H.E but I'm the nanny

[AMcoffeeLover]

I hope you can offer some advice. I'm a nanny due to start with a new family in the summer, children both infant school age.
However the mum just called to tell me they haven't got into the private schools they wanted and have a years wait.
Background on me - qualified nursery nurse, in my 20s, qualified dietician (degree), various smaller qualifications in speech and language ect, this being my 4th nanny job. Role was to be nanny/housekeeper, 55 hours a week.
Basically I've I
Been asked to home school the kids for a year. My initial thoughts being "no, I don't want to get it wrong/confuse the children". The mum can't do it as she doesn't want to give up her work. They've offered to double my (already amazing) wage, but honesty its not a hugely deciding factor (as I'm sure if I mess up the kids I'd get fired)
Realistically what dues it involve? Never experienced this before

Mary - yes - I'm the parent - which gave me the benefit if autonomy and mother-tiger determination to make it fabulous - but it was genuinely such a magical period of our lives that I actually quite resented 'giving him back' to school.

I think you've made a great decision, and are already putting the DC first, rather than your pay packet, which speaks volumes about you!

I also think it's very flattering that the parents want you to stay so long and are confident you could educate their DC as well as care for them.

Wishing you all the best, and years of happiness with this job.

Thank you Lynette

I agree that you've made the right decision.

Home educating is not difficult. But you say that your prospective employers have high expectations. That could mean a huge amount of stress and falling out - between you and the kids, between you and the parents. What if the younger child doesn't WANT to sit and learn to read? What if the older one is not developmentally ready to write a full page and learn times tables? (Or whatever it is that private schools and parents with Oxbridge ambitions expect little kids to achieve.)

I don't believe for a minute that you are incapable of giving the children a great education. But I do believe that pressurising very young children to achieve academically is a job you shouldn't want.

If they were your own children, it would be in your hands. You could try home ed and if you felt it didn't suit the kids, try something different, or move the goalposts and choose to ease off on the children and aim for less selective schools. But in your case, if the kids aren't cut out for what their parents want them to do, you'll get the blame.

Since they are so keen on employing you as a nanny and money is not an issue for them, I think they should hire you as a nanny and get a tutor in as well.

All is sorted! They've respected my choice to not be the active teacher in home Ed, but are thankful I'll support the childrens learning if instructions are given to me by a trained tutor.
Hopefully we'll all be happy together

Terrific! Sounds like a good outcome. Hope the job works out well!

Great.

If they aren't in school you will probably still do a lot of home ed style activities - making things, visiting places, even attending home ed groups.

However, as a nanny I wouldn't be wanting to tell a parent that their children weren't quite as academically gifted as they would wish or that they kicked and screamed through every second of maths.

Tell the parents they need qualified teachers for maths and English, but that you'll do the rest informally, so long as they understand that it will be unplanned( no time for that). Actually you will need to do some planning to structure your days, if you take it on I'd suggest doing topics for say a month at time to give focus to activities.
Don't take on the maths and English if you be will be blamed if its not at the standard they want.

It sounds like you've made the right decision, really hope it works out for you!

I had a friend who used a nearly full time nanny to look after her home ed child from age 5 ish. Her job was really to take him to lots of home ed sessions locally, probably mostly one every day. When they weren't at home ed groups she'd do art, cooking, lego or reading type things with him and trips to museums etc. Worked really well, but the parents also had a lot of input evenings and weekends and they didn't have an agenda of getting him into a certain school by a certain age. I think that would be the only problem.
There are lots of Internet based activities you could use to help them support their learning like Conquer maths and Reading Eggs and I think it wouldn't be difficult for you to manage this with them. If they want to get the children into a particular school in a few years though, then I'd expect they'd get a tutor at least one day a week, as even parents of kids at private schools seem to do this.
You definitely need to find out about their expectations as the job could be great fun or total nightmare depending on these.

If the children are home all day, when will you get your housekeeping duties done?

"If the children are home all day, when will you get your housekeeping duties done?"

I'm sure an experienced nanny can manage that! It is what nannies and SAHPs do when they have toddlers (only easier, because big kids are less demanding than toddlers), and every school holiday.

I think it depends on what is expected. If the parents were expecting 5+ hours of housekeeping to fill each day while the children are at school, then they may need to adjust their expectations or hire in additional help. Bearing in mind that many nannies do nursery duties only and families continue to have cleaners while the have a nanny to get the other stuff done.