I truly think becoming a nanny is what I should to do, but...

[Anonymous]

Let me start off by saying when I say "should" I mean I think being a nanny is my calling...

Now, with that said I don't have the slightest idea on how to truly get started. I helped to raise my 2 youngest siblings (one of which has several mental disabilities), I am a mom of 1 (I have been a sahm with him and then volunteered in classrooms until recently), and I have babysat, cared for, etc newborns to older children every chance I got since I was a girl. I don't have a college degree, but have been to college and maintained a high GPA while there. I currently nanny for one family very part time and love it, but it doesn't come with benefits nor enough hours.

Can someone help explain where to go from here? I am more than willing to do the work, but I need to know what to do. My goal is to work with one family as a full-time, out of the home nanny with benefits.

Kind of a side thought...On average can a nanny position offer enough in salary and benefits to be able to use that as the only source of income for a 2 person family?

Please hold any rude comments.

Thank you in advance for all advice given.

[Anonymous]

"Kind of a side thought...On average can a nanny position offer enough in salary and benefits to be able to use that as the only source of income for a 2 person family?"

Very unlikely.

You can definitely find work as a nanny, but you've got to be realistic about the market. Some people luck out and find a high paying job with health and other benefits but for the most part, this doesn't happen. There is no job protection, no HR so a lot of nannies are mistreated. If you work for a nice family it could be a very enjoyable experience though.

Also, your siblings and child are not counted as profesional experience and you will look a bit silly listing that on your résumé as a past job. Mention it, but know that youre competing against nannies who have years worth of profesional references so you may be starting on the lower end of the pay scale.

[Anonymous]

It depends where you live and what expenses you have. It would be tight, but with your experience (which I'd call limited) you might be able to make it work if you live a relatively low cost of living.

What would you do with your child after he gets out of school? You'd likely be working until 6 or later, so if you have to pay for after care, they may eat up a decent part of your salary

How did you get your current job? Honestly, I'd start posting on job/nanny boards, spreading word around, etc.

[Anonymous]

I became a nanny in my late thirties and have been doing it full time for about 5 yrs. I started out by doing part time work for about a year and applied to tons of jobs for every one I got. My best advice is to apply to anything and everything that fits your schedule, rate and location. Charge a couple dollars less than market to make you more appealing (most people will pay you market anyway, or at least that was my experience.) Your goal right now is to build a resume.

After a year I finally found a family willing to hire me full time (it might take longer or shorter for you. I don't have kids so that probably helped me.) I worked for that full time family a little over two years and have worked for a few families (which has evolved over time) regularly. That is a good niche for me. I have only had to look for new families to fill in my schedule twice in the last 2.5 yrs because I worked on referral. Although I only worked PT for people, I had pretty regular work, as much as I wanted, though my schedule wasn't always the same week to week. There's a niche for people who need part time or last minute work as well as nanny shares. I do shares almost exclusively now and it pays a bit more.

I guess to sum up my advice I'd say be prepared to work PT at least for a while, be open to finding a niche market such as PT, shares (which you'd have w/ your own kid anyway,) be prepared to accept less money (to build your resume and because you have a kid w/ you,) and BE RELIABLE. People will refer you to their friends if you are reliable, leave the house clean, have a happy demeanor, do fun activities, have common sense etc etc.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

14:47 here. Meant to add that I don't have kids so my only experience when I first became a nanny was with my 25+ nieces and nephews and the babysitting I did in HS. I put that in my bio on care and sittercity. It demonstrated that I had at least been around kids. I would avoid saying you raised your brother and sister. Most people would roll their eyes at that. Say you have a younger bro and sis and you spent a lot of time helping to care for them which you enjoyed or something like that.

[Anonymous]

Agree that if you offer a few dollars less than market you will find something. You need to try to keep this job for at least 1 year 2-3 is better so the next time that you look you have a strong resume. Many nannies have no college experience at all so the fact that you have some is a plus. Since you are younger, its good to include your high school GPA. A young nanny who only maintained a C GPA and then went to community college is less responsible/smart than someone with a high high school GPA and high GPA for the courses that she did take.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let me start off by saying when I say "should" I mean I think being a nanny is my calling...

