Transitioning From Teaching to nannying
If you’re a daycare worker or teacher in the Boston area looking to support families who are with care (as well as boost your income), you might make a perfect nanny!
Wondering if becoming a nanny makes sense with your experience and how you can get started? Sommet Nannies is sharing tips on how to make this transition below.
Leverage your skills and experience
Nannies, daycare providers, and teachers have very different jobs. However, all three professions share similar skill sets.
As a teacher or daycare provider, you’re already dedicated to caring for children: meeting their educational, emotional, and physical needs. You understand how certain activities, games, or toys help children learn. You also know that every child’s needs are unique, and you can meet the needs of an individual without overlooking or encroaching on the needs of another.
You’re also skilled at communicating effectively with children and their parents. When you’re completely new to nannying, teaching, or running a daycare, that skill can be especially nerve-wracking and hard to master.
Multitasking, scheduling, meeting deadlines, communication, empathy: these are all valuable skills you’ve gained in your work that will be incredibly valuable as a nanny.
Parents need help
On-the-job skills aside, you also have certification and licensing that parents really desire in a nanny, especially now. In Massachusetts, you need to take several steps in order to get your teaching license.
Those steps include:
Proof of a bachelor’s degree
A 3.0 minimum GPA across your coursework
Completed 150-300 student teaching hours
A passing grade on required exams
Passed background checks by the state Department of Education
These requirements alone mean that you have a college education and proven experience working with children.
If your bachelor’s degree is not in teaching or children’s education (not required in Massachusetts), it might be in a different field like psychology, medicine, hospitality, physical fitness, or nutrition. All of these majors give you skills that benefit your career, such as first aid knowledge or understanding children’s behavior. Your educational background makes you a strong candidate for families who want a well-rounded, experienced nanny.
Start looking for nannying work
To start your nanny search, cover the basics first. Check out the requirements and recommended practices for being a nanny. The International Nanny Association has excellent resources for all nannies.
Then, update your resume and collect professional references. You might ask your fellow teachers or a supervisor at your school, or parents and assistant daycare providers at your daycare, for references.
Remember to include those skills, certification, and training that parents are looking for on your resume.
Sommet Nannies is here to help teachers and daycare providers find work as a nanny
Transitioning into a new career, especially in the midst of COVID-19, is tough. That’s why Sommet Nannies is here to help through this difficult time. Now more than ever, we’re committed to connecting our wonderful nannies with Boston families. There’s another advantage to seeking families through our agency: Sommet nannies make, on average, around $30-$35 an hour. Or $75,0 to $100,000 annually!
To learn more about our professional nanny placement services and how we can help you make the transition into in-home care, check out Sommet Nannies now.
Welcome to Sommet Nannies, a nanny agency with presence in Boston, Chicago, Washington DC, New York and nationwide. We help busy families find dedicated and caring college-educated nannies.
If you found this article useful, you can find more resources for nannies here.
If you’re a family interested in learning more about our nanny services, head over here.
If you’re a nanny looking for a new family to work with, you can apply to become a Sommet Nanny.