A professional nanny used to be for the ultra rich, famous and/or those who held royal titles. But in 2025, a nanny is more common to two income families and those with a disposable income. Here is what it takes to become a great high paid nanny in today’s market.
First and foremost you MUST have experience with the age group you’d like to nanny for. Experience with special needs, newborns and multiples always attract higher wages. However in order to apply for those jobs with an agency you have to have verifiable experience, at least 5 years worth of working experience. That experience includes private schools, public schools, mother day out programs, preschools, previous nanny jobs, after school programs, camp counselors, church nurseries and more..
In addition to experience an agency can verify, a great candidate will also need references that are willing and available to speak on your behalf. A reference is NOT any good for a candidate if they aren’t available for a conversation. Letters of reference aren’t the best and most agencies won’t accept them because of our current scam culture and dishonest people applying for jobs.
In addition the above criteria all nanny’s need to have a clear understanding of your role. Your role as a nanny is a helper for the parents, keeping the children safe and being a trusted care giver doing what needs to be done to get the job done. That means being a team player and not playing the, “it’s not my job” card. As a nanny I drove my children to all activities and play dates. They even accompanied me to the grocery store if I needed a last minute item. My youngest was 4 and he loved the grocery store because it had what he called “try food”. That would be samples for you and me. He was easy to convince to ride along with me. My son’s nanny took my son and my aging Mother grocery shopping and to try various South American restaurants in the area. They both loved it and now my son, who is 19 has a very diverse palate.
Lastly, a really great nanny has a quiet calm demeanor at work and with her charges. She isn’t screaming on the playground, or on her phone very uninterested in the children. She is engaged and interacting with the children. Even while doing dishes she can be singing at the sink while children play in the kitchen or in a high chair.
Once only a concept for the wealthy and those in Hollywood, nanny’s are becoming more common place especially as families add more and more children to their families. It just isn’t possible for moms to do it all in 2025. Give us a call if you’d like to inquire about nanny services. We love answering questions.
