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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]What Makes Up a Professional Nanny:

-Proud to call themselves a nanny. Has respect for their own industry. Knows that they are doing one of the most important jobs.
-Made a choice to dedicate their time to making nannying a career, not just a job.
-Always shows up on time, or at least 5-15 minutes early.
-Is "happy" to be paid legally, and on the books.
- Is aware of the industry standards and domestic workers laws.
- Has a comprehensive nanny contract in place.
- Is proactive with her duties, always going above and beyond.
- Represents her nanny family well. Never bad mouths them in public.
- Dresses respectfully for the job. Clean, neat, and not in PJ's or work-out clothes.
- Never is on her cell phone during her work hours, unless it's regarding work, or an emergency.
- Always researching and partaking in professional development classes, or reading books relating to the children you take care of.
- Making sure you have First Aid & CPR certifications up to date. As well as your vaccinations.
- Honorably sticking up for yourself when you feel you are being taken advantage of.
- Continuously being proactive and coming up with the appropriate and creative activities with the children.
- Have professional boundaries with your employers. Never ask for financial loans.
- Respect your NF family time. Try do things, that will enhance, strengthen, and elongate your Nanny Families time together. 
- Understand your roll as a caregiver. Allow the parents to raise their kids how they wish.
- Take care of yourself. You can only take the best care of your charges, if you are in your best health and peace of mind.
- Make sure you know the going rate for a professional nanny in your area, and don't except a position with a family that will not compensate you as a professional.
- Do not show up to work when you are contagiously sick. A professional knows to give as much advance notice if you are in need of a sick day.
- Do not talk about salary/pay with your other co-workers in the home.
- Be a roll model for your charges. They observe and emulate more than you are aware of. Behave the way you would like them to behave.
- Know that there is so much more to being a professional nanny than "playing". You need to know about child development, milestones, physiology and phycology.
- That this is a professional career. You are ENTITLED to performance reviews, merit & COLA raises, great benefits, and bonuses for a job well done.
- You are not ENTITLED to the moon and the stars from your employers just for doing your job.
- Understanding that it is part of the job to work around sick children.
- Being flexible is a two way street.
- And just don't chew gum in public :)! [/quote]
 
These are all aspects of professional behavior, meaning the behavior most typically associated with and expected of professionals.  However, in order for nannying to be recognized as a profession (as opposed to a trade in which some subset of practitioners behave professionally), there needs to be an education component.  That is the critical element of how U.S. law, particularly the FLSA, distinguishes a professional job from a non-professional job.  I would like to see licensure become contingent upon completion of a 30-credit academic program, so basically one full-time year of schooling or two to three part time years, with some sort of practicum training or apprenticeship along the way.

Many of you will say, "I don't need nanny school.  You can learn to be a nanny by doing the job."  That is true to some extent, but the same is true of doctors, lawyers, and other professionals.  You can learn to remove a gall bladder or argue a court motion through training, but you may not learn how one physical system relates to another and you may not learn how to develop a framework for confronting an entirely new legal issue.  On the job training is critical, but it is not a substitute for a solid academic foundation.  In other words, being an excellent, experienced caregiver doesn't make you a child development professional, and that is what a nanny should be.[/quote]

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