Babysitter & Nanny: Job Profile and Role

Your dream has always been to work with children and to look after them? In that case, the job of a babysitter/nanny might be the perfect career choice for you. Depending on your future position, you may spend most of your time in the company of children of all ages. This invariably means that you should have a set of hard and matching soft skills to make you perfect for your future vocation.

In the following blog, we will take a very close look at the qualifications and skills needed to become a babysitter/nanny. We will also tell you where you can find employment and what salaries to expect. Moreover, we will give you invaluable tips for thriving as a babysitter/nanny. Lastly, we will give you some insights into the day in the life of a babysitter/nanny.

Short Summary

• As a babysitter/nanny, you are responsible for the well-being of the children in your care. This includes making sure they get their meals and that they are being engaged in various activities.
• As a babysitter/nanny, you are responsible for looking after the children in your care. This includes getting them ready for nursery school/school, taking them there, and picking them up in the afternoon.
• As a babysitter/nanny, you are in charge of after-school activities, such as helping the children with their homework and taking them outside to play.

Job description

As a babysitter/nanny, you are responsible for looking after and taking care of children. Being a babysitter/nanny can involve spending most of the day with said children, depending on your kind of babysitting/nannying employment. Being in charge of children also extends to preparing healthy meals, planning indoor and outdoor activities, helping them with their homework and providing a listening ear for their worries and needs. Lastly, being a babysitter/nanny involves a daily rapport with the parents, taking their advice, requirements, and possible criticism on board.

Responsibilities

• Safety
• Childcare
• Communication
• Meal Preparation
• Homework Assistance
• Play and Engagement
• Routine Establishment
• Behaviour Management
• Emergency Procedures
• Developmental Activities

Different types of Babysitters/Nannies

• Stay-In Nanny
• Stay-Out Nanny
• Teenage Babysitter
• Professional Nanny
• Special Needs Babysitter

The Origins of the Word Nanny

The word nanny is rumoured to have its origins in Ancient Greek, deriving from the word “nanna” which means aunt. It is also possible that it derives from the Welsh word “nain”, meaning grandmother. The term nanny itself was coined in the 18th century. But the tradition of giving children into the care of both nannies and babysitters goes back to Biblical times – or so history has us believe.

Salary

On average, the UK salary of a babysitter/nanny can range from £27,100 to £28,400 annually. How much you earn is dependent on various factors, your employer probably being one of the most important. Since it is often well-off families looking for a live-in nanny, this is where you will likely find the highest salaries.

Your work experience, combined with your level of reliability and trust, is another factor that will greatly influence your annual salary as a babysitter/nanny. Furthermore, your income will likely be influenced by the location and if you are working for a babysitting/nanny agency or if you are self-employed.  

Working hours

Your typical working hours as a babysitter/nanny depend on various factors. Let’s say you work as a live-in nanny, meaning that you live at your employers’ house. Your typical working hours may well cover most of the day, starting relatively early and continuing well into the evening. Being a live-in nanny also means working on the weekends and sometimes even during the holidays. You should keep this in mind if you are thinking about applying for this kind of babysitting position.

If you prefer working as a part-time babysitter/nanny, this will naturally affect your working hours. You will be way more flexible than a live-in nanny. Your working hours usually cover 5 hours per day and generally take place in the evenings. Depending on how many evenings you provide for babysitting duties, your weekly working hours can amount up to 35 hours a week.

Employers

Typically, a babysitter/nanny is employed by families looking for help and support with their children. The family set-ups can vary and can range from working couples to single parents and parents with children with special needs. Further employers can be child-friendly businesses, meaning companies that have daycare facilities on their premises. Babysitters/nannies can also start looking for jobs in holiday resorts. And another interesting snippet: celebrities are (in)famous for always looking for a babysitter/nanny.

Qualifications

In order to become a babysitter/nanny in the UK, you do not have a specific educational or academic background. As you might know, lots of babysitters start their careers when they are actually still at school.

However, some employers may require several qualifications from you before they consider putting their children into your care. This can include the so-called Nanny Diploma (Nanny and Childcare Course) and a British Red Cross First Aid Training. You might also want to consider getting registered on the Childcare Register, an official government site. This registration is not mandatory, but it might impress your future employers. It also shows your commitment to the job as a babysitter/nanny.

Besides, you should be fluent in at least another language, especially when you are thinking about working abroad. Excellent communication, time management, and organisational skills are further qualifications that you should have or work on if you are thinking about becoming a babysitter/nanny.

Skills

Being a good babysitter/nanny involves a specific set of soft skills. They are actually vitally important for you to excel in this profession and include way more than loving working and spending time with children. In this section, we will take a very close look at the skills you should have or should develop when thinking about becoming a babysitter/nanny.

