What qualifications would/could/should a nanny have?

[patriciawentworthheroine]

More help needed for a first-time nanny-hirer! Nannynick and Blondeshavemorefun have already given me some very helpful advice, but could they or anyone else illuminate me about what 'qualified' really means, if I specify a qualified nanny?

I looked on nannyjobs and saw some stuff about NVQs and BTechs but most of it seemed more geared towards nursery nurses than nannies. Is there a specific nanny qualification I should look for, and how much does it matter whether my nanny has qualifications, and which?

Any advice appreciated!

Norland and Chiltern are private nanny colleges, so their qualification is specifically for nannies.

The majority of qualified nannies will have a nursery nursing qualification - NVQ level 3, Btec, Cache diploma or NNEB.

There is also a Diploma in Home Based Childcare I think.

I personally think experience is just as important as qualifications btw! I would rather hire a nanny with 3 years sole charge experience than someone with an NVQ and a couple of years nursery experience for example. If you want to pay with vocuhers and need them to be Ofsted registered then you need a qualification though.

I would forget about qualifications and put experience and references hegh on the list, personally.

How old are your kids?
Where do you live?
Hours?
Any unusual duties?
When do you want him/her to start and how long do you hope he/she will stay?

Picking up on tankie's point about Ofsted registration (which, for nannies, is voluntary rather than compulsory), that might be a sensible place to start reviewing qualification requirements.

The Ofsted website is a TOTAL NIGHTMARE to navigate re the nanny registration process (we've spent 4 months on it so far, and I have 15 years' solid training in red-tape orienteering and it just about defeats me) - so I have copied & pasted the relevant bit below, which explains [hollow laugh at their idea of "explain"] the essentials re qualifications if you're going to be registered.

There are some links referred to if you want to do your brain in investigate further.

What are the Common Core requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register?

The regulations for the Childcare Register [see note 25 below] state that, as part of the ongoing requirements of registration, providers on the voluntary part of the Childcare Register must ensure that:

?At least one person who is caring for children on the relevant premises has
either

• a qualification at a minimum of level 2 [see note 26 below] in an area of work relevant to the childcare, or

• successfully completed training in the core skills as set out in the document

Common Core of skills and knowledge for the children?s workforce.?

Note 25: The Childcare (General Childcare Register) Regulations 2008, Schedule 6, (12);
www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2008/uksi_20080975_en_6#sch6.

Note 26: Level 2 as set out in the National Qualifications Framework and determined by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.

"Common Core" info:

What is the Common Core?

The Common Core of Skills and Knowledge, generally referred to as the Common Core, reflects a set of common values for people who work with children and young people, that promote equality, respect diversity and
challenge stereotypes, helping to improve the life chances of all children and
young people and to provide more effective integrated services.

There are six areas that constitute the Common Core:

• effective communication and engagement
• child and young person development
• safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child
• supporting transition
• multi-agency working
• sharing information.

The guidance Common Core of skills and knowledge for the children?s
workforce outlines the skills and knowledge in greater detail. This can be found
on the following link:
www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/deliveringservices/commoncore. All people
working with children should have these skills and knowledge.

Hmmm, having said I would consider working with someone to get Ofsted-registered, I now wish I hadn't, having read that Ofsted quote!

I work in public sector communications myself and know full well the mess they can make of communicating complex things to the public, however well-meaning they may be!

I mentioned the details of my nanny requirements in an early post (buried where no one could find it, naturally) but here they are again, once more buried within a long email. Should I start a new post spelling out what I need, or just rely on nannyjobs/gumtree?

We live in Reading, have three kids, oldest is 5 and at school, youngest will be nine months. We need someone Mon to Fri full-time as we both commute to work - non-driver fine as we live near the school.

I also agree re exp. more important than qualifications, especially since I have no idea what qualifications I would want/value. (Thinks: must do some research before interviewing anyone and displaying my ignorance.)

Qualifications at an absolute minimum for OFSTED registration would be the CACHE ICP.

What most people regard as a qualified sole charge nanny have one of: the NNEB, DCE (basically the new NNEB), BTEC or NVQ 3 which are all the on the same level (level 3) and suitable for people working unsupervised with children. They will have covered child devlopment, safety, curriculum etc for 0-8 years and done about 700 hours of placement. They're all called Level 3 nursery nursing but most do a placement in a domestic setting as well as in nurseries etc.

The Diploma in Home Based Childcare (DHC) is a shorter course at level 3 but is only focussed on childcare in the home so covers less overall. This requires NO PLACEMENT experience and can be done entirely by distance learning so it's good on theory and legislation but not so good on the hands on stuff.

At level 2 you have the CCE, BTEC First and NVQ 2 which are not designed for those working in a sole charge position. They will have done a bit of theory and around 300 hours (I think) of placements too.

The LEVEL of the course is not an indication of how much the carer has covered, it is an indication of the comparative proficiency expected. Level 3 equates to A-level so someone with a DCE or a BTEC essentially has a 3 A-levels in childcare. You cover less material in the DHC so that's like having 1 A-level.

You can get nannies with level 4 or higher qualifications, or degrees in Early Childhood Studies etc. There is no specific qualification for nannies other than the Norland or Chiltern certificates but some may have done extra courses aimed at nannies either through MNT or Sleeptite or similar.

As you're in Reading you may get a couple of Chilterns nannies applying - the college is in Caversham.

