I am a celebrity nanny… AMA

[VIPNanny]

Name changed for obvious reasons but I know I would have been curious about my job if I wasn’t doing it, so I figured I would help answer some questions people might have about what it’s like to nanny for rich/well-known families.

Do they expect you to do things outside of nannying eg. Housework

How much of your job is on location? Do you travel abroad much? Or are you usually at home while parent(s) travel? Is it glamorous

Presumably they have a lot of money, and therefore have additional help around the home. Does this make them a better parent? Do they have really good quality time with their children or do you find it makes no difference whether they’re bogged down doing the washing or not.

are other parents noticeably disappointed when they arrange a playdate with the celebrity's kid and it's you who turns up instead of Victoria Beckham/Sir Elton?

Do you have fun when you go on holiday with them or is it harder work than being at home?

What day to day things are normal in the household you're working in versus that of normal Joe bloggs like me?

Do you have any extra training or skills for being a celebrity nanny?

How much do you get paid?

Do you have to sign an NDA?
Do you get evasive driving training?

How much time do the parents spend with their kids?

Do you get paid any more than you would with a non-famous family?

@OutingHobby no they don’t. They usually have housekeepers and so nannies usually only do nursery duties, which might include laundry for the kids but because many families use expensive/delicate clothing, it’s very common that they ask their housekeeper to do it. (I have shrunk a few expensive items so definitely happy when I am not on laundry duty!)

@Llamapolice there is a lot of traveling involved. I usually live abroad (wherever the family’s main residence is) and then travel quite a lot on top of that. The current family I am working for travel a work for their job so I either tag along or sometimes stay behind with the kid(s) (it depends on the duration of the trip and what make most sense). It’s glamorous in the sense that usually they live in very luxurious places and you definitely tag along to a lot of high end places and have access to things by proxy but surprisingly their life isn’t that much different to ours in many ways, and nannying specifically comes with pretty much the same upsides and hardships no matter who you work for so I am still very much “staff” and it’s still very much work despite the “bling”.

@SummerySumner I would say yes and no, and it depends on the family. I had one mom who has 5 kids (and a couple nannies, and a couple housekeeper and a butler etc…) but honestly she was an amazing mom. I worked but not that much as she really wanted to be part of her kids life and so she more had nannies in case she needed them rather than because she needed them. Others have staff so they don’t have to worry about their kids, and having staff doesn’t lead to them spending any more time with them at all even if everything in their life is taken care off. So it’s really dependent on the family and in this case I think it’s not really about money and more that some parents really love being parents and others don’t but in this case thankfully have enough money to feel as if they are doing their duty and giving the best care to their kids. I refused a job because I would have been asked to live in a separate apartment with a 1 yo and 3yo and pretty much raise them as my own 24/6 (with a second nanny employed for my day off) while parents lived in a different apartment and would drop by once a day if so. So no some parents have money and they unfortunately use it to not have to worry about parenting, rather than to spend more time with their kids.

Do you need to have a very rigorous plan of activities/ eyfs learning etc in place for them? Are you allowed an expenses budget, and how much? Do you need to prepare food for the kids/family or is there a chef for that?

Would you have the time to focus on your own personal relationships, dating, partner etc? Is the job compatible with your own family life, or is it a job best for single people who can devote all the hours in the day to it, and earn a ton of money (presumably) so the role invariably has a shelf life as you might want to focus on your own relationships/ potential family at some point down the line?

@TheTurn0fTheScrew that made me laugh! I am sure some are but usually play dates are heavily organized, and vetted and rich kids usually hang out with other rich kids. It would be very rare for a celebrity child to go to the local public school and so play dates are more often done within the circle rather than with the little kid we met at the park if you see what I mean. So either (both sets of parents) will be present or it’s been organized so that me and their nanny meet. It would be very rare that I go have a play date with another mom. I usually have play dates with other nannies and moms/dads socialize amongst themselves. There is very little crossover.

@ LadyGAgain probably them having staff for everything, even just the notion of having a butler for me is something ridiculously funny as someone not from that background at all. Having to be accompanied by body guards to go outside in their own garden.

I am currently in a much more casual rich family and they don’t have all of those staff (by choice) and they do most things themselves and so they look like a totally average family at first sight you wouldn’t know they are loaded unless you really spent time with them and knew their hobbies/work. So it really depend on the family, some are like you and I and others live on a completely different planet and have never been even allowed to do a washing machine themselves in their 30 or 40 years of life and those usually live the most differently.

To answer the other questions.

I surprisingly don’t have any specific trainings, I ironically started off as an AP and kind of stuck to looking after kids. Once upon a time Norland Nannies were hyper popular but now with Brexit and other things, families care more about the experience and ability to speak several languages if possible, so it was surprisingly not that hard to go from Au Pair to nannying to nannying for high net worth families.

I didn’t take evasive driving training no (would love to!) usually families have drivers so I don’t do any of the driving usually.

I do get paid more than I would for a normal family. I usually average £1500-1700/week net. But I specialize in newborns which is paid better and I also work 24/6 currently. Most nannies who work for high net worth family usually earn £1000-1200/week net though on average depending on experience and qualifications.

I used to earn just above minimum wage as a nanny a few years ago so it’s been a big jump pay wise and as I am live-in and my food is covered I really don’t have many expenses to worry about.

That being said it’s long-hours so no not much time for dating or anything and most nannies who like me specialize in babies end up retiring at 60 or so never having married or having had their own kids because you simply don’t have the time to meet anyone. So I am only accepting short term contracts or Rota contracts personally so I can have a bit more balance as I spent the last few years killing myself at work and would hate to wake up at 60 realizing I missed out on my own life.

As for activities because I mostly do babies, I don’t have to have a strict schedule and I am trusted to implement a routine etc… I am the one doing nights anyway so it make sense I am the one implementing the routine. I can suggest activities or things for them to buy. I usually won’t have access to a credit card or anything like that but usually if I say I need something it will be bought on the same day, so I have the freedom of having access to what I need to do my work and I am usually trusted to know what’s best or what would be most helpful.

I can cook for kids but some families had chef and in this case I might be ask to collaborate with the chef (as in suggest meals for the baby/toddler) but for older kids usually if there is a chef they just cook in accordance with the parents.

AP being Au Pair* (used to using the short version in other forums)

Do you get nice birthday / Christmas presents?

What's the most 'rich person' behaviour you've seen from an employer or child?

I had a friend who worked as a private governess and started having Botox... do you find that your view of what's normal life gets a bit skewed?

Love this!

How do they treat you generally?

How did you make the jump from AP, to minimum wage nanny to rich person's nanny? That's quite a leap in a few years and I say good for you.

Love this

Is it a lonely life?