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Palo Alto, California
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How to become a Nanny?
Lend your expertise: what does it take to become a Nanny?
Note: We've seen a lot of interest in this career, so we're looking for guidance from our community of professionals.
3 answers
Giorgi Segama
Short-Term Disability Case Manager
2
Answers
Providence, Rhode Island
Updated
Giorgi’s Answer
Hello! For a little background, I began babysitting my younger brother for short periods when I was very young, and then around age 12, I began babysitting for my parent's friends/neighbors/schoolmates. Once I graduated high school, I started nannying professionally. I have been a live-in and live-out nanny, with a set schedule, as well as an on-call babysitter for countless families with children from the age range of newborn up through age thirteen. I have had a wonderful experience nannying, and it can be a very lucrative career, with steady, year-round income, and the relationships forged with the children and families often last a lifetime, and enrich your life is ways beyond that of a typical career.
Before becoming a nanny, I recommend you ask yourself a few questions:
1. Do I have experience caring for children? If so, what age, and in what capacity?
This is very important because as easy as it sounds to take care of children, in reality, it can be a very stressful job. You are responsible for the safety and well-being of vulnerable people who are completely reliant on you. It's an enormous responsibility, and requires patience, focus, quick-thinking, and modifying the way you communicate, since babies/children do not comprehend information the same way adults do.
If you do not have experience caring for children, that's okay. We all have to start somewhere. However, I wouldn't recommend becoming an outright nanny just yet. First, take on some babysitting gigs. Babysitting gigs will allow you to gain experience with childcare in smaller increments and allow you to determine if a career in childcare is a good fit for you. It will also give you the opportunity to work with a wider age-range of children and help you to determine what age-range you're comfortable with and prefer to work with. Additionally, babysitting will allow you to create a resume of your experience and provide you with references for your future nanny career.
2. Are my credentials/immunizations up to date?
Most families will ask that you be certified in First Aid/CPR. If you are not, or if your certification has lapsed, take care of that ASAP. Even if the family has not asked for/required this, I strongly recommend you get certified. Babies/children are constantly putting things in/near their mouth, and accidentally getting injured. It helps immensely to know what to do in an emergency situation.
Many families, especially those with very young babies, will ask that you at least be up to date on your TDap immunization, and possibly others, such as MMR, etc.
3. What type of nanny jobs am I looking for? There are many types of nanny jobs, with responsibilities that range widely. You should establish ahead of time what you're comfortable with.
Factors to consider:
- # of children
- age(s) of child(ren)
- transportation of child(ren) (using your vehicle, or the family's vehicle)
- family pets
- responsibilities (some roles will ask that you be responsible for meal prep, cleanup, laundry, errands)
- schedule
- benefits (including live-in/live-out)
- salary (amount, and how you'd be paid)
Once you have established that you're confident and competent to take on a childcare role, and know the type of role you're looking for, you should create a caregiver resume. You should include any/all childcare experience you have, along with the dates, number of children and their ages, and the responsibilities you performed in the role. You can include any other experience pertaining to caregiving, including gigs like pet/house-sitting, and jobs that require customer experience, though most families will prefer to see actual childcare experience, so that should be the focus, and should be listed first. Other information to include on your resume includes; whether you have reliable transportation, whether you're comfortable transporting the children, whether you're a non-smoker, whether you're pet-friendly, and any training/qualifications you have, such as First Aid/CPR training, babysitting courses, and courses you've taken that relate to education/childhood education/psychology/Human Services/etc.
Now that you have a resume, you can start searching for jobs! I would start by reaching out to the families you've worked with, letting them know you're going to be pursuing childcare as a full-time career, and asking them for their support by acting as references. I have found that most parents are happy to do this, as they know how hard it is to find someone trustworthy and reliable to care for their children. If those families still live nearby, you can also ask them to keep eyes/ears out for any friends/acquaintances seeking childcare. Some of my best nanny/babysitting jobs were a result of word-of-mouth! It's also a great idea to let any friends/family/acquaintances who live nearby know that you're looking for a nanny job, again, for word-of-mouth opportunities.
Another way to get the word out is to create flyers to post. Keep the flyer simple, and post them in places that parents (especially moms) frequent, such as bulletin boards at libraries, grocery stores, children's clothing/toy stores, etc.
Social media, specifically Facebook, is another good place. If you don't have a Facebook profile, it's worth making a simple profile, just to join groups in your area. Look for groups focused on the location/area where you'd like to be employed. For example, something like "Moms of Palo Alto" or "Palo Alto Babysitters", etc. Also, groups geared towards small businesses in your location are an opportunity to put yourself out there. Of course, when it comes to the internet, keep yourself safe. I strongly encourage you to meet anyone in public before you go to their home; a nearby playground would be ideal so that there's space for the child(ren) to be occupied while you talk to the parent(s), but also an opportunity for you to interact with the child(ren).
Another option is to find a childcare agency to work with. These businesses do the leg work for families, recruiting, interviewing, vetting, and hiring childcare providers. The family pays the service, and the service pays you in some cases, and in others, the agency just provides the vetted candidates, and the family employs/pays you directly. You can get the specifics directly from the agency.
