Adventure Nannies Blog

Being A Nanny Can Prepare You For Any Career — Here’s How!

 

 

As a professional nanny, you possess the same valuable skills as other successful professionals. Today we’d like to clarify how your meaningful work experience translates to those outside the childcare industry!

 

Keep in mind it is important to not only recognize the value of these learned skills but also to exercise them often. Wherever you are in your professional development, these skills are essential and right now is the perfect opportunity to refine those talents.

 

 

 

 

Consider These Transferable Skills:

 

Project Management:

The average employee needs roughly 2-5 years of experience before they are promoted to a project management position. Your experience in project management should take you far. You know how to manage a team and lead them successfully on a daily basis, and over a long period of time. You observe your charges with an intuitive eye and know how to make slight shifts for the betterment of the overall function of the group. You plan, organize, and make thoughtful decisions on what needs to be done. You are a master of delegating, but you also foster autonomy and strength in your charges. Your goal is to promote and cultivate the strongest characters, positive attitudes, and open trust amongst your team. Frequent interruptions and chaotic events don’t derail you, and you know how to get back to your good-natured, focused self. Every day is new and people-focused.

 

 

 

Team Building:

Working in teams is inevitable, and every industry expects and desires a workforce that can do this effectively. You have fostered an environment where decision-making is based on dialogue and not a dictatorship. There is deeply rooted trust amongst everyone under your charge, and everyone feels like an active member of the team. You engage people to problem-solve and participate together. You set reasonable goals, fair expectations, and open feedback. You encourage cooperation, not competition.

 

 

 

 

Strong Negotiation Skills:

You can get a toddler to eat their vegetables, a teenager to turn the TV off, and a family to behave well on a 12-hour plane ride. You exude patience and ask exceptional questions. You are always prepared, and engaged in every conversation. Your listening skills are impeccable and you are able to communicate clearly while displaying emotional control and reliability. There is no negotiation you can’t handle.

 

 

 

 

Multi-Tier Collaboration:

You are able to communicate openly and honestly with your employer and ensure them that you are taking the utmost care of the tasks at hand. You take direction well but have the ability to interject your own ideas or opinions for the sake of bettering the overall health and environment of your team.

 

 

 

Communication Skills:

You engage in conversations appropriately, with the utmost respect of private and social situations. You communicate openly as you encounter issues on the job, and work to resolve them. You recognize that half the battle is asking good questions, and listening fully for the answers. You value strong, honest, respectful communication above all else.

 

 

 

 

Time Management:

There is no schedule beyond your capacity. You are able to flawlessly manage the lives and tasks of multiple people throughout the day. You value your time with your team, and you value their time to accomplish their goals. You are exceptionally organized, but calm and flexible in the face of shifting priorities.

 

 

 

 

Educational Development:

You have taken the initiative to encourage growth and development in all ways possible. You are caring in times of academic struggle. Respectful of family expectations of achievement, and intuitive in order to foster an empowering educational environment. Additionally, you are committed to seeking out opportunities to invest in your own professional and educational development whenever possible, and this self-motivation pushes you to the forefront of the industry.

 

 

 

 

The Perks Are Priceless:

In addition to the obvious perks that come along with working for UHNW families such as international travel, VIP experiences, and excellent pay, there are less monetized perks that are just as valuable. As Alicia Kacinski said recently in Business Insider: “When considering a position as a nanny, it’s always smart to think ahead. Planning your career track, even if you deviate, is never a bad idea. Any family will tell you that domestic roles are meant to last, but, the truth is, kids grow, and so do roles within the home. As connections develop, the worlds of business, finance, art, education, and beyond can be opened if you maintain a good rapport with your employer. In these exclusive worlds, one good reference could land you an interview at a Fortune 500 company, or a spot in the next cohort of JD students at an Ivy League. Experience is vital, but a good connection can offer endless possibilities.”

 

 

 

The Sky Is The Limit

Bear in mind, this list is by no means exhaustive. Your unique nanny situation may afford you many more extraordinary skills. Don’t forget to capture them and show their true, translatable value as you pursue additional roles. Are you taking extracurricular courses to help you better serve your family? Have you gone above and beyond to be a better educator? Are you particularly advanced in certain areas?

 

 

 

 

We encourage you to exercise these skills and dig deeper into what they could mean for your current position as a nanny, and for all future endeavors. With each new position, you are being afforded an opportunity to strengthen your skill set. If you take time to relate these abilities to those outside of the industry, you may be surprised to see just how well nannying has prepared you for the next step in your career path.

 

 


 

 

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