A nanny earning a salary of $130,000 a year, have you heard of that? In the UK, a “super nanny” who can command such a high salary not only needs to know how to take care of children but also has to undergo professional training in sewing, cooking, self-defense, and more. They are highly sought after by royal and celebrity families.
One member of this elite group is 26-year-old Emily. She graduated from the prestigious Norland College in the UK, where she works 5 days a week, 12 hours a day, and occasionally takes on overnight childcare duties. Employers provide additional compensation for such assignments or compensate with time off.
Currently, Emily has a basic annual salary of around £75,000, with additional benefits such as a private apartment in the affluent Belgravia district in central London provided by the employer, along with private medical insurance, retirement benefits, gym memberships, and phone expenses, estimating the total package to exceed £100,000 (approximately $130,000).
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Emily shared that she had aspired to be a “Norland Nanny” since age 15, driven by her love for children and passion for childcare, qualities highly valued by Norland College. She said, “I have always loved babies as far back as I can remember.”
After obtaining her GCSE and A-Level certificates in the UK, Emily enrolled in Norland College for 3 years, earning a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree in “Early Years Development and Learning” and a “Norland Diploma.” She then completed a year of paid nanny internship, passed the assessment, and officially became a Norland nanny.
Norland College is the world’s first university specializing in early childhood education and care. The tuition fees are not low, with UK students paying £17,884 per year and international students paying £21,014.
To afford the tuition, Emily applied for student loans, worked part-time jobs, and relied on financial assistance from her parents. She sees the tuition as an investment in her future career as job opportunities for Norland nannies are quite promising. She said, “During my time at Norland College, each nanny had 7 job opportunities. If you were unemployed or seeking work, you could contact the school’s placement agency for job assistance.”
During her time at the college, she studied child development, games, ethics, child safety and protection, nutrition, food hygiene, and received practical training in sewing, cooking, newborn care, diaper changing, infant massage, and first aid. She even learned about internet security to protect the family, children, and personal information from online threats.
Moreover, Emily also learned self-defense, knife handling, and vehicle skid recovery driving training to handle slippery road conditions like rain or snow.
The school mandates that all students wear nanny uniforms and while walking on the street in uniform, they are not allowed to eat or use their phones except in emergencies.
For Emily, the greatest sense of achievement in this job isn’t the salary or luxurious benefits, but witnessing a child grow step by step and experiencing every “first” in their life. She started caring for Felicity when the child was only 5 months old, who is now 2 years old.
“I’ve been there to witness her first roll, first sit up, first crawl, first steps, and first words. Being able to be a part of a child’s growth and help them progress step by step is truly exciting and fulfilling,” she said, watching Felicity take her first few steps in life with a determined expression is one of the most memorable moments in her career.
“You prepare along with the child for that moment, and when you see her actually achieve it, everyone begins to cheer for her, that feeling is truly unbelievable.”
She emphasized that nannies should not try to replace the parents’ role in a child’s life but serve as additional support and companionship during the child’s growth. To excel in this role, a nanny must genuinely care for the child they are looking after and maintain consistency with the employer in parenting approaches, such as having a consensus on disciplinary issues. “I value politeness and enjoy having a structured daily routine; I will be firm when necessary but also treat the children fairly.”
Emily believes that being a nanny is a profession that can have long-term development opportunities. “People will always get married and have children, leading to a demand for childcare. Childcare has existed for thousands of years and will continue to exist in the future.”
Furthermore, this job has provided her with the opportunity to travel around the world. In the past year, Emily accompanied Felicity to New York, California, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Paris, Rome, and Florence, with all travel expenses covered by the employer. Each trip abroad, the employer would specially arrange time for Emily to rest, sightsee, and explore the local area in her free time.
This article referenced a report from The Daily Telegraph in the UK.