At what age is an 'Older nanny'

[Anonymous]

I always considered myself one at 30-31 years old and was shocked when people expressed surprise on my other thread about me being one.
For me, a young nanny is aged 19-24. An older nanny would be 30 years plus.
Maybe I just come into contact with a lot of young nannies?

[Anonymous]

Honey, there are career nannies of every age. A 19-24 yo is probably not a "real" nanny byt which I mean a career nanny. People were mocking you because you were basing your assessment that you are SO wise and SO experienced and SO mature on comparisons with people who are essentially temps--young women (almost still girls), who are just nannying for a while until they figure out what they want to be when they grown up. There are many, many people who have been nannies long enough to see their charges graduate from med school or similar. When you hit menopause, you'll be an "older nanny." You won't make it that long if you take yourself this seriously.

[Anonymous]

I would say 32-33 + up.

This demographic has more wisdom & life experience.

[Anonymous]

Well the PP agrees I fall into the older nanny category so I am not alone in thinking it 06.22.
I do actually have a batchelors degree in childhood studies and 12 years experience in childcare supervisory positions so yes, I am experienced and qualified.

[Anonymous]

You have a bachelor degree, not a baTchelor.

I'm an employer. I've had three nannies. One was 22, one was 33 and one was 60. The older nanny was the best. And she was definitely an "older" nanny. The 22 year old was inexperienced, unreliable, and wonderfully energetic. The 33 year old is fine - neither the best nor the worst at anything and neither young nor old.

My hope in hiring the 33 yr old was to hit the sweet spot of experience, maturity and energy but frankly the perfect nanny would have been the 60 year old if I could have caught her 10 years earlier, when rampaging toddlers wouldn't have been a physical challenge.

In my experience the older nannies, those in their 40's and beyond, have the most maturity, wisdom, common sense and patience. You haven't lived or worked long enough yet to acquire those things. I don't consider babysitting done in one's teens or during college to be the same experience at all as someone who has been a professional nanny for more than ten years.

So your comments are coming across as fairly naive and self-impressed - which is not going to endear you to employers.

[Anonymous]

Also OP, those of us who are hiring get dozens of applications for a nanny position and lots of the applicants are in their 40's and beyond. Lots.

If you look at thirty resumes and 20 of them are from people who are older than 40 then you will laugh at someone who thinks they are "an older nanny" at 30. It's all in your perspective.

[Anonymous]

I would say over 40 is an older nanny.

Btw, my DD has a truly older nanny at 61!! She was a preschool teacher and has a masters in Early Childhood education. She also has more energy and stamina than I have and is totally no drama!! We honestly could not be happier.

[Anonymous]

I would say 40 or 45+. I actually think of women in their 30s as like the "prime" years for a career nanny. You're no longer a newbie, so probably have at least some experience with a variety of types of kids and families, but you're also not physically limited or set in your ways.

[Anonymous]

OP here, as well as my qualifications, I have also supervised holiday clubs and daycares so am not some little babysitter.
I am not boasting but no nanny I know has my qualifications or experience. Most are either 19-25 and unqualified or my age with experience as a nanny but again, no qualifications.
Maybe it's just the area I live. Genuinely surprised that so many of you have nannies in their fifties/sixties.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, as well as my qualifications, I have also supervised holiday clubs and daycares so am not some little babysitter.
I am not boasting but no nanny I know has my qualifications or experience. Most are either 19-25 and unqualified or my age with experience as a nanny but again, no qualifications.
Maybe it's just the area I live. Genuinely surprised that so many of you have nannies in their fifties/sixties.

I wonder where you live? Here in DC, an educated nanny is NBD, and working at a daycare barely counts as nanny experience since most employers expect much more out of their nanny than a daycare worker usually provides. Frankly, your self-importance speaks far more of immaturity than your age. You sound like a 30-something who hangs out with 20-somethings so I suppose thay explains why you don't know what an actual career nanny looks like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, as well as my qualifications, I have also supervised holiday clubs and daycares so am not some little babysitter.
I am not boasting but no nanny I know has my qualifications or experience. Most are either 19-25 and unqualified or my age with experience as a nanny but again, no qualifications.
Maybe it's just the area I live. Genuinely surprised that so many of you have nannies in their fifties/sixties.

MB here I dont need you to have a degree in early childhood education. Other people might but not me. I want you to genuinely like working with little people, think of fun ways to entertain them without the TV, have a base knowledge of good nutrition, and be fun but know when to discipline when necessary.
Bonus points if you love the outdoors.
if you can do all the above I dont care about your official " qualifications"

[Anonymous]

It is different in DC then. No need for the nastiness.

Where I live, it is highly unusual for a nanny to be qualified in childcare or even to be over 25. I don't want to say where I live as I don't want to out myself.
It's good that DC has so many nannies who are over 25 and educated. It certainly isn't the way here.

[Anonymous]

Personally, I would want my nanny to have qualifications. I am always surprised at MB's who aren't bothered about it. I want my nanny to be educated on childhood milestones and behavior. I can't imagine ever hiring someone who has no childcare certification.
No judgement but just my opinion.

[Anonymous]

In DC, most nannies are older than 30 and almost all MBs are older than 30. It's hard to consider a nanny old if she's younger than you are!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Personally, I would want my nanny to have qualifications. I am always surprised at MB's who aren't bothered about it. I want my nanny to be educated on childhood milestones and behavior. I can't imagine ever hiring someone who has no childcare certification.
No judgement but just my opinion.

I don't think anyone wants a nanny who is clueless about child development and education, but there are a lot of ways to gain that knowledge without formal education, and given that nannies often come into this field gradually by working with children in other settings, they may or not have relevant formal education. I think the gold standard is a nanny who a) understands how to work in a home setting, b) understands children's developmental and educational needs and c) has a sense of professionalism, but a degree isn't a guarantee of any of those things.