ALT-3 Nonprofit Service Sector
The real truth about Nanny jobs
Many young women and now young men seek to become Nanny's believing that working for a rich family will be a glamorous experience. The mistaken belief that the job of a Nanny involves nothing more than caring for someone else's children for a pre-appointed time each day, will leave them plenty of time to party, shop, study or visit new cities is often misguided.
Nanny jobs, and the actual role a Nanny plays in a household has changed; many wealthy families employ two or more Nanny's whose real job title should be that of 'family manager'. Despite the recession Nanny's or Aupair's as they are often referred to are in demand, with no shortage of skilled workers to fill them.
While in past years family's would take just about anyone who would work for them, Nanny's are now highly specialized. To work with a wealthy family for a decent salary, a Nanny usually needs to have a minimum of an Early Childhood Diploma, or an Associates Degree in Child Psychology or a related field. Additional courses in First Aid/CPR are essential, and with the increase of childhood disorders such as Autism, and ADD/ADHD, a Nanny may need a four year degree to get a job.
Nanny's are typically hired through Agencies, or more accurately through domestic help headhunters. Competition for the best jobs is fierce, as Nanny's usually quit once they marry and especially when they have children of their own. Anyone young with no ties seeking to travel is looking for the best Nanny opportunity they can. Many Nanny's seek a minimum of a one year contract with a family, but sadly many don't last that long. The burnout rate is incredible amongst Nanny's, and the reason's may surprise you.
Long Work Hours
Despite having written contracts detailing working hours and time off many Nanny's are simply exploited. Instead of just focusing on child care; getting a child to school, preparing activities and doing light house work many Nanny's end up being semi slaves. Executives hours can be long, and Nanny's often have to cancel plans to go out or pursue other activities when their employers don't respect their time boundaries.
Professional Exploitation
While over working someone is certainly exploitation, many families place additional demands on Nanny's slowly. Manipulating them into taking on tasks that a housekeeper or Butler or glorified Personal Assistant should be doing, Nanny's find themselves taking on heavy cleaning duties, errands and Secretarial functions that they were simply not hired to do. When they complain, they are often told 'just this once' and then more duties get piled on. Exploitation is extremely high amongst Nanny's.
Emotional Exploitation
Most Nanny's expect to be spied on. Nanny cam's and various gadgets are placed in homes where professionals are cagey about leaving their child in the care of a virtual stranger. While most Nanny's could indeed live with the occasional Nanny cam and microphoned nursery, many do not expect to be emotionally or even worse, sexually exploited by their employer. Tales of middle aged fathers propositioning the Nanny are common place and young people stuck far away from home and family and even the agency that hired them can be extremely vulnerable.
Lack of Benefits
Despite going to the trouble to hire a screened educated Nanny; many families never extend even the most basic medical or dental coverage to their Nanny's. When a Nanny is sick she is often not paid, after all she is receiving free room and board in his/her employer's home, so the home owner may not pay her when ill.
Nanny jobs or Aupair jobs are not nearly as glamorous as they seem, and at times can be downright risky. Anyone seeking to be a Nanny should get a job through a reputable domestic help agency with clearly defined written terms of employment. If a Nanny is seeking a placement in a foreign country, she should be given a return air fare ticket should the employment not worked, and not left to fend for herself, which is often the case.