Finally, there are caregiver apps/websites. There are many, but my experience is primarily with Care.com. They allow you to create a profile with a photo, and provide your experience, credentials, and availability. You can browse families seeking care, or they can browse potential caregivers, and contact you. There is a small, annual fee (I think about $15) in order to have your background check completed. It is optional, but you will be seen buy significantly more potential families if you do the check, and it only needs to be done annually if you are looking for another family or want to continue to be considered for babysitting gigs.
Beyond finding jobs, there's the interview, which is the most important part. I like to dress business casual and bring a hard copy of my resume for the parent(s) to reference and keep if they'd like. If the child(ren) is/are present (in my opinion, they should be!), make sure that after you greet the parent(s), you greet the child(ren). I recommend you get to their level, so bend or crouch down so that you're face-to-face, introduce yourself, and then asking them a question. Examples could be their favorite color, song, game, book, etc. Listen to their reply and respond. Establishing some rapport with the child(ren) shows that you're interested and engaged in the child, and not just securing the job. If you're meeting at the park, ask if they'd like to be pushed on the swing. If you're meeting them in their home, ask if you can see their toys. Model for the parents how you engage with children so that they see that you're comfortable with children, and are confident taking over.
In your conversation with the parent(s), ask questions! Ask about what a typical day looks like for the family, their parenting style, if they've had a nanny before and how was the experience, their expectations from a nanny, their comfort level with you bringing the children places (like story time, children's museum, etc.). If there's any information you need in order to make your final decision, this is the time to ask/clarify. Be prepared to discuss your expectations from the family; your hourly rate, how/when you expect to be paid, how you prefer to communicate, what the family can do/explain/provide to help you be successful.
Another good way to find a really great fit is to suggest the family have you do a few hours of babysitting before having you start. This is a trial but should still be paid. It will give you a chance to get a feel for the kids/family, show that you're capable of being relied on, and you'll make some extra money in the process.
I wish you lots of success in your search!
Before becoming a nanny, I recommend you ask yourself a few questions:
1. Do I have experience caring for children? If so, what age, and in what capacity?
This is very important because as easy as it sounds to take care of children, in reality, it can be a very stressful job. You are responsible for the safety and well-being of vulnerable people who are completely reliant on you. It's an enormous responsibility, and requires patience, focus, quick-thinking, and modifying the way you communicate, since babies/children do not comprehend information the same way adults do.
If you do not have experience caring for children, that's okay. We all have to start somewhere. However, I wouldn't recommend becoming an outright nanny just yet. First, take on some babysitting gigs. Babysitting gigs will allow you to gain experience with childcare in smaller increments and allow you to determine if a career in childcare is a good fit for you. It will also give you the opportunity to work with a wider age-range of children and help you to determine what age-range you're comfortable with and prefer to work with. Additionally, babysitting will allow you to create a resume of your experience and provide you with references for your future nanny career.
2. Are my credentials/immunizations up to date?
Most families will ask that you be certified in First Aid/CPR. If you are not, or if your certification has lapsed, take care of that ASAP. Even if the family has not asked for/required this, I strongly recommend you get certified. Babies/children are constantly putting things in/near their mouth, and accidentally getting injured. It helps immensely to know what to do in an emergency situation.
Many families, especially those with very young babies, will ask that you at least be up to date on your TDap immunization, and possibly others, such as MMR, etc.
3. What type of nanny jobs am I looking for? There are many types of nanny jobs, with responsibilities that range widely. You should establish ahead of time what you're comfortable with.
Factors to consider:
- # of children
- age(s) of child(ren)
- transportation of child(ren) (using your vehicle, or the family's vehicle)
- family pets
- responsibilities (some roles will ask that you be responsible for meal prep, cleanup, laundry, errands)
- schedule
- benefits (including live-in/live-out)
- salary (amount, and how you'd be paid)
Once you have established that you're confident and competent to take on a childcare role, and know the type of role you're looking for, you should create a caregiver resume. You should include any/all childcare experience you have, along with the dates, number of children and their ages, and the responsibilities you performed in the role. You can include any other experience pertaining to caregiving, including gigs like pet/house-sitting, and jobs that require customer experience, though most families will prefer to see actual childcare experience, so that should be the focus, and should be listed first. Other information to include on your resume includes; whether you have reliable transportation, whether you're comfortable transporting the children, whether you're a non-smoker, whether you're pet-friendly, and any training/qualifications you have, such as First Aid/CPR training, babysitting courses, and courses you've taken that relate to education/childhood education/psychology/Human Services/etc.
Now that you have a resume, you can start searching for jobs! I would start by reaching out to the families you've worked with, letting them know you're going to be pursuing childcare as a full-time career, and asking them for their support by acting as references. I have found that most parents are happy to do this, as they know how hard it is to find someone trustworthy and reliable to care for their children. If those families still live nearby, you can also ask them to keep eyes/ears out for any friends/acquaintances seeking childcare. Some of my best nanny/babysitting jobs were a result of word-of-mouth! It's also a great idea to let any friends/family/acquaintances who live nearby know that you're looking for a nanny job, again, for word-of-mouth opportunities.
