WORKING AS AN AUSTRALIAN NANNY- International Nanny Recognition Week
Laura has been an Early childhood educator for over twenty years in both center-based care and as an in-home care educator (Nanny). As a nanny, Laura has completed a variety of care, including private roles and short-term roles with families in crisis. Laura is passionate about caring for children of all ages, from newborns to early teens, and has some experience with children with additional needs. Her professional development opportunities have included the INA conference, a newborn care specialist course, becoming Nominee for Nanny of the Year for Placement Solutions, and numerous other courses about all things children. Away from work, Laura loves anything craft-related, walking, the gym, and coffee out with friends and family.Laura has been an Early childhood educator for over twenty years in both center-based care and as an in-home care educator (Nanny). As a nanny, Laura has completed a variety of care, including private roles and short-term roles with families in crisis. Laura is passionate about caring for children of all ages, from newborns to early teens, and has some experience with children with additional needs. Her professional development opportunities have included the INA conference, a newborn care specialist course, becoming Nominee for Nanny of the Year for Placement Solutions, and numerous other courses about all things children. Away from work, Laura loves anything craft-related, walking, the gym, and coffee out with friends and family.
As an Australian nanny for the last ten years and having been in the childhood education industry for twenty years, I’ve had my eyes well and truly opened to the expectations of a nanny when working in a private home and the difference between a well-regarded professional nanny and a “babysitter” if I must use that term.
In Australia, the profession is one of the lowest-paid industries in the work field, and there are folk such as Louise Dunham of Placement Solutions who have worked tirelessly at attempting to help the government see that in-home care educators, which is the term for us here, are working under safe and equitable conditions while being paid appropriately. There are two clear differences in positions in Australia. The first is where families pay for the nanny services outright, and the second is where families get some government assistance to help with those payments. For most jobs, we are contracted to complete child-related tasks as nannies, and any additional home cleaning or organizing tasks attract a higher fee.
Before You Leave for Work
When I receive a confirmation from the agency, I print off the booking sheet, which gives me most of the details about the position. One of the first things I do is call the family, introduce myself, and ask any relevant questions pertaining to the position. I also ensure I have enough timesheets, medication permission, and accident records in my work folder. From the booking sheet and conversations with the agency about the children I am caring for, I collect a few age- appropriate items in my resource basket to help me engage with the children. This could be books, puppets, bubbles, balloons, or crayons. The other detail that is most important in my preparation for the day is whether the children have any allergies as this affects what I put in my lunch bag as meals and snacks.
While You Are There
Depending on the ages of the children, I will spend the day following as closely as I can to the family routine. I will often say to the parents
that my focus is on the children while they are awake, and when they have naps, I will clean up any mess made or, if the children are old enough, put on some dance music and have fun helping them to clean up the rooms we used during the morning. Some families will prepare meals and snacks, and others will guide me on what they wish their children to have in their absence. I like to eat with the children in my care if possible as I believe there are lessons of role modeling and opportunities for fun conversations. This also gives me the opportunity to have some quiet downtime in a break while the children are sleeping. Variety is the spice of life, they say, and I love to have variety in what I do with my charges, indoor and outdoor, creative and play, fast and slow, structured and own choice.
What You Do After
At the end of the day, there will always be an overlap and a handover. Depending on the nature of the position, this is either written or verbal. I love to let the parents know about what the children have eaten, how long they slept, and what activities we participated in together. I will always thank them for the honor of caring for their children and make sure I have everything before I leave. When I finish a day’s work, I reflect on what worked well and what wasn’t so great about the day, and I make sure that I notify the agency if I have any communication about the child or differences in the job. Me time is important when I get home. I try and prepare all my meals during the weekend so that I can relax and have meals organized to just heat up when I arrive home.
Since February, I have been doing short-term positions after finishing a fourteen-month private role with two children. Many of the families I work for ask me how I have enough patience to care for children all day every day. My answer is that nannying is not just a job for me, but a passion. I absolutely love what I do. The last few months have been tricky with COVID-19, but I am grateful that I have had some work and some time to reflect on what is important to me.