Anonymous wrote:Came onto this post because I'm 15 and I'm going to study childcare in September in college and hope to become a nanny. I have not been diagnosed with bipolar but I match the criteria and even if I don't have it I do have random manic episodes and also depressive episodes. I have also suffered with eating issues/self harm etc. Do you think I should quickly rethink my life and choose something else as no one would want to hire a nanny with mental issues?

a) Don't waste the money on a college education with the goal of becoming a nanny.
b) Being a nanny isn't the ideal career. You see the posts on here where nannies are claiming to make $25-35 per hour? Those jobs are very, very rare.
c) For most families, a nanny only stays a few years. That means every few years you'll have to find a new nanny job.

I'd look into other job options. Also, talk with your parents about your eating issues/self harm. It will help you to talk to a professional about it, and they can help you find a therapist.

MB here. I have zero problem hiring a well managed person with a mental health disorder. And I suppose I could hire one who isn't well managed but from my Experience with my bi polar best friend, the job wouldn't work out if she was in a manic or depressive state.

I wouldn't tell. The only time I would like to know about a long term illness is if 1. You need accommodations 2. I should keep something in my house for you (we keep OJ for diabetic BIL) or 3. You are on medication that couldAffect care of DS. His current nanny had some medical issues last year and was on medication for 4 weeks where a side effect was dizziness so we changed her duties around a bit so that she wasn't driving DS anywhere and had more time for breaks.

Anonymous wrote:Came onto this post because I'm 15 and I'm going to study childcare in September in college and hope to become a nanny. I have not been diagnosed with bipolar but I match the criteria and even if I don't have it I do have random manic episodes and also depressive episodes. I have also suffered with eating issues/self harm etc. Do you think I should quickly rethink my life and choose something else as no one would want to hire a nanny with mental issues?

I don't think that this would be a good field for you. I really think you should consider something less isolating and more predictable. I haven't read this entire thread, but I think that even mentally healthy nannies struggle with feelings of isolation and even abandonment by their employers or charges when a job ends, and I think that you may be even more sensitive to these feelings than others.

Why only the nannies? How about the families with mental problem?


Nannies will you stay with the families if you found they have mental issues?