Simple Steps to becoming a Nanny

Working as a  nanny or  maternity nurse is a rewarding career, top jobs pay $250,000 a year and have perks of working on private jets, super yachts, living in palaces, mansions, being transported in a Royce Royce with a chauffer and plenty of travel.

However to get there you need to have experience, be reliable, even tempered and most importantly have a resume that looks like your worthy of a 6 figure job.  With experience and training, a great resume in hand you are on you way to the best job in the world, making the difference in the life of a child.

There are so many specialities when working as a nannying opportunities out there here is a selection of the roles you work in.

Working with New-borns

- Doula

- Baby Nanny

- Maternity Nurse

Working around the World

- Ski Nanny

- Governess 

- Private Tutor

- Travel Nanny

- Career Nanny

- Princess Nanny

Working in your local area

- Babysitter

- Proxy Parent

- Daily Nannies

- Holiday Nanny

- After school Care

- Domestic Nanny

- School run Nanny

- Emergency Nanny

- Special needs Nanny

Experience

Gain experience by searching ANA job boards apply for all roles that you feel are a good fit, visit nanny job sites Australia and international to see what the requirements are for the role and adjust you resume to the language of the roles you are seeking. Many times you wont here back from agencies or parent but don't give up you be surprised how many time a year later you get a phone call from a family that has your resume and now want to interview you

- Visit ANA job board

- Check Australian Nanny Agency Instagram

- Volunteer with children programs

- Work lunch shift at local day-care

- visit international job boards  to gain knowledge in the language used in nanny roles

Tip: be sure to update your resume every time you do a job related to children in no time at all you will find that you have a extensive resume.

Building your Resume

Work on your resume weekly updating it to ensure that is professional has the recorded and always trying to improve it make it better than yesterday always trying to improve.

- Write down all of your experience; formal and informal (this means work that you’ve been paid for and work that - -- List out your roles and responsibilities with each bit of experience e.g. sole or shared charge, the age of the child(ren) and any duties / activities you did with them. 

- add all your certificates to a word document for ease of attachment (1st aid, formal training, WWCC, police check)

- references add snippets to a document of your referees

- create a work document of thank you notes and feedback from clients.

Example of how to set out your experience.

2018 -2019

The Phoenix Family  - Daily Nanny

Children Ages: 2 boys 3 & 7

Duties:

- Design menu and prepare and deliver breakfast, Lunch dinner

- Develop learning activities scaffolding learning

- Supervise and facilitate bath and bed time routine

- Ensure care safety while driving children to school and pick up

- Follow parental directions ensuring instruction were meet with minimal fuss to the family

- Providing a range of indoor and outdoor activities

- Helping with the children’s development

- Lots of reading and creative activities

 TIP:

 - if you’re struggling with experience, then think about all the informal experience you have working with       children of your family and friends.

- google nanny agencies overseas and look at the language they use to describe roles and emulate the way they describe roles.

Qualifications:

Now let’s think about your qualifications - do you have any that relate to working with children? This can be what you studied at college, your lifeguarding qualification, a cooking course you completed, an online childcare course you did. a professional development course it is all helpful.

Qualification                 Date Completed                     Certificate (Y/N)                    Intstitution

Diploma in Early Childhood             2022                                                 Yes                                     Tafe Australia

Cert 4 in Security Services                2017                                                  Yes                                    Australian College

ABC behaviour management        2016                                                   yes                                       Harvard university

Bronze medallion                               2015                                                   Yes                                      Royal Life saving Australia

Don’t worry if you don’t have any qualifications or experience there many course on site like Edex and online you can  you can do very easily and relatively inexpensively to get experience. 

 
Working with Children Check

The Working with Children Check (WWCC) is a requirement for anyone who works or volunteers in child-related work in Australia. It involves a National Police Check (criminal history record check) and a review of reportable workplace misconduct.  All agencies and 100% of families will request. 

How much does it cost? 

 WWCC costs about $100 depending on the state you work. If you need a hand email recruit@australiannannyagency.com.au and we will help. 

Why should I get it? 

