Life after Nannying

[makeitorbakeit]

I have been in childcare for 18 years, originally as a nursery nurse and then as a nanny for the last 15 years.

I can’t do it anymore, I’m burnt out, miserable, no motivation, bored etc
Fed up of the lack of longevity with a family nowadays (the 30 hours funded hours in Scotland has screwed me over)
I’m struggling with the lack of adult interaction from working alone, and just missing things like a lunch break and not having a choice over all my holidays.

But, I have no idea what else I want to do. Finding it difficult to see where my skills as a nanny can fit in with other roles.

Few important points
-It’s an Absolute no to going back to a nursery, childminder isn’t an option and school based roles are also not suitable.
-I can only retrain/do courses if it can be done on the job type thing as I need to work to pay the bills.
-I’d like something that uses my brain a little more
-I only have High School level qualifications (Highers and Intermediates) and my childcare qualification was a SVQ.

Does anyone have any suggestions of where I can go from here with any potential career options?

Also any recommendations for where to go for careers advice etc, there’s so many things advertised online that I don’t know where to start.

Any help would be appreciated.

I'm kind of in the same boat. I did a course last year to retrain and do social work. (Not in UK) but I finished it and just thought, "No."

Following as i am in the same position. The funded hours have nearly killed nanny jobs and with 19 years experience under my belt i am broken too, struggling to find a new job and to start anything new everyone requires experience.

I came away from nannying last year after 16 years. Best decision I've ever made. I've started my own house cleaning business as well as cleaning at a high school in the mornings (just got a guaranteed income) and I'm earning more money I ever did as a nanny.

Are all nursery and school based jobs off the table? Would you consider admin roles? Many prefer to have risk managers / office managers with childcare experience

Do you need a good salary, or any salary? You could look at AHP apprenticeships if OT, SLT or similar appealed? Or band 4 therapy assistant jobs in a setting that appeals, like Child Development Centres, or teaching assistant in a hospital school etc?

I don't know if it might not be suitable but my free courses website offers government funded free courses in loads of different areas. Might be worth looking into; then you can always do an entry level one to see if it's something you enjoy.

It’s nice to hear I’m not alone in how I feel @ihaterain2024 I agree from looking at any job for inspiration they all want experience or qualifications etc which I just don’t have.

@CocoDC I’m mostly against school based jobs as I don’t want tied down to school holidays.

I would consider admin jobs in general but I have zero computer skills. Happy to learn for the right job though

@Werp . I would need something more than minimum wage, probably around £28k +
I will take a look at the options you have suggested. Thank you!

@jollyfedup thank you! I will check that out and see if anything interests me

I did childcare for 10 years and went into adult care (care assistant in care homes) and been doing that for 15 years.

If you can get some basic computer skills I would look at retirement development managers.

Odly loads of transferable skills there

My mum went from child care seeing into play therapist in a children's ward. She did a great job helping and supporting children during their hospital treatment. She even had their teddy bears going through a model of an MRI scanner, so they could understand what was happening when it was their turn and not be scared.

@WomenInConstruction was she able to go straight into this sort of role or did your mum need to do more training etc?

Nursery nurse jobs come up pretty frequently in the NHS. I’d have a look on NHS jobs to get a feel of what is about - look nationwide initially to see the scope of roles, and then look in your local area.

She had a child development qualification and that was all she needed from a quals pov.

This was a few years ago, might not be the same now. It was a good job though and she found it very rewarding

Play specialist. We have them at the hospital where I work. They will play with the children but also work alongside families and children who have anxieties regarding stays in hospitals and procedures.

How about a nursery nurse on a maternity unit or neonatal unit?

It's coming up to Christmas, there may be opportunities in retail to try something completely different?

Play assistants in a hospital don’t have a specific quals. You can do on the job training to be a play specialist (mri scanners and teddies). Play therapist is a mental health role degree etc. the job titles confuse everyone

Thanks everyone. I’ll look into the suggestions over the weekend

I went from childminder to family support worker. I also qualified as a counsellor.

I found family support hard and struggled to find work as a counsellor. I now work in a library and I love it

I have a different idea. Using all your skills of organising and dealing with crises on the spot in a professional way you would be a great events person.
You could start off in an officer role to learn the job and then progress upwards.
You could work for a company that does a lot of events (eg a law firm), or a specialist events agency - lots of options. You would have to be able to use a computer, because guest lists and invites are now mostly on computer. But why don't you have a look on Indeed and see if there is anything in this field that appeals?

Become a granny nanny.

You'll get a good hourly rate from self-funding families who want to keep an elderly relative in their home for longer. You won't be tied in to the school holidays (but would need to work out respite cover for when you want your holidays)

Tasks could be light housework, personal care, errands, hairdressing, or just sitting down for coffee/chat/jigsaw

Hi I reached this point 4-5 years ago, craved adult interaction.
got offered a support worker job in a children’s care home and would never go back now. I’m the last person who though they could deal with learning disabilities/complex medical needs and it was a tough first few months but I’ve learnt skills I never knew I could x