I can't tell you how many times I've watched a Nanny's application denied upon arrival at a nanny agency because they've listed caring for their own children, siblings, godchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, etc., under professional experience on their resume. While it is "experience," it's not the professional experience that agencies and parents are actually looking for. 😅​​​
Read that again. IT IS "experience," but it's not "professional experience." Before everyone gets angry and starts messaging me, I'm not discrediting mothers and their motherhood experience. The point of my Instagram post and this blog post is to educate parents and nannies on professional experience within childcare.
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In my recent interview with Care.com, I talked about the BIG difference between a nanny mom and a mom who wants to babysit to make extra money. One has professional experience as a nanny working in private homes before becoming a mom, and the other doesn't have that experience working in other homes. In Choosing Childcare 101, this is the Nanny Mom vs. Community Care scenario. They are VERY similar, but professional experience, certifications, and price separate them significantly. When parents are hiring a nanny, they need to make sure that they double-check the nanny's references to back up their professional experience and resume. ​​​​​​​
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So what does paid professional experience look like: ​​​​​​​​
🌟Paid Babysitting or Nannying for Non-Family Members ​​​​​​​
🌟 Daycare Experience - "My mom ran a daycare" only will work if you are registered as an employee of the daycare. ​​​​​​​​
🌟 Preschool or Teaching Experience ​​​​​​​​- If you have a teaching degree or ECE credits, this helps too!
🌟 Volunteer experience with church nurseries or childcare programs that help the community​​​​​​​​
🌟 Camp Counselor Experience can be counted as extra experience as well. ​​​​​​​​
All these experiences need to be backed up with a live reference who will speak on the phone. Yes, there will be families or situations where parents will take alternative versions of experience. But Nanny Agencies usually seek candidates with 2-3+ years of professional experience with references to back up that experience. Most families are looking for and expecting the same thing when they are hiring a nanny on their own.
If you are a nanny with more than 3+ years of experience, get off the nanny boards and find an agency. You are more likely to find a quality family at a higher rate through an agency versus on the board. The.Modern.Nanny's current survey shows that, on average, nannies who go through agencies make $3-5 more than those who found jobs on Facebook boards or caregiving finding sites. Agencies are trying to find exceptionally qualified nannies, and very few make it through the application process due to qualifications.
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If you need help figuring out how many year's experience you may have, please don't hesitate to reach out for a free 30-minute consult for new nanny coaching clients!