How to become a nanny

So you want to be a nanny, but not sure how to get there?

I sat down with Torii, a 25 year old nanny, to ask her how she got her job.

So, what do you do?

I’m a nanny. I currently look after two children aged four and 18 months. My days involve school drop offs, prepping for school, cooking meals, plan outings and activities suitable for their development stages, take them to appointments when needed and change nappies on the regular.

How did you get into nannying?

When I was 18, I applied for a role Au Pairing in London. It was something that my aunt recommended to me because she did it many years ago, so she really pushed me to do it.

I worked for 2 years over there, and when I came home I continued nanny with various families.

How did you find your international Au Pair position?

I googled it! I did some research through Smart Au Pairs. They brought forward families who they thought I would gel with and I chatted with a few of them online. I chatted with a few families until I found the perfect family and boom! Arrived on their door step 2 weeks later.

What are the key skills you think someone needs to be a nanny?

Nannies need patience by the bucket load, and a lot of energy to meet the child’s energy levels. You need good understanding of the development stage of children and be pretty organised to keep on top of everything. Nannies also need to be quite safety conscious and nurturing.

How do you suggest someone finds opportunities to become a nanny?

There are a few different ways. For me, I started up my own babysitting page on Facebook and found clients through there.

The website We Need A Nanny is also great - it matches you with families who are suited to you.

I recommend doing your research, talk to the family as much as possible so you can make sure that they are the right fit for you.

What are the main challenges people should be aware of before pursuing a career as a nanny?

Tantrums! (laughs)

Having flexibility can be a challenge, making sure you have the time to be able to give to these little people. You need to remember that you’re not working for a company, you’re working for a family, so things aren’t always set in stone. For example, a child might get sick and their parent can’t just take the day off so you need to be able to cover that even if you weren’t scheduled to be working that day. As a nanny, you can’t just clock off and leave as you would an office job- if parents are running later you need to wait until they return home.

You’re now also working as a support worker. What were the steps you took to become a support worker?

I had experience caring, and it’s something that I’m really passionate about. I did some research (Googled!) on different aged care companies and found one that suited me.

Any advice you’d like to pass onto someone who wants to be a nanny or support worker?

For both roles, make sure that you’re passionate about it. You can’t do the role if you’re not passionate about it as it requires a lot of energy and dedication. Especially with children, the years that you’re looking after them are most vital to their wellbeing and growth, so it’s vital that you’re all there.

It’s not an easy job - it’s definitely something you need to be passionate about.

Torii has a Good Friend Resume! It showcases her soft, transferable skills that made it easy for her to get a support worker role with her nanny experience.