Is a Norland nanny worth it?

[Internationalpony]

Hi all,

We’re looking at getting a nanny and I love the idea of a Norland nanny for the following reasons:

1. They’re people who have truly chosen nannying as a vocation and haven’t just drifted into it
2. After a three year degree they’ll have a real in depth knowledge of child development so will be actively developing DC not just looking after them
3. They develop a weekly meal plan and activity plan - I’d find this so reassuring and beneficial
4. It seems like they’d do things to make our lives easier in so many other ways e.g. responsible for keeping the nursery tidy, DC laundry, will even meal prep for DC for the weekend
5. There are a clear set of expectations set out by Norland on what the nanny does and doesn’t do which can help to avoid any potential problems further down the line

However they’re of course very expensive, even for a newly qualified one, and we’d only consider a live out arrangement.

Obviously affordability is very personal but my question is, how easy is it to find other nannies who are just as good and proactively focus on child development? Are most other nannies happy to / expect to do similar duties? Where else have people found good nannies?

Finally, we have recently relocated to Northern England which another reason I’m concerned about finding a good nanny - there is so much more choice in London! Would any Norland nanny want to or be willing to be based here? Has anyone had a Norland nanny in the North before?

Thanks in advance!

They don't move Up North because of the lack of hot and cold running water, people walking on their hind legs etc, obviously.

Oh OP your comments about the north are so silly I actually feel sorry for your future nanny.

FWIW I do see how the extra training and things that they do could come in useful for high profile children.
I used to live near an area full of footballer's wives (Liverpool/Manchester clubs :) ) there were quite a few!

There's no value add for the ordinary Joe... who has money, but that's it.

It's quite simple 😂. There's no way I'd be making a bloody martyr of myself by cooking if I didn't have to.

There are thousands of us all over the country who, pre-DC, happily survived on snacks, "picky-bits" (that hated MN phrase), microwave meals, takeaways, meals out and the office cafeteria. Post-DC, I do my duty to the wee beasties, but secretly I dream of having a housekeeper who dumps a nutritious meal in front of them with precisely zero effort on my part.

But I know I'm not alone in this. MN is full of threads started by women who are much better organised, more conscientious and all-round better parents than me sinking under the burden of family meal planning and prep. It's obviously not as easy as "just feed them what you eat yourself". For a start, if I did that, we'd probably have social services involved!

I think you’re getting a rough ride here, unfairly! I’m a solo mum to twins, I’ve always worked full time to give them the best I can. If I’d have had the money to get them a NN when they were little, I absolutely would have. It’s the guarantee of great childcare (and the fall back of being able to complain in the unlikely event it’s not great). Everyone wants the best for their kids, of course they do. My poor two had the best ever childminder from 6 - 13 months (recommended by my best mate) then we moved and they had a string of mediocre to utterly crap childminders and nannies until they went to a mediocre nursery aged three. If I could have done it like you can, I would have, 100%.

I was a Nanny for 14 years, I have a degree in business Management but all my work through Uni etc was based around childcare.

I qualified from Uni and went straight to work as a nanny. Before I started work I went to London for 2 interviews, the 1st had twins and when I walked in they were screaming, the mum picked one up and without being asked I picked the other one up,the mum told me I was the only person that had picked one of the children up without being asked.(the Dad left her at 8 months pregnant so she was on her own) The previous candidate had been a Norland and she didn't pick up a baby until she was asked too. I was offered the job before I went for my second interview and only turned it down because they considered an occasional guest bedroom being more important than my permanent room which was no bigger than a cupboard!

Pick your nanny based on your gut feelings and recommendations not on some warped idea that a Norland nanny is better than others.

They do have an excellent reputation.... and lets not forget W&K have a Norland Nanny, but surely there are just as good / well trained other nannies out there?

I think people are suggesting that the children would eat whatever you and your OH are having, en famille?

Sorry haven't RTFT but;
I would absolutely recommend Norland Nannies, it takes most of the guessing out, they are true professionals, they are amazing.
As for The North: ours was from Yorkshire so would have hardly been like a fish out of water but I do know the location plays a part in their accepting a position and you will be in competition with people living the life.

Cooking together can be fun...

It is possible to find Norland Nannies in the North, they are excellent. Hasn't the college now closed?

Do it if you can afford it. Sounds wonderful

Hey I'm not judging your parenting preferences. With respect, the definition of the word is quite simple. I don't see how dying or being persecuted for your religious beliefs / suffering to warrant sympathy comes into play from the context 😂

Rather than this fixation on "the North" and the stupid comments as if OP has a problem with the people there, why are people pretending they can't see that OP is simply referring to living in a far less common geographical area than where you will find most Norland nannies. Predominantly London. A smattering of overseas and celeb/people of status. Burnley...not so much.

OP, the people on this thread are deliberately misinterpreting what you are very clearly saying. Tedious.

You've got some good responses from the mums of some Norlands on here, I'd listen to those.

@viques
I don't think there will be any chance that OP's child will develop a Northern accent.

If I won the lottery, forget the big house and fancy holidays. The first thing I'd spend on would be my own personal chef. Cooking and planning healthy meals is an utter chore, if you can afford to outsource then why not?

There definitely are, but the whole point of Norland is that you don't have to find them yourselves and the relationship is very structured. That convenience comes at a price and it depends how much it is worth to you.

I think it might be worth it if you lived in a stately home or were a film star or rockstar or were married to one. But do ordinary folk employ Norland Nannies. Not sure.

I wonder how far North the OP is?

Northampton...?

What’s silly about saying there are less nannies where I live in the North than there are in London? It’s a fact.

And yes moving to Northern England, where I live, will be less attractive to a lot of Norland nannies than moving to London or more glamorous places overseas.

And where on earth in what OP wrote did you think she suggested the contrary?

The word has a colloquial meaning as well as its formal, dictionary one.

Definitely not any of those things 🤣. I just want a nanny who will really focus on child development rather than a glorified babysitter and a Norland nanny is a good guarantee of that!

@Internationalpony

You could ask the agency about the possibility of employing a nanny in your part of the UK, to see what they advise.

https://www.norland.ac.uk/norland-agency/

The Northern Nanny weans babies on Guinness, and first solids are pie crusts dunked into luke warm tea. She hand sews coal sacks into babygro's and gets her husband to carve tiny baby clogs out of left over wood he steals from his job. Childs first playmate is of course the Nanny's whippet who she brings with her to work each day. The Northern Nanny would never think of sitting a child in front of a tv to keep them occupied. Mainly because this is the North and we don't have electricity yet. Although we've heard it's reached Birmingham so we're keeping our fingers crossed.