The platform, which matches suitable candidates to families needing help in their area, has expanded into the region following a period of sustained growth.

And now it is on the hunt for candidates to help provide reliable and consistent childcare solutions to parents who need an extra hand.

CEO Rachel Carrell, who founded the firm in 2016 after finding it difficult and expensive to balance career and family demands, said: “Accessing suitable childcare is one of the biggest problems families face in this country, and the pandemic has only made things more difficult.

“The system is broken, and it’s left to parents to plug the gaps – often to the detriment of their career prospects and family lives.

“Since launching in 2016, we have helped thousands of families pair up with after school nannies in their local area and we want to make this service as widely available as possible.

“Through Koru Kids, parents are able to access flexible and consistent childcare that meets their needs, and our nannies are able to work part-time to earn extra money while they balance other commitments such as education or another job.

“We want to find 2,500 new nannies per month across the UK so we can help the ever growing number of families who need an extra helping hand picking up the kids from school.”

Koru Kids is one of the UK’s top childcare service providers and specialises in recruiting, training and matching nannies to families.

It was launched in 2016 by New Zealand-born Ms Carrell, who was working as the CEO of online doctor service DrThom when she welcomed her firstborn child and discovered the difficulties of arranging childcare while she was at work.

It already has more than 11,000 certified nannies on its database and is also expanding its service from being predominantly London-based to include more UK cities including Manchester and Birmingham.

The firm wants to attract 2,500 prospective new nannies each month across the country to match to families.

More than half of its current team is made up of students or creatives who earn up to £800 a month in a part-time role that’s flexible enough to fit in with their studies and work commitments.

Meanwhile, a growing number of nannies fit the profile of women aged 45 and above who may have already seen their own kids fly the nest and are able to use their experience to help other families for extra income.

Parents supply details such as their postcode and the support they need, and are matched with the best nannies for them through the Koru Kids website.

They can browse nannies in their area, and chat to and interview prospective matches – with prices beginning at £13.50 per hour, and a minimum of 3 hours per week.

Koru Kids takes care of all of the contract and administration work and provides a hands-on support service for both nannies and families.