As everyone else has said, experience and good refs is worth more than a bit of paper but a qualification (IMO) shows a certain amount of commitment and means that the nanny does actually know a bit about children at all their different developmental stages, whereas someone with 3 years experience and no qualification may have worked with only one specific age-group and be clueless about any other. Of course experience across a range of ages kind of negates that point but it is worth looking out for if someone says they have 5 years experience but have in fact have 5 1-year jobs with 2 year olds. They wouldn't know how to deal with your 5 year old or your little one, whereas a qualified nanny who has 3 years experience (making 5 years with children in total) with a 2 year old in the same job has dealt with everything between the ages of 2 and 5 as a nanny, plus has all their placement experience with children from 0-8 AND a theoretical background to fall back on.

Placement hours figures are approximate as not all quals require you to do the same amount of placement. The NVQ is done working full-time, the DCE has about 750 hours (I think) but it gives you some idea, I hope.

Whew! Apologies for the long post!

"a qualification (IMO) shows a certain amount of commitment and means that the nanny does actually know a bit about children at all their different developmental stages"

I fully agree with that. It's what I would have written but frannikin beat me to it.
Some level 3 courses could take the person 2 years to complete. By having got through a 2 year course, the person is showing that they are able to commit to doing something for a 2 year period.

Courses can not replace common sense. A nanny IMO needs to have a plentiful supply of common sense, ability to cope in a crises, plus a variety of basic skills such as caring for themselves, cooking meals, organising themselves. Some people in their early 20's don't have those skills (thinking of my 21 year old step brother).

For childcare qualifications, the CWDC are in the process of evaluating courses and seeing how past course meet the current Ofsted requirements.

The old list - shows Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4 childcare and playwork courses.

The new list - will let you search for a course and tell you which parts met the criteria. Note: This is still in development and some old courses are not yet on it. It is very Year specific, as courses change from time to time. The course I completed in 1998 is not yet on the list - CACHE Diploma in Nursery Nusing (NNEB) - but CWDC have told me that they are in the process of evaluating it.

This is all really useful - thank you.

Patricia when are you looking for someone to start? Have you started the Gumtree/Nannyjob trawl yet? We are thinking of getting someone in a few months but aren't sure how soon to start looking so it would help to get another first-timer's experience!

Hi there. I need a nanny for May, when I go back to work after maternity leave. I have started my Gumtree/Nannyjob trawl and so far have four candidates. Most are nursery nurses with no nannying experience - probably because I am not offering enough money.

Thing is, I can't offer much more than I have (£300 weekly net) because the sums have got to add up, otherwise I can't go back to work. And I really want a nanny because I want DD1 to be with DS and DD2 after school, in her own home. Also, DH and I both work full-time and Sick Child Syndrome + school holiday issues are already making our employers fairly tight-lipped. So a nanny seems the best answer. (Obviously nannies get poorly too, but I suspect not as often as our unhealthy offspring.)

So Henrys7thwife (a much better name than mine, think I may change mine to something more snappy...), what is your situation?

Hello, a question to all you mums out there! I am a final year degree student, who would love to take six months/ a year out before completing my masters. I would love to work as a Nanny, mainly because I have a love for children, the way they learn and generally helping out a family in their everyday life. However my degree is unrelated to this, and I don't thin I would want it as a life career- does this mean I would be completely unemployable in this area? Or would any of you mums hire me?

Maisie, I think you would do best to take on an after-school nanny job first while completing your degree to see if you like it. Then, if you do, take a year off and live-in (presumably if you can!) to save up some money while looking for your 'career job'. I did this many moons ago and it was great. I enjoyed the 2 families I worked for but also enjoyed leaving, if you see what I mean.

Patricia We are looking for someone to help with our DC's but probably not full time so I don't know if we will do Gumtree or go through an agency as I'm worried about the responses I will get for part-time. Thank you for the comment about the name, it just fell into my head one day...luckily the day I decided to sign up to mumsnet ;) Are you in London? Know any agencies to recommend? Or any nannies / au pairs that need a job part-time? I know some full-time candidates but wouldn't be able to offer them anywhere near full time hours.

Maisie, I think you would do best to take on an after-school nanny job first while completing your degree to see if you like it. Then, if you do, take a year off and live-in (presumably if you can!) to save up some money while looking for your 'career job'. I did this many moons ago and it was great. I enjoyed the 2 families I worked for but also enjoyed leaving, if you see what I mean.

Patricia We are looking for someone to help with our DC's but probably not full time so I don't know if we will do Gumtree or go through an agency as I'm worried about the responses I will get for part-time. Thank you for the comment about the name, it just fell into my head one day...luckily the day I decided to sign up to mumsnet ;) Are you in London? Know any agencies to recommend? Or any nannies / au pairs that need a job part-time? I know some full-time candidates but wouldn't be able to offer them anywhere near full time hours.

Hey Henry7wife (cool name)! I would love to do that, but in final two terms degree is too academic to do this- which is such a shame as i would love to have this change in scenery from my moaning housemates! However the latter is a brilliant idea, as I would love a year completely away from academics so to speak! Thanks so much for your help!

I have always preferred a nanny with qualifications, for fannikin's eloquent reasons. Qualifications and structure are important in my job, and I think that feeds into nanny recruitment for me as well.

However, I have become more relaxed about this as the DCs have got older. Nanny no 3, the current nanny, has no nannying qualifications, but has worked with school aged children for 9 years. The qualified nannies I interviewed seemed to be looking for younger children. There were some great looking teachers' cvs around, who wanted to nanny rather than teach, but I wasn't interested in paying their salaries.