What does it mean to be a professional nanny?

[Anonymous]

This is not about salary

You dont need classes or a degree to take care of children. Moms (and dads) all over the world do it and many of them do it very well with no prior experience or training. Yes, when you hire someone you should consider whether they have the personality and knowledge to do the work, but you certainly dont need a degree to be a nanny. I have my degree in early childhood education and learned absolutely nothing about caring for a baby, though I can tell you all about preschool ideologies.

Its great to hire someone with experience taking care of kids, but truthfully, you need to be loving, caring, kind, patient, and level-headed to care for children. Keep kids safe, loved, and reasonably stimulated and none of that is taught in any school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is not about salary

You dont need classes or a degree to take care of children. Moms (and dads) all over the world do it and many of them do it very well with no prior experience or training. Yes, when you hire someone you should consider whether they have the personality and knowledge to do the work, but you certainly dont need a degree to be a nanny. I have my degree in early childhood education and learned absolutely nothing about caring for a baby, though I can tell you all about preschool ideologies.

Its great to hire someone with experience taking care of kids, but truthfully, you need to be loving, caring, kind, patient, and level-headed to care for children. Keep kids safe, loved, and reasonably stimulated and none of that is taught in any school.

Ok?

[Anonymous]

I liked it better when you told us all to wake up and smell the coffee each time you posted. At least I got a good laugh...

[Anonymous]

You need to be a doormat for your NF.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I liked it better when you told us all to wake up and smell the coffee each time you posted. At least I got a good laugh...

[Anonymous]

MB here. I had a bright young woman interview with me for a nanny job. During the interview, she kept asking "What are you looking for?"

It is really hard to say what exactly makes a professional nanny. If I say "this," then a nanny might be TOO "this" which is not what I meant. Also, being "this" does not mean that it does not mean it does not include something else but also is important, if omitted completely. So, it is hard to say in concrete terms.

Sure, love and attention and care is the most important. But you could be the most loving and attentive nanny in the world but if the MB comes up to a big dump at the end of the day (and she didn't leave it that way in the morning) and she has to spend an hour cleaning up instead of spending time with her kids every night she wants to do, you are not meeting the needs.

You could be the cleanest nanny in the world and and the most loving nanny but by the time the kid enters preschool and the kid does not know the ABCs you have failed as a nanny.

You could be the safest driver but doesn't know how to let MB know how safe you are, and she worries about you driving all day while working, it means you lack communication skills as a nanny and a decent communication skill is required as a professional nanny.

Then there are those skills for knowing how to soothe an infant, getting them to take a bottle. No class is going to teach you that. A professional nanny going into an infant caretaker position is expected to know these things.

What makes a good mother? What makes a good teacher? What makes a good manager? What makes a good nanny? There is no one good answer.

The bright young woman who interviewed with me did not get the job. It was just a gut feeling but she came off as being a bit immature, seeking 1 right answer to this question "what does the MB want?"

[Anonymous]

"A professional knows how to do her job."

Most parents here don't need or want a professional nanny, not can they afford one.

[Anonymous]

Agree. Asking "what are you looking for" is just a not-so-clever way of getting a response and then regurgitating back that that is what you supposedly are and can do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
"A professional knows how to do her job."

Most parents here don't need or want a professional nanny, not can they afford one.

Me again.

I'll always remember the CEO mother who interviewed a dozen 'top' nannies.
Then one day she offered to tell me why she wanted me:
I was "the only one" who told her what I would do with her child
when he was born.

Every other so-called nanny said she'd do
"whatever" the mother wanted.

Parents need to learn who is, and who isn't, a nanny.

[Anonymous]

I agree wholeheartedly w/you on this one OP. 120%.

Taking all the Child Development courses in the world do not make a great nanny.

I much prefer a nanny who has "real-life/hands-on" experience w/young children vs. someone who simply studied the developmental stages from a textbook.

And personality is at the top of my list since w/out good chemistry, it is nearly impossible for any nanny position to work out since chemistry is such an important factor here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
"A professional knows how to do her job."

Most parents here don't need or want a professional nanny, not can they afford one.

Find a new line. This one is old and you're embarrassing yourself.

[Anonymous]

Loca, crazy, bipola....thanks that smart parents know that Good Nannies need to be educated, experienced and attentive to be able to provide good care for their children. GO away Op u are not a good influence to advise on the characteristic of a Professional Nanny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree wholeheartedly w/you on this one OP. 120%.

Taking all the Child Development courses in the world do not make a great nanny.

I much prefer a nanny who has "real-life/hands-on" experience w/young children vs. someone who simply studied the developmental stages from a textbook.

And personality is at the top of my list since w/out good chemistry, it is nearly impossible for any nanny position to work out since chemistry is such an important factor here.

+100,000

[Anonymous]

While I think that being a great nanny is about, most importantly, being a Pied Piper with children and have the heart of a teacher - a college degree is also important. Education and experience are the two keys to being a professional nanny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:While I think that being a great nanny is about, most importantly, being a Pied Piper with children and have the heart of a teacher - a college degree is also important. Education and experience are the two keys to being a professional nanny.

Education is far, far less important than experience.
A 35 year old nanny with 15 years of experience will generally be a much better nanny than a 22 year old with an ECE degree.