so they want to give them this gift of speaking a second language."

Full-time nannies can command salaries of up to £28,000 per year, and Cook says the gap in the market was obvious when she founded the agency just over two years ago.

"There were no real agencies which specialised in bilingual nannies," Cook said, adding that the demand for Mandarin speakers was relatively new. "In the beginning, no one was asking for Mandarin speakers but they now make up about 10% of the enquiries we get."

Little Ones sources its candidates by advertising in language schools across the country. Typically, a placement for a nanny lasts one year.