This months guest post comes from Jack Meyers a regular contributor for www.nannybackgroundcheck.com
There is more to being a nanny than just monitoring a child to make sure he or she doesn’t get into the cookie jar nor does something to get injured. A nanny needs to be a role-model for the child that can provide a positive influence in his or her life. The position requires a deeper level of caring than simply watching over the house. This level of expertise, caring, and interaction are reasons why nannies are paid far better than simple babysitters.
1. Adaptation – Obviously, a nanny loves to work with children. If you are unable to handle any situation that arises while caring for a child, then you should seek a different career. This isn’t saying that you need to know everything that is going to happen, but you need to be able to adapt to situations quickly. Anything can happen inside of 30 seconds with a child, good or bad.
2. Experience – Having previous experience caring for children in various settings is always a good thing to have on your resume. Educational, therapeutic, or pediatric experience could quickly hurl you into the front of the line. For those who lack experience and are looking to start their career as a nanny, jobs like babysitting or daycare can help.
3. Caring – You need to be able to care on a deeper level as a nanny than most other positions. Although you’re not taking the place of a parental figure, the child needs nurturing from you in order to develop into a positive role-model themselves in life. You’ll need to be able to care for the child in a fashion that you would care for your own.
4. Background Skills – Experience in first aid and CPR for children is one of the most important skills to have. Although we try to protect the children as best we can, accidents do eventually happen. Parenting classes of any kind is a great way to add knowledge to your experience and looks great on a resume. Many of these classes are provided by your local family care clinic for free. While it may be beneficial to take childhood development courses in college or obtain a degree, successful nannies have been able to accomplish their goals without. Basically, the more knowledge you gain for the care of a child, the better off you’ll be in a career as a nanny.
5. Flexibility – Although many stations have a set schedule that you’ll be needed, it doesn’t hurt to be flexible in your hours. Especially if a child forms a bond with you, extra hours or irregular times may be necessary. For instance, a family may be more comfortable with you watching the child if an emergency happens in the middle of the night.
6. Confidentiality – A family’s privacy needs to remain just that. In no manner of speaking is it ever OK to talk about your employer’s habits or lifestyle. The only time that confidentiality should take a back-seat is if there is illegal activity in the house or situations that put the child at risk. It’s no one’s business what goes on within the home you are stationed.
It takes a special kind of person to be a great nanny. It’s not some laid-back position that you can milk for a paycheck. It requires a greater interpersonal connection with a child in order to assist in his or her development. You have to work with the child, not because of them.
Author Bio:
Jack Meyers is a regular contributor for www.nannybackgroundcheck.com. As a detective he wants to spread the knowledge of terrible things that can happen when people don’t fully verify the credentials of a caregiver or any employee. He also writes for various law enforcement blogs and sites.
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