What will you do?
You look after their daily care, actively support their upbringing and offer social and emotional support. You guide the children through everyday routines, supervise meals and drink moments and accompany them during play activities.
- Agree on the help and guidance with the family
- Provide daily care to the children
- Supervise meal and drink moments
- Offer social and emotional support
- Guide the children through everyday routines and play
- Observe the children's behaviour and development
- Tidy the home and give first aid when needed
Skills to develop
- Patient, warm and attentive with children
- A clean criminal record extract is usually required
- Reliable and flexible around the family's schedule
- Clear communication with parents
- Creative in setting up play activities
Your foundation for this occupation
Nannies work within a family's private life and need clear duties, hours and responsibility agreements. Ask about ages, routines, travel and household expectations. Childcare experience, relevant learning and first-aid skills matter. An au-pair arrangement is not equivalent to an ordinary nanny job.
From preparation to your first day
Develop the practical skills
Plan care, play, rest and transitions suited to the children. Agree collection permissions, parent contacts and unexpected changes. Learn family routines without imposing personal preferences. Discuss boundaries for photographs and messages about children.
Check your work
Give factual handovers on meals, rest, activities and notable events. Escalate concerns as agreed without diagnosing. Check transport and outing arrangements beforehand. Maintain your own task boundaries when additional work is requested.
How can you grow?
Specialisation may involve age groups, multilingual support or families with particular needs. Further expertise should match those needs. References, reliability and clear communication are central when applying to work in a home.
Frequently asked questions
Are nanny, au pair and babysitter interchangeable?
Daily childcare can overlap, but arrangements, purpose and responsibility differ. A nanny role needs clear ongoing-care and working-hours agreements. Assess actual terms and tasks rather than the label.