Now, with that said I don't have the slightest idea on how to truly get started. I helped to raise my 2 youngest siblings (one of which has several mental disabilities), I am a mom of 1 (I have been a sahm with him and then volunteered in classrooms until recently), and I have babysat, cared for, etc newborns to older children every chance I got since I was a girl. I don't have a college degree, but have been to college and maintained a high GPA while there. I currently nanny for one family very part time and love it, but it doesn't come with benefits nor enough hours.

Can someone help explain where to go from here? I am more than willing to do the work, but I need to know what to do. My goal is to work with one family as a full-time, out of the home nanny with benefits.

Kind of a side thought...On average can a nanny position offer enough in salary and benefits to be able to use that as the only source of income for a 2 person family?

Please hold any rude comments.

Thank you in advance for all advice given.

Do you mean just you an your son?
Maybe. If you're really good at budgeting. Really, really good.

[Anonymous]

OP how old are you? If you're a little older you might actually have an easier time than if you're younger (say under 25-26.) In any case, yes you can support yourself w/ nannying though you won't necessarily be high on the hog. Your needs will be met. Keep your life simple and you'll be OK. Nanny shares and families w/ 3+ kids tend to pay the most.

[Anonymous]

In order to be able to get a job with benefits and paying more though you need to build up experience as suggested above.

[Anonymous]

I think its a riskier choice for a single mom with a young child unless this is the only job that you can find or this is only part of income.

-Nanny jobs only last 1-3 years. Its hard to predict when your employer will not need you anymore, switch to daycare, move, lose their job or any number of reasons. You really need a nest egg savings to cover the job security problem.
-It doesn't always pay that much more than working in a daycare. Its hard to find the high paying jobs that everyone talks about on this board. Be prepared to live on $12 an hour average and bank any savings for a rate above that if you find a job that pays more.
-The hours are very hard with young kids. If this is your sole source of income, you'll probably need a job with more hours but then you are paying for childcare on top of this. Again, forget what you hear on this board on how easy peasy it is to find a job that pays well and lets you bring your child. Its next to impossible to find this.
-Most employers are OK with scheduled PTO but are not OK with you calling in sick because they have no back up. If you have young kids, you already know that this will happen frequently. Calling out sick frequently gets you fired must faster as a nanny than a daycare worker.

[Anonymous]

References are very important. You need to work very hard for your first jobs and get good references to find your next job. Its really tempting to take advantage of a good situation but you need to have enough self control not to do this or you will screw yourself for your next job. Families will be very permissive with perks, downtime, and lots of stuff but then all of sudden they have had enough.

[Anonymous]

Nanny jobs DO NOT only last 1-3 years. I was in my last nanny job for 8 years full time and then 3 more years part time. I know several nannies right now who have been in their jobs for more than 5 years.

[Anonymous]

Its very rare to be in a nanny job for more than 5 years unless you are primarily a housekeeper. For planning, you should be prepared for a switch every 1-3 years and have savings set aside.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nanny jobs DO NOT only last 1-3 years. I was in my last nanny job for 8 years full time and then 3 more years part time. I know several nannies right now who have been in their jobs for more than 5 years.

This is rare and it's not nice to mislead the OP. Most posters are trying to give her the facts so she can make an informed decision.

[Anonymous]

It is not rare for a good nanny. I have at least 10 nanny friends who are in jobs right now and have been there for 5 plus years.

If you are a good nanny who goes above and beyond and is willing to grow with a family, then they are more likely to keep you on. If you are a crappy nanny who does the minimum to get by, they are more likely to get rid of you as soon as the kids hit preschool.

For example- I stayed in my lat job for 8 years full time with three of those years being with all of three children in school full time. (Sidenote- I left the job to go to graduate school and could have stayed longer full time.) As the children got older I took on more household duties- Grocery shopping, birthday party planning, school clothes shopping, family meal preparation, etc. I was also always willing to come in early/stay late and do overnight when MB and DB were traveling. Because I was willing to take on these extra duties and I was so flexible, the family was willing to keep me full time.

Now that I have that long term experience, I attract other families that are looking for a long term commitment. The last time I was looking I inteviewed with several families wanting someone to stay at least 5 years.