Norland Nannies

In one of my jobs I worked alongside two very nice Norland nannies who were brilliant at their jobs.
I agree with everything immy1145 says, some of the comments sound just bitchy.
How can you comment on these beautifully trained nannies if you know nothing about their training
To me the fact that they are willing to pay so much for their training shows commitment not snobbery.

Dug up from the past - Sept 2009 was the last post.
Guess you must have been specifically searching for Norland Nannies being mentioned. Why Girls, Norland take boys as well last I read.

I dont think people who havent had a Norland Nanny can say anything bad about them like; they are no better than anyone else, they are to old fashiond, they are doing it for the money or doing it for the status.
The Girls at Norland College have to go through a rigorous selection process before even an interview, then they must then study extremley hard for up to four years to receive their diplomas.
I think you can only comment if you have had a Norland Nanny, otherwise you are making assumptions about an organisation that you dont fully ungerstand.
I personally have had a Norland Nanny on more than one occasion and found all the girls to be, caring, loving and polite. They all knew exactly what they were doing and i trusted them completley.
My Norlanders all had a full understanding of nutrition, all my childs meals were made from scratch (a far better job than i could have done) and all have training in medical field, which put my mind to rest when my children were ill.
Before hiring my first Norland Nanny i had one found through an agency and she was unreliable, rude and just didnt have the level of experience and care that the Norlanders all seem to graduate with.
I can not recomend them highly enough, they are all a credit to the organisation.
Anyone considering a Norland Nanny, after you have interviewd one and compared her to a nanny from a 'normal' agency, you will see the difference. The Norland Girls are wonderful.

I have had 3 Norland Nannies on placements and have found them all to be excellent! They have been professional, enthusiastic and able to use their own initiative. I cannot praise them highly enough.

We have employed a live in Norlander with full charge of our daughter for two and a half years and hope she will stay with us for some time to come. We have also had a handful of other Norlanders "cover" while our nanny was on holiday, generally sourced by our own nanny. Without exception they have been fabulous - mature beyond their years, kind and thoughtful and a pleasure to have around. Most important, our daughter (now 4) is very happy with a great social life, lots of physical / creative activities, she is well behaved and has lots of support with reading etc. I have never seen any of them in their uniforms, aside from graduation photos!

It only moved to Bath comparatively recently, around 2000 I think? The college previously had a lovely estate in Berkshire with its own nursery and children's hotel, where the kids could stay overnight without their parents. We used this in years gone by, as we don't have family who can give us a night off, and we are very fussy about who we leave the kids with. Our son was amazingly well looked after and seemed to have a lovely time.

We're applying for a probationer this year, so if any of you ladies are due to graduate, let me know and I'll give you the heads up on which family we are on the list if you like. I promise nobody will have to wear a uniform in this job!!

LHolly - Trust me we do go out in Bath - Revs, Poo's, Blue Rooms, CLub XL, Qube and 2nd bridge!

And i completey agree with Meg14 - we wear the uniform as we are proud of it but it is so not practical at all!

We have practical uniform which is trousers and jumper which is much better then the dress in all ways practical

x

The college didn't actually begin in Bath. I believe it began in Norland Square, London, before moving to somewhere in Herts and then Bath (for the student culture?).

Bath has nothing to do with college other than being the unfortunate town it's situated in.

Hi There!

I have just graduated and moved here from London. i love bath, its so beautiful and is a credit to england. however, i sometimes find myself in shock at certain things i see and the community. i have met some wonderful people but the ratio of wealth and status driven people is almost a requirement to live in bath. I am sure my southern accent baffles some residents, since i have had comments in my work place suggesting "im obviously not from round here", little do they know of my background and level of education. ANYWAY, it cracked me up to see a norland nannie in town the other day. It is so typical of bath to have such an institute, to raise status.

Obviously bath is not a subculture i am used to and i apologise for sounding patronising (but i need an opportunity to vent).

The poor girls in their uniform, i think its the colour of the uniform (brown) and white gloves that does it for me... hilarious. Those uniforms should be kept for graduating and ceremonies, since it is obviously a tradition which i totally respect although not for everyday studies.

I am stuck for words because i really do not understand the reason for the school? is it because bath is a place where general childcare is not adequate enough for the children of bath? what is wrong with any other college in childcare? norland's seems too fussy, fake and military... The girls need to go out and let loose... i suggest second bridge..!

Feel free to set me straight so i can learn to understand.

but i am a huge fan of bath, honestly one of the most gorgeous places in the country...!! woo..!

