What does a Norland Nanny bring that others don’t?

[Milkingstool]

Or other very highly trained, highly experienced nannies? I’m interested in this as a childcare option on return to work now I have 2 DC. But friends nannies haven’t really impressed me so far TBH and seem to be a lot of hassle for the parents.

I’ve heard a lot of good things about Norland Nannies. I suppose I’m interested in what the difference is? (Or anything similar, I only know of NN but sure there are other well regarded colleges)

What is it about their training that sets them apart? I suppose what I’d really like is a real life Mary Poppins 😁 but failing that if there is a reliable system like this where you are guaranteed a certain level of quality and proficiency that could be worth looking in to

I don't think they bring anything extra except cachet for the parents that they have a nanny in an outdated Edwardian uniform

Far more
Important to have a sensible nanny who does the things you want them to do, with appropriate qualification eg paediatric first aid and who you like, feel comfortable with and who you can have a flexible relationship with both ways

They get incredible training. It is very competitive to get a place and it is a three year degree course in early years and development and then a years placement to qualify. I know someone who is studying to become a Norland Nanny.

I think you can probably get just as good a nanny from most of the top nanny agencies. We had a wonderful part time nanny who was training to be a child counsellor.

We’ve had a norland nanny and a “normal” nanny. We loved both. If there was a difference it might be that the norlander was super discreet, she’d never mention previous employers or charge’s names. Also her CV had loads of amazing courses like children’s haircutting and styling, pram self defence etc. But tbf our other nanny is just as good, so I think experience is experience.
(And btw they don’t wear their uniforms at work!)

They get an Aga lesson!
Haha. I had a norland trained nanny, who is now a friend. They have a seriously broad training so wouldn't need much "training" on many things that would bother rich people. My friend is a lovely intelligent woman who's a great nanny, norland or not.

@FudgeSundae

We’ve had a norland nanny and a “normal” nanny. We loved both. If there was a difference it might be that the norlander was super discreet, she’d never mention previous employers or charge’s names. Also her CV had loads of amazing courses like children’s haircutting and styling, pram self defence etc. But tbf our other nanny is just as good, so I think experience is experience. (And btw they don’t wear their uniforms at work!)

What is pram self defence?!

Yeah, NN are trained in self defence, in case someone tries to kidnap their charge.

I know a Norland nanny. I can't say whether they are better or worse but I know she's had some seriously high profile clients. She's never told us but we spotted her in the press (my absolutely pointless contribution to the thread)

Wow! Sounds enviable if they can just walk in and know their stuff about everything you could need to know. I am guessing they demand a higher salary though :)

@garlictwist no idea… we certainly didn’t need it!
And ours was a first year post qualification - at that point they’re actually not any more expensive than the going rate where I am 🤷🏼‍♀️

I did NNEB training to be a nanny. I'm sure I'd cost a lot less than a Norland Nanny back in the day. They seem to work for the rich and famous.
I went onto Nurse training instead.

Pram self defence 😂 that is hilarious

Pram self defence is a silly name, but probably to stop people taking the baby out of the pram?

We had a Norland trainee and various ‘normal’ nannies

Tbh, if you want a Mary Poppins, avoid Norlands
They are rigid about only doing childcare and nursery duties. They expect to be working along other full time household staff so they aren’t going to be inclined towards emptying the dishwashers and picking up dry cleaning

The best nannies we had were ones hired as nanny housekeepers but who spent 90% of their time as a nanny.
They were still happy to chip in with laundry and collecting parcels, but still did the vast majority of their time as nannies so built a great rapport with DCs

Norlands are great if you’ve got twins, or particularly rigid ideas about routines

But they’ve invested a lot of money in their training and are looking for ROI on it, and seek out families willing to pay for the cache

I had a normal nanny who had worked as an au pair in australia. We needed her to be able to use an aga. We just paid £50 for an aga workshop

Maybe pram self defence is to prevent the pram being nicked? Some cost over a grand you know!!

They are trained to stop kidnapping attempts. I am absolutely convinced I saw a behind the scenes documentary back in the 90s about them. They learned to do high speed driving if they were being chased etc. This short video shows you pram defence

I don’t know much about Nannies. BUT I am obsessed with Nanny Louenna’s app. It saved me, those early days with a newborn (and beyond!) when we had no support at the height of the pandemic. Her information is just brilliant. Nothing she says hasn’t worked on my DD. So that tells me Norland Nannies are good if they trained her.
Bottom line, if you’re a parent with a baby, get the Nanny Louenna app.

I think I need commission from her I tell everyone!!!

I went to Norlands as a child to the nursery school they ran - it used to be open all hours including over nights which was amazing in the 70s when wrap around care was non-existent.

I have blissfully happy memories of how lovely they all were. And back in the day, they did wear their uniforms all the time as well.

It's also fun telling people I had a Norland nanny, OK not strictly true but we have photos of me with them in the uniforms

They have spelling mistakes and grammatical errors on their site. Not very impressive considering who they are.

This is an incredible thread! I've learned something new today.

@ThisIsStartingToBoreMe

Yeah, NN are trained in self defence, in case someone tries to kidnap their charge.

I didn't know this, but having worked as a nanny with a family who had 24-7 security for all members of the family I find this very funny

For many it will be an RP accent that the kids pick up.

Pram defence??!!