Hi Donna,
Sure. I think I've been pretty loose with the information.
Thank you for asking.
Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone
When I was young I never wanted to be a nanny. Sure, when I was little I had a keen interest in babies, always wanting to hold “any baby” (cousins, mums friends kids etc) but I never wanted to choose the profession as a career. I flirted with the idea briefly in year 11 when I chose “Childcare” as a subject and although I came 2nd in the class for the year, I dropped the subject in year 12 as I didn’t think that it would be a viable career choice money wise.
When I finished High School I had no idea what I wanted to be so I spoke to a career adviser and they told me to do a one year Office Administration course as I was told that all jobs would require an understanding of computer knowledge in the future. I thought that it would be a good idea as it would allow me to have a year off to decide what I really wanted to do.
That year ended and I got a job straight away working as an office junior in a Private Investigating firm and as interesting as this job was I lasted 5 months in this position. I found myself bored and itching to get out from behind a fluorescent screen and desk into the outdoor world, thus starting my interest again in working within the childcare industry.
Forwarding on 6 years, I had a certificate in children services, I had worked as a room coordinator in all ages under 5years. I had been Temporary Authorised Supervisor and my next step was to become the Director of a centre. Whilst thankful for the knowledge I had taken from the childcare industry I realised quickly that a formal childcare setting was not for me. I was slowly heading back into a lot paperwork and having less time with the actual reason I had wanted to work in childcare, being with the children.
Here then lies my entry into the Professional Nanny World. I joined an agency and was thinking of going into a nanny setting. The agency at the time had wind of my knowledge and qualifications and began working for what is known as “special case” nanny work where you become a mothers help/mentor for disadvantaged families. Without going into too much detail, (for legal reasons) they were families that “needed” a nanny help but could not necessary afford one. They were the families that were less fortunate in circumstance and life. It was here that I learnt that a nanny can be much more than someone who “just takes care of the kids” but “helpers of the family unit” (To help the families days run smoothly). I learnt a lot in these jobs and thankfully came away from each family with a positive outcome.
After 4.5 years working in those types of positions I was looking to work as a traditional nanny in a household. I answered a Gumtree ad which turned out to be an ad from their current nanny at the time. She was leaving to start a family and was looking for a replacement nanny for the “High Profile Family” before she let them know that she was leaving. I obviously got the job and it became my first taste of travelling and carrying out long hours at work. I was averaging 70 hour weeks. I barely had a life or time off and when I did, I just wanted to catch up on sleep. The thing is that this family for a period of time became like my family. I knew them and they knew me. To this day I am still friends with the family and I still babysit on occasions for them. The children are much older now and we still reminisce and laugh at the games or things we used to do. It warms my heart that these are some of the things they remember. It makes me realise the impact that I had on them as nanny.
I have so many other stories of different families that I have worked for and whilst fleetingly I have worked with them (yes I say “with" as I believe that we are in partnership with the parent) I have learn’t as a whole that Nannies are not just nannies. We are temporary role models. We look after children who are not our own and that someday we have to let go of them after instantly creating bonds with each and every one of the children in our care. We become partners with the parents in instilling the values and standards of each parents wishes. We are co conspirers in making sure that the children are healthy, loved and feel safe. We educate the children by engaging them in fun activities that they enjoy. We take them to sports, travel with them, inform the parents on their child’s day so that parents can have a conversation with their children daily. We help parents with certain chores and errand (If permitted to do so) and help the families become a family full of love and adventure. We do whatever needs doing to create a smooth environment and transition between the parents leaving and arriving at the beginning the end of the day. In most circumstances we become the Silent family PA.
The funny thing about being a nanny is; that I have learn’t more about myself and the person that I am just by working with the families that I have worked with. Each family inspires me in being a better version of myself. The children teach me about unconditional love and to not sweat the small stuff and to just have fun in life. I laugh almost every day at the the minds of children and whilst sometimes my job can go about feeling thankless, the fact that I have made a little difference in a little child’s life quickly changes that perspective.
If the World could only see again through the eyes of a child, the World would be such a different place.
I am extremely grateful that I was taken back to my first love of children all those years ago. It is safe to say that my life as a nanny has been that of “ a life journey”… a continual journey that is.
Samantha Ligertwood
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