Love L

This thread is 2 years old!!!!

HI am a mummy and a nanny what you should be looking for is a nneb/cache level 3 qualified nanny.The only diff is the norland has paid go to college a good ageney is what you need like nannyworld.co.uk they are very good .

You need to put your post in "media requests" I think

Hi everyone!

I'm training at Norland at the moment and, wih regards to the uniform, I totally agree with pretty much everything said.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE it to bits because I'm proud what I do, but I wouldn't consider wearing it whilst working. My reasons for this are:

1. As soon as you put on the uniform, you draw attention to the children. Nanny = potentially afluent family. This puts the children at risk.

2. It ain't great for grubbing about in parks, potato printing, making fairy cakes, making bicarb of soda rockets and all the other messy play activities we love!

3. I never want to be a trophy nanny. I want to be recognised for myself and my skills, rather than being a status symbol. Yeuch.

As for hiring a nanny, all I can say is that your best bet is trusting your instincts. Interview a wide range of nannies and don't stop looking until you're TOTALLY convinced that he/she's the right one for you and your family.

Good luck!
M
x

as a qualified Norlander myself, i can honestly say that you either have it or you dont when it comes to this job, it is about the kind of person you are not where you trained..believe me!

x

The College is in Bath and from their web site it shows the glorious Georgian Villa and garden it occupies - what it doesn't show is that it is slap bang next to Morrisons car park !!

The "gals" are fab - some friends of mine have been placement families for several years ( free childcare !!)

BUT - it's £3559 per term - for 6 terms over a 2 year period to send your child to Norland College - a staggering £21,354 which does not include accommodation !

Although - from the girls I've met - they really do know their stuff and are excellently taught.

Good Luck - go on to the web - site and you can register with the Norland Run agency
norland nannies

A professional nanny is one that is qualified, experienced and works hard for the family that employs her/him.

My career as a nanny has been both rewarding and demanding. I love my job and I think it's important that all professional nannies stick together.

NNEBs (old school pre 1993 where there was an exam) are hard to come by these days, and charge a fair price as they have experience and a recognised qualification.

NNEBs are qualified Nursery Nurses and have trained over two years in all sectors of childcare. They have a great knowledge or child development, health issues and education.

Norlands are trained as nannies, they are well respected and also 'old school'.

A good nanny is hard to find. A professional one -even harder! I would recommend interviewing as many as possible and always check refererences, then check them again. I have heard awful stories of fake qualifications never checked and fake references.

I wish you all the best in finding a wonderful nanny! There are lots of us out there!

I have been with my family (live out) for over six years!I am NNEB qualified and am also studying towards a Ba (hons) degree in childcare and youth studies. I have also won two awards from the professional nanny of the year awards in 2005 and 2006.

MissGT, I have no doubt some Norlanders are very Professional (infact perhaps too professional) but nothing is more important than experience no matter what training you've been through!...I also believe a lot of girls do Norland training simply so they can work for the Upper Class, not a reason to choose to ba a Nanny in my opinion!

I'd just like to add here that a position I left was filled by a newly qualified Norlander & she lasted 15 days, she was also paid £100pwn more than me!

Some people like agencies and some don't. I've always found persevering with them less painful than trawling small ads, myself. Where are you? We might be able to recommend a local agency who is good at the moment.

However you find your nanny, I think you should speak to the nanny's previous employers as early as you can in the recruitment process - say everyone but the current employer after first interview? And if those references are ok, go ahead with second interview/ trial afternoon.

I also discovered that some nannies love very small babies and and others prefer toddlers (some like them all, of course!)so you might want to check the ages of your nanny's previous charges.

did any of you watch the series 'nanny school' that followed the nannies for a year. quite interesting. rather jolly hockey sticks etc.

Several of my friends are Norlanders and theyre fab! They only wear the uniform at the college and at job interviews, and yes it is hideous (they all agree!). They are by far the most professional, lovely, well trained nannies i've ever seen and regardless of the fact that they've become a bit of a status thing I would have NO hesitation in wanting a Norlander first and foremost to look after any children I have!

I thought they were taught things like how to do smocking on little girls' dresses. Which could of course be useful somewhere in the world.

Norlanders training is much more focused on Nannying whereas NNEB qualified Nannies training is less Nanny focused & more nursery focused...To be honest the NNEB course didn't teach me anything I didn't already know!

I also wore a uniform once upon a time, white italian nurses uniform!...It lasted about 3months before I eventually convinced my Employer it was terribly impractical for playing about on the floor!