I am a 'qualified' nanny?!

[Whatsthematterwithme]

I am currently job hunting again and a lot of families want a 'qualified' nanny. Are you only a qualified nanny when you have an NNEB or similar? I have some MNT certificates and nine years experience looking after children including newborn babies, twins etc.

Am I 'qualified'?

OP, I just felt I needed to post once as I know nothing, never used any form of childcare for our 3 dc.

If I was looking for a nanny somebody like you would be exactly what I would want.
I'd expect years of experience and some theoretical knowledge, but not lots of qualifications.
Good luck.

I have employed a nanny before. I think by qualified I would expect some sort of training - but it could have been nvq or training in a childcare setting or years of experience. Our nanny had done nvq up to level 3 in childcare. But to be honest I had little idea about what that meant and was more influenced by the reference from her former employer and the recommendations from friends who had known her as a nanny to that family. With your experience I would say you are QBE - qualified by experience. I would also expect you to have an up to date first aid qualification. So in any CV or as I would describe yourself as "an experienced nanny with x plus years looking after children aged from x to y. Clean driving licence and up to date first aid qualification. "

I think it depends on each individual family what they class as qualified and non qualified as such. But for me personally if I want a top London nanny salary which I have, I completed a formal childcare qualification to aid my experience I have. I personally feel if you are in a career long term then yes you should formally be qualified in the particular field.

Hi there,
You may find that parents are advertising for qualified nannies because they are claiming childcare vouchers.
To claim them your nanny must be OFSTED registered. To become OFSTED registered you need to have a qualification, current first aid, crb check and insurance.
I have friends who have been nannies for over 20 years but don't have any college qualifications and this has caused problems at interviews because although they have loads of glowing references and years of experience the parents need help with the cost of employing a nanny and need someone OFSTED registered.

I think a lot of parents put 'qualified' in the job ad, without really knowing what that means for a nanny. Many don't know the 'standard' nanny qualifications (NNEB, NVQ) and even those that do have no idea what those qualifications actually involve.

I think if you have any relevant qualifications then you can call yourself 'qualified' for the purpose of responding to a job ad. The parents can then decide based on the specific qualifications that you have whether that's good enough for them or not. I wouldn't let not having an NNEB put you off going for jobs advertised for 'qualified nannies'.

The Ofsted thing is a good point though. Are you eligible to be Ofsted registered? If not, that could be a problem. You don't need an NNEB or NVQ to be Ofsted registered though, you only need the ICP (Introduction to Childcare Practice) or possibly other 'small' qualifications. The ICP can be done in a couple of weeks, through home learning so easy enough to do if that's the problem.

I think you're getting confused between "qualified" and "experienced"

I did the NNEB and it was a 2 year course in childcare. Some parents don't care about qualifications some do. After many years of childcare I think most people will see that you are obviously good at your job and it probably more of the new nanny's starting out that they wouldn't want applying for the job.

if you did the mnt then yes you have a qual but not one like nneb nvq btec etc

not sure if mnt means can use ofsted vouchers?

Thanks for your replies. It's not about OFSTED vouchers, more about whether I can apply to positions for 'qualified' nannies. I have decided to start the CACHE Early Years Educator course next year with MNT Training.

Do you mean you have done courses with mnt training / or that you have done the mnt course to be a maternity nurse