Wealthy China couples pay top dollar for ‘professionals’ to fulfil their parental duties

Young upwardly mobile couples in China are hiring “professional parents” known as child companions, who focus on their children’s mental health as well as their academic abilities and daily needs.

A psychology PhD student, who has interviewed hundreds of child companions, wrote on Xiaohongshu that most applicants are graduates of prestigious universities, such as Harvard, Cambridge, Tsinghua, and Peking University.

They hold master’s degrees or higher, are fluent in multiple languages, and are skilled at sport as well as often having expert knowledge of child psychology.

Unlike the work of tutors and nannies, these companions involve themselves deeply in the children’s daily lives and their feelings.

Their duties include taking children to the doctor, tutoring homework, travelling with them and managing their emotional needs, which are traditionally parental responsibilities.