Another way to get the word out is to create flyers to post. Keep the flyer simple, and post them in places that parents (especially moms) frequent, such as bulletin boards at libraries, grocery stores, children's clothing/toy stores, etc.
Social media, specifically Facebook, is another good place. If you don't have a Facebook profile, it's worth making a simple profile, just to join groups in your area. Look for groups focused on the location/area where you'd like to be employed. For example, something like "Moms of Palo Alto" or "Palo Alto Babysitters", etc. Also, groups geared towards small businesses in your location are an opportunity to put yourself out there. Of course, when it comes to the internet, keep yourself safe. I strongly encourage you to meet anyone in public before you go to their home; a nearby playground would be ideal so that there's space for the child(ren) to be occupied while you talk to the parent(s), but also an opportunity for you to interact with the child(ren).
Another option is to find a childcare agency to work with. These businesses do the leg work for families, recruiting, interviewing, vetting, and hiring childcare providers. The family pays the service, and the service pays you in some cases, and in others, the agency just provides the vetted candidates, and the family employs/pays you directly. You can get the specifics directly from the agency.
Finally, there are caregiver apps/websites. There are many, but my experience is primarily with Care.com. They allow you to create a profile with a photo, and provide your experience, credentials, and availability. You can browse families seeking care, or they can browse potential caregivers, and contact you. There is a small, annual fee (I think about $15) in order to have your background check completed. It is optional, but you will be seen buy significantly more potential families if you do the check, and it only needs to be done annually if you are looking for another family or want to continue to be considered for babysitting gigs.
Beyond finding jobs, there's the interview, which is the most important part. I like to dress business casual and bring a hard copy of my resume for the parent(s) to reference and keep if they'd like. If the child(ren) is/are present (in my opinion, they should be!), make sure that after you greet the parent(s), you greet the child(ren). I recommend you get to their level, so bend or crouch down so that you're face-to-face, introduce yourself, and then asking them a question. Examples could be their favorite color, song, game, book, etc. Listen to their reply and respond. Establishing some rapport with the child(ren) shows that you're interested and engaged in the child, and not just securing the job. If you're meeting at the park, ask if they'd like to be pushed on the swing. If you're meeting them in their home, ask if you can see their toys. Model for the parents how you engage with children so that they see that you're comfortable with children, and are confident taking over.
In your conversation with the parent(s), ask questions! Ask about what a typical day looks like for the family, their parenting style, if they've had a nanny before and how was the experience, their expectations from a nanny, their comfort level with you bringing the children places (like story time, children's museum, etc.). If there's any information you need in order to make your final decision, this is the time to ask/clarify. Be prepared to discuss your expectations from the family; your hourly rate, how/when you expect to be paid, how you prefer to communicate, what the family can do/explain/provide to help you be successful.
Another good way to find a really great fit is to suggest the family have you do a few hours of babysitting before having you start. This is a trial but should still be paid. It will give you a chance to get a feel for the kids/family, show that you're capable of being relied on, and you'll make some extra money in the process.
I wish you lots of success in your search!
Adrian Ammsso
Personal Banker
3
Answers
Fresno, California
Updated
Adrian’s Answer
Hello there! While I have never personally been a Nanny - When I was living in Los Angeles I started a Career as a House Cleaner with no prior experience, and then was able to build a customer base through time and word of mouth that allowed me to accumulate positive reviews and repeat customers. I personally used an app called "Task Rabbit" where I built a profile and talked up my skills and reasons why I was the best person for the job - and then people could hire me to clean and then leave me a positive/negative review. Task Rabbit took a share of the commissions so I started offering my service to repeat customers at a discounted rate if they hired me outside of the app and soon I nurtured a group of repeat customers that filled up my schedule and reduced my need for constantly looking for new work or having to pay a commission to a third party. I would offer a price that allowed me to make the same or a little more than what I would've made through the app - but it was always cheaper for the customer as well since they didn't have to pay a 3rd party commission fee. I have located a few apps/websites specifically for Child Care that you may find useful that I included in the list below! This is where I would recommend starting until you are able to build repeat customers.
Care.Com
(App) Urban Sitter
(App) Sittercity
(App) Baby Connect
(App) Daily Nanny
Adrian recommends the following next steps:
Stacy Nieves
Executive Assistant
2
Answers
San Francisco, California
Updated
Stacy’s Answer
Being a Nanny can be a very rewarding and fun career! I did this for many years before I had a child of my own and I learned many things. I would recommend talking some city college classes and getting a few early childhood classes classes to better understand how children grow, why they have "big feelings" and to truly understand milestones. I would also recommend taking a CPR class and basic first aide training. Creating a daily routine is good for kids so keep this in mind! The boy I watched for many years from kindergarten-3rd grade is now in art school in NYC and we are still in contact! Goes to show how you can make a small difference in a tiny humans life and have fun! Good luck!
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