The WWCC reassures parents that you don’t have a criminal record and that you’re likely to be a reliable and responsible human being who will care for their child(ren) and not rob them when they’re out… 

2. HLTAID012 First Aid Certificate

The requirements for childcare workers and early childhood educators are set by the Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority (ACECQA). When it comes to first aid qualifications, it defines three key requirements for educators and childcare staff.

• An approved first aid qualification
• Approved anaphylaxis management training
• Approved emergency asthma management training

First aid qualifications can come from a list of approved first aid training qualifications. Both anaphylaxis and asthma are covered in most first aid courses, but anaphylaxis and asthma management training is something over and above that. It includes recognising symptoms and correct use of an EpiPen or asthma reliever medication, but ALSO the administrative side of those conditions – including management plans.

 
How / Where to Start Applying for Work 

1.Your resume and Cover Letter 

There are so many different ways you can apply for work, but before you start you need to make sure your resume and cover letter are done.

The average individual makes a decision about whether to take your application forward within 10 seconds. For me, it’s less than 2 seconds. . So give yourself the best chance of getting through to the next stage. DO THE WORK. 

Use our template resume and cover letter to help you. Links are in the link section. You don’t get a second chance. 

Get Yourself Out There

The main thing is getting yourself out there. You’ve got to push outside of your comfort zone and go for it. These are some of the places / companies we suggest getting onto to kickstart your nannying career. 

Remember you have to start at the bottom - so be prepared to take jobs that aren’t the total dream quite yet. The dream will follow but you have to start. 

Put up a Flyer / Notecard 

I know this sounds old school but I promise you it works. Pop up a flyer or notecard in your local pub, village hall, garden centre, café etc. Try not to overthink it, it doesn’t have to be fancy or perfect. Make sure it includes your name, contact number, general availability and any essentials you have (like DBS and first aid). 

Reach out to anyone you've previously worked for / helped out 

This is a really underused hack. Reaching out to people who already know you and have used you is a great way to build up your work. Particularly when asking them if they need a hand OR if they have any friends that might need support with their childcare. You'll be surprised at what people come back with! 

Set up alerts on Indeed 

Indeed is a job platform where lots of agencies and families advertise nanny roles. Setting up alerts to receive notifications when a new nanny job is posted in your area is a great way of staying in the loop of what's out there. 

Post an Advert 

If you’re a university / college / school student check your university / college / school notice board or emails. See if you can post an advert advertising your services and / or respond to anything you see that works for you. 

TIP - combine jobs and opportunities! For example, you could combine working in a 

pub or nursery alongside your nanny role.

 How to Get the Job!

1 Tweak your CV and cover letter so that it speaks to the job you’re applying for.

2 Send them to the agency / family hiring with a simple but enthusiastic email. 

3. Respond to them when they reply. If they say “we’ll be in touch”, respond with “great, I look forward to hearing from you.” If they suggest a meeting or call, get back to them as quickly as you can with your availability. This isn’t like awkward dating games - appearing keen is a good thing. 

4 Prepare for the interview. 

• Think about your outfit and appearance - neat, tidy and practical.
• Check the route to get to where you’re meeting and allow plenty of time for traffic / delays. Being late is NOT an option. 
• If the interview is a video call then make sure you’ve checked your background and everything is set up and ready for the call. Make sure you won’t be disturbed. Look professional.
• Prepare some questions to ask - yes you must ask a question or two. I have never had a 30 minute conversation with anyone and learnt everything about them… not having questions does you no favours. 

Prepare answers to questions you think you might get asked.. These are some common ones… 

• Tell us about your experiences working with children?

      (Start with formal but give your informal experience, if it adds value.)

• If you had a full day with my children, what would you do? 
• Give me an example of a time you’ve had to deal with a child who was misbehaving. 
• Why did you apply to our job? / Why are looking to move into nannying? v. 
• What do you love most about working with children? 
• What did you love and what did you find challenging about your previous/current position? 

• If the role is with preschool ages then research age appropriate activities - free and paid for in the local area. If it’s with older children then research things to do in the holidays / speedy meals to cook after school etc. 
• If you get asked back for a trial, prepare activities to take with you and go through Step 1 again thinking in detail about your outfit and appearance. 
  
  

Other things to think about... 

An interview is as much the family interviewing you as you interviewing them. Ask yourself the following questions. 

