If you have a love for children and you're looking for a world of opportunity
and perhaps even travel, being a nanny could be for you!
Audrey Hafar, who runs a company that provides nannies, agrees. "I can't
say enough about the incredible experiences available to those who are willing
to make a commitment not only to children and families, but to their own personal
development."
Hafar says being a nanny is the safest way she knows for young people to
experience other parts of the U.S. and still maintain a sense of independence.
"Often, these opportunities are stepping-stones to yet other experiences,"
she says.
Traditionally, this is a female profession, but there is a small number
of male nannies. An example of this would be Nick Mitchell, who says he freelances
as a nanny in between working for another company.
For Mitchell, the most difficult aspect of being a nanny is what he calls
striking a balance. "You have to be able to control the children in your care,
while still being their friend. You also have to be friends with their parents
-- your employer -- and be prepared to do tasks they assign and do them in
the way they want them done. None of this is easy -- you have to find a balance
to keep all sides happy."
When you work as a nanny, each day is different and presents a variety
of challenges, says Mitchell. "Though you may work to a routine, children
do not naturally follow a routine at all times. They will often present surprises
-- some may call these challenges -- along the way. I like working with children
because I like the challenges."
One of the delights of nannying is seeing a child do something for the
first time, says Mitchell. "I also like it when you see a child develop, when
you see them learn something -- something you have taught them -- like tying
their shoes."
Nannying can also bring surprising or unexpected breakthroughs with children.
Mitchell says he cares for a lot of children who have behavioral problems.
He describes a poignant moment with one of the children he cares for.
"Recently, it has been great that the seven-year-old I care for has just
started to ask me for a cuddle when he's upset about something. This would
not have happened a few months ago, but through a lot of hard work between
both of us he now feels secure in the knowledge that I am there to care for
him," he explains.
Mitchell has always cared and looked out for children in some way or another.
But there is another reason why he chose to be a nanny: "Determination to
do what my parents didn't want me to do. From a young child, I have always
been great with kids."
His child-caring days really began at age eight, when Mitchell says he
"used to 'care' for the kids in our street, making sure they didn't come to
harm when all the kids in our street played out."
As he grew older, instead of doing the standard job of delivering newspapers,
Mitchell decided he preferred the warmth of caring for children. His evening
babysitting grew into full-fledged work as a freelance nanny.
For Mitchell, most of his nanny work doesn't begin till the afternoon.
"Generally, my days start at 2 p.m. -- great, get the morning to sleep --
but I do not tend to finish much before midnight, so often a 10-hour day,
with no breaks," he says.
"I am lucky as my clients only need my services in the afternoon and evening.
However, in the past I have done work such as two weeks full time [for] 24
hours [a day]. That is, the parents went away abroad and left me with the
children for two weeks -- now that is what I call sole charge!"
Is being a nanny for you? Mitchell believes that depends on how long you
want the career to be. He sees nannying not as a career, but as a stepping-stone.
"Some people will go from college to nannying to marriage and life at home
with their own kids. Others will go from college to nannying to working in
a nursery or preschool," says Mitchell. "The odd few -- like me -- go from
college to nannying to management for a toy company."
Mitchell says most nannies are in their early 20s. "You don't see many
old nannies anymore. Most nannies I have met are in their 20s,
and very rarely are they much older than about 25."
Cheryl-Leah Coultis has cared for children in many countries. Not only
has she been a nanny in Canada, she's also worked in England, Germany and
the U.S. She loves the travel, but the kids give her the greatest satisfaction
of all.
"The children that I work with -- they can teach you a lot, as well as
you teaching them," says Coultis. "I want to work with children and part of
my training in college was in the classroom setting. I enjoyed this very much
but I decided that I would like to become a nanny because I wanted more of
a one-on-one relationship with the children that I looked after."
Another stressful situation can be caring for more than one child at a
time. "I have done nanny share and have had five children in my care. You
have to look after the sick child, but at the same time you have children
who may want help with homework or have to be taken to football or basketball
games. You may have one that wants to play a game with you or wants to show
you something."
Nannies need a lot of patience, too. "A lot of children that I have looked
after say, 'Well, you're not my mom, so why should I do what you want?' At
times like this, you need all the patience that you have," says Coultis.
Crystal Perry is a nanny for two families in Coronado, California, and
she loves her job. "I love children. When I am with them, I remember that
these children will be running the world in another 20 years, and I want to
make sure I have done everything for them that I could."
Mary Clurman is president of a company that matches nannies with employers.
"Being savvy and highly experienced allows me to work with much freedom,"
says Clurman. "You don't have that straight out of college. Most agency owners
do not even make a living. It's not strictly a 'business-oriented' business
-- there are many social work aspects, many do it as a part-time job so they
can be at home with their own children."