A career as a nanny is apparently turning out to be increasingly rewarding. While the demand for nannies hasn’t been consistently increasing over the past few years, it’s expected to grow at a good rate in the foreseeable future.
However, not all nannies end up having a rewarding career. This is simply because new parents are often very careful about how they can hire and trust with the care of their child.
They usually look for some qualities and skills, which are something that every good nanny is expected to have. So let us take a look at them, as well as other information about being a nanny and the nanny industry that you may find useful.
Nanny Demand and Salary
The INA (International Nanny Association) says that the US alone demands an estimated 70,000 nannies. And then there’s also the fact that the demand for childcare workers is expected to grow 14 percent in the period from 2012 to 2022, which is about the average growth rate of all the occupations out there.
Now, coming to the salary, nannies have been enjoying a consistent increase in their salary from the past few years, with the salary average in 2013 being $19,600.
What Makes a Good Nanny?
If you are looking for a career option as a nanny, you need to have a combination of good skills and qualities that can contribute to the development of the children. You must have a genuine love for kids. You must also possess the quality to effectively communicate and understand the needs of the children. Additionally, it is highly crucial to take various sessions and classes to enhance your skills. You can take up a CPR course or learn to provide paediatric first aid from various training centers and organizations, available both online and offline. Moreover, you can opt for a Childcare Certification program that covers all the vital aspects of child safety and development. These courses can equip you with all the necessary knowledge to respond effectively during medical emergencies.
Let us have a look at all the qualities and skills required to be a good nanny.Qualities:
- Really enjoys being around children
- Knowledgeable about child development
- Ensures that the safety of children is never compromised
- Energetic and active
- Manages to be calm and patient even in situations that may annoy others
- Doesn’t mind making any kind of adjustments, as long as they are fair and not too demanding
- Understanding and compassionate
- Encourages and supports the children
- Extremely reliable and trustworthy
- Has a sound judgment and is good at managing responsibilities and keeping things organized
- Always high on motivation
- Punctual and good at working on multiple tasks in an efficient manner
- Has strong morals and capable of teaching them to the children as well
- Knows how to handle an emergency and not get panicked
- Doesn’t have any kind of criminal records that can be a trust concern
- Kids love her company
- Tries to bring about a positive change in the lives of both the children and the parents
- Loves her job as a nanny
Skills:
- Needs to be extremely skilled at critical thinking and effectively dealing with problems, as well as a good leader
- Needs to have reasonably good communication skills, a good deal of knowledge about common childcare equipment, as well as be aware of important and useful childcare technologies
- Having some basic math and science skills is a good plus as well
A Look at Some Important Facts
If you’re looking to build a career in the nanny industry, you would certainly want to be aware of where the industry is heading and what it means for you. In the beginning, you might have to start as an au pair (you can check https://www.goaupair.com/au-pairs/3-steps-become-au-pair/ to learn more) to gather some experience in child care.
Budget planning: It’s estimated that only about 58 percent American families do any kind of budget planning to take care of their post-baby childcare expenses. But given that more and more parents are realizing the importance of caring for their baby’s care and childcare expenses in advance, it may actually mean that there’s going to be a consistent increase in the demand for nannies in the US in the coming years.
Working parents: Some statistics reveal that well over a million two-parent households in California have both the parents having work responsibilities to take care of. This clearly suggests that they are very likely to seek the help of a good nanny when they end up deciding to have a baby.
Author Bio: Lissette Palencia owns Sleeping Angles Co. a nanny agency in Santa Monica, California. Lissette dedicates herself to improving the quality of infant care and education through teaching, supporting and mentoring parents, nannies and caregivers alike through her blog.