Empathy

Being empathetic is vitally important for a babysitter/nanny – regardless of the age of the children you are looking after. Whichever age gap they fall into, they will have their individual sets of problems, worries, and needs. As an empathetic person, you will be able to deal with these things and come up with possible solutions. As an empathetic person, you also know how to listen and how to be a good shoulder to cry on.

Patience

The ability to be patient and to stay calm is another important skill you should have when thinking about becoming a babysitter/nanny. Of course, not every child is a little or not-so-little daredevil. And not every child screams the house down just because something did not go the way he or she wanted it to. Being very patient and having a rhino’s thick skin will help you get through temper tantrums without turning into a nervous wreck.

Positivity

This might be the hardest skill to master as a future babysitter/nanny. At the end of the day, we are all human and no one always has a great day or is in a great mood. These moods, however, should stay in front of your employers’ door. Negativity and mood swings have no place near children. Instead, they want and need your positive attitude and influence, including laughing about silly things and being funny and silly. Mastering your positivity is therefore another important skill you should have for your babysitter/nanny position.

Career Path

Your career as a babysitter/nanny might start in your own teenage years when you look after family friends’ children. These first experiences set you up for a future career in this profession. Your next step on your career path can involve being employed by a childcare agency or directly by a family looking for a babysitter/nanny. Another career option is to venture into self-employment, starting your own babysitting/nannying business.

Educational Background

You are not required to complete a specific training, apprenticeship, or academic degree to become a babysitter/nanny. You are most likely required to have passed a few qualifications, including Level 2 or 3 Childcare Qualifications.

Gaining Experience

Parallel to your qualifications, you will have gained your first practical experience as a babysitter/nanny. These can include voluntary work at a nursery school or another educational institution. Getting ever more experience as a babysitter/nanny will help you reach your personal career goals and is therefore a vital part of your job description and responsibilities.

Continuous Learning

Continuous learning is another important part of being a babysitter/nanny. There are always new insights into child raising and a child’s educational needs. Also, you should extend your continuous learning curve to educational training, such as child development courses and behaviour management techniques.

A Day in the Life of a Babysitter/Nanny

Obviously, looking after the children in your care is one of the main parts in your day as a babysitter/nanny. But there is way more to your day as a babysitter/nanny. Let’s take a closer look at the things that will keep you busy when working in this profession.

Morning Activities

Let’s assume that you are working as a stay-in nanny, meaning that you actually live at your employers’ house. This way, you are involved in every daily activity of the children in your care. That naturally includes morning activities, such as having breakfast, getting ready for nursery school or school, or partaking in some pre-school playtime.

Outdoor Time

Outdoor time is important for children of all ages. Therefore, it should feature in your daily activities that you plan as a babysitter/nanny. The outdoor time should focus on the children’s preferences and is also dependent on the weather. Activities outside can include going to a playground, doing a treasure hunt, or spending some quality time in a nearby park.

Household Duties

Being a babysitter/nanny means that you are also in charge of several household duties, including putting the washing on, doing some light cleaning, and clearing up the children’s toys and other paraphernalia. Usually, these household duties are being performed by you at the end of your working day since this is the time when most of the action has already taken place.

Tips for Thriving as a Babysitter/Nanny

You have lots of empathy and understanding, you can easily put yourself in a child’s shoes? Then you already have the basics for being a great babysitter/nanny. However, there are always ways to improve and thrive in this job. To give you some pointers, we will now explore three tips for thriving as a babysitter/nanny.

• Build a relationship with the children
• Plan interesting activities
• Stay professional

Build a Relationship with the Children

You may already have a good rapport with the children in your care. But it makes sense to go the extra mile. Find out exactly what their interests are, what makes them the happiest, and what their favourite foods are. This way, you can get even better involved with their individual needs and preferences. This enables you to build a better and stronger relationship with them – and it is our first tip for you to thrive as a babysitter/nanny.

Plan Interesting Activities

It is almost a fact that most children get bored easily. This is one reason why it is so important for you as their babysitter/nanny to plan seriously interesting and exciting activities. These can include doing a treasure hunt all over the neighbourhood, going to a nearby attraction, or – if you are living close to it – going to the beach to build sandcastles and play in rock pools. Note that all these activities include extensive safety measures to ensure that nothing happens to your charges.

Stay Professional

It is almost impossible to not become emotionally involved with the children you are looking after as a babysitter/nanny. And there is nothing wrong with that. On the contrary, you would be in the wrong profession if you did not care about the children. Nevertheless, it is still vitally important for you to stay professional. This means setting boundaries to ensure that your emotional involvement stays on a healthy level. After all, you are not the children’s parents or a surrogate parent.

Frequently Asked Questions