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Monday, November 26, 2012

Job Options For Nannies Who Are Ready For A Change


If you’ve been in the nanny industry for a while, you might be looking for opportunities to use your skills in a new way. Here are some options for nannies who are interested in expanding their job prospects.

Become a Newborn Care Specialist. This is a quickly growing segment of the nanny care industry. Newborn care specialists, previously known as baby nurses, are highly trained and experienced caregivers who are focused on caring for newborns and infants up to 3 or 4 months of age. They also help new parents transition into their new role by providing hands-on help, education and support. A newborn care specialist can work an 8 to 10 hour shift or a 24 hour shift, depending on the needs of the parents. Many relocate short-term for positions outside their local area. This can be an exciting and rewarding job, but it can also be a very demanding and isolating one. If you absolutely love working with babies, have extensive newborn care experience, have stellar references, and can successfully complete the required training, this might be a great next step for you.

Become a night nanny. If you don’t meet the education or experience requirements for working as a newborn care specialist, but you still want to work exclusively with babies, consider becoming a night nanny. A night nanny is a caregiver who cares for newborns or infants during the overnight shift to allow the parents or the daytime caregiver to get some much needed sleep. This position still requires a lot of infant experience and know-how, but not as much as is required to work as a newborn care specialist.

Work with children who have special needs. More and more families today are looking for caregivers who have the experience, education and skill set to work with children who have special needs. If you have what it takes to be successful in one of these positions, it can be an attractive career transition. You can work with children who have Asperger Syndrome, Autism, Down Syndrome, ADD, ADHD, sensory integration issues, or a physical handicap. This can be a challenging, yet uniquely rewarding job.

Move into household management. Many nannies, especially those who care for school age children, already do some household management duties. If you have the interest and aptitude, think about becoming a full-fledged household manager. A household manager is responsible for making sure the home runs smoothly. If the household manager is the only employee, or is one of a few employees, she will take on all or some of the household tasks, such as housekeeping, cooking or organizing. If the household manager is part of a large staff, the job is mostly administrative. She must know how to effectively and correctly perform tasks, but the actual work is done by other staff members. A household manager generally works in a formal or high-profile home, so she must have a working knowledge of entertaining, taking care of art and furnishings, knowing social protocol and a myriad of other things. It’s a big leap from childcare, but a nanny’s understanding of working in a private home, her fine-tuned organizational skills, and her service-oriented attitude give her a great start. Extensive training is required for most of these positions.

Sign up with a nanny temp agency. Some nannies want to continue in one-on-one childcare, but may want a little variety in their job or to take a break after a long term position. Working for a temp nanny agency is a great solution. Temp nannies provide hotel sitting, emergency back-up care for sick children, and short term care for families who are between nannies, whose nanny is sick or away, or who are waiting for an open slot in a daycare or preschool. Most full service nanny placement agencies also offer temp care to their clients, so it should be easy to find a reputable temp agency in your area.

Offer a specialized service. Do you have the magic touch when it comes to sleep training a baby? Can you potty train just about any child in a week? Do you have a knack for identifying and helping kids overcome behavior challenges? Then you may want to consider offering your specialized services to parents. If you have a special skill in your nanny bag of tricks that is valuable to parents, you can work as a consultant and focus your time and talent on helping with that issue. This is a great way to utilize your experience in a whole new way. The nanny care field offers lots of options for nannies who want to expand beyond the typical nanny position. By looking carefully at what you enjoy doing and at what you have to offer you can plot a new career path.

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