- Do you like them? 

- Do you think that you will fit into their family? 

- Are they a good personality fit for you? 

- If you don’t possess skills that the family requires, have you proven to them that you could learn them? 

What to do when you get the Job!

One thing I want you to remember is that working as a nanny isn’t the same as working in any other industry. 

When you become a nanny you become part of a family and part of a child's life. You cannot just down tools and walk away. If you do that you have the potential to have a huge (negative) impact on that child. 

So - in all seriousness - only go for an interview and / or accept a job if you know deep down that you won’t leave. Of course we cannot predict the future. Stuff happens, life happens and that’s okay but walking away because the commute is too much or you don’t like nannying or it doesn’t pay enough isn’t a good enough reason. Those are all things you need to check in advance. 

As / when you get offered a position I want you to triple check the following:

Commute - are you happy with it? 

Pay - does it cover what you need it to cover? 

Your commitment - how long are you committing to them for and do they know it?

Next things to go through are: 

Contract 

The family will hopefully put a contract together for you - this can depend on the length and size of the role but we would say anything longer than 6 weeks and more than about 8 hours a week needs a contract. It means you and the family both know where you stand.

Payroll 

Nannies need to be employed; if you want to be a self-employed nanny you need to get a ABN. The family you’re working for will organise payroll for you. 

Agreed Salary 

Make sure you agree the salary and the standard hourly rate if you do any extra work.

Car and Car Insurance 

Will you be driving your own car? If so, call your insurance provider and ask them to put business car insurance on - this is so you’re insured for running errands / driving the children around. If you don’t have business insurance and have an accident then you won’t be insured, which is not ideal. You can also claim mileage at 45p per mile for any miles you drive for work - this does not include your commute - speak to the family about it. 

Medical Consent (if required) 

If you’re caring for a child who needs medication ask the family to sign a medication consent form - this is a simple document stating that they’re saying it’s okay for you to give their child(ren) any medication it requires. 

Public Liability Insurance 

Take out public liability insurance - this means you’re insured if anything happens to a child when in your care. 

Get Clear on Roles and Responsibilities 

Make sure you've triple checked the job description and go back with any questions on roles and responsibilities etc. You also want to get clear on school / nursery location, journey and local area. 

Simple Practices & Habits to Make You an Exceptional Nanny 

Qualities:

• Be a good communicator - present solutions not just problems 
• Have bags of patients 
• Thinking on your feet is a great quality to have 
• Be organised but flexible 
• Have the ability to anticipate - see the milks running low; grab some on the school run
• Be punctual and have good time management skills 
• Tidy, always! Be tidy in someone else's house, and in the car! 

Wait for the right job: 

It can be tempting to take the first job you are offered but if it doesn’t feel right, don’t accept it. The last thing you want to do is to take it and then let the kids down. 

Appearance: 

• Keep nails short and if painted - tidy and not chipped 
• Be clean and tidy in your appearance 
• Think about low cut tops, tight tops / trousers, and short skirts / shorts - this is your job so be professional. 
• Avoid heavy makeup and strong perfume - strong perfume makes it hard for babies and young children to recognise your smell and bond with you. 
• Get used to wearing slippers or indoor shoes if it's not the norm for you. Being barefoot or in socks isn’t safe when looking after children. 
• Have separate shoes for going outside / doing errands 

Limit / Avoid Social Media: 

Remember what you put on social media is for the world to get hold of - do you want a potential employer seeing THAT photo? 

Consider making your profile private and changing your username on social platforms 

Self care: 

• You have to take care of yourself. You cannot look after children and raise them to be strong, brave and confident if you don’t look after yourself. 
• Prioritise meeting your own physical, emotional and social needs.
• Eat healthily, move daily and get enough sleep! 
• Make time for your family, friends and hobbies - these often get forgotten when we’re chasing around after a tiny human. 

Nannying is an incredible job and I know you’re going to be amazing. Do the work, go all in and be prepared to start at the bottom. Every time you get any more experience add it to your CV. It will help you get to where you want to be faster! 

 If you want any support then contact us  and if you want to train as a nanny then join us for a Junior Nanny Course - you get exclusive access to incredible opportunities and we’re here to help you every step of the way.