Nannying: the Secret Life Hack for a Stellar Career Path
For people passionate about working with kids, nannying can be a fun and rewarding career all on its own. Some caregivers, however, might worry about how it will affect their longterm career path if they have goals outside of private childare.
If that’s you – you’re in luck! Nannying can serve as a stepping stone to numerous fulfilling career paths, with skills that are highly transferable to a variety of fields. Here's why nannying could be a smart career choice for you.
Skills you’ll develop as a nanny
As a nanny, you're constantly building and refining skills that are invaluable in many other careers. Here are some key skills you'll develop:
Time management: Nannies are pros at managing schedules, from showing up on time to relieve parents, to school pickups and coordinating activities. These skills easily transfer to careers requiring strict deadlines, like project management or event planning.
Problem solving: When you're the only adult in the room (and there are no snacks in the bag, or the train is delayed, or the toddler refuses to leave on time), quick thinking and problem solving become second nature. This is a key skill in any fast-paced environment.
Organization: Keeping the house tidy, managing children’s activities and schedules, and staying on top of daily tasks trains you to be a master organizer, a skill that's highly valuable for roles in administration, office management, or even as a personal assistant.
Communication: Nannies communicate daily with parents and children (and their nanny agency!). Whether it’s providing updates, discussing behavioral issues, conflict resolution, or offering suggestions, this constant communication develops clear and effective interpersonal skills, critical for any team-based environment like teaching, customer service, or HR.
Teamwork: Nannying is a collaboration with parents and family dynamics, and the best nannies create a solid and seamless team with the parents to make the kids’ days enriching, safe, and fun. Name a job where being good at teamwork isn’t an immediate gold star skill!
Emotional intelligence and patience: Working with children requires compassion, patience, and a strong understanding of emotions—qualities essential for fields like social work and counseling.
Future career paths
The skills gained from nannying can open doors to a variety of careers. Here are a few examples:
Early childhood education: With your child care experience (and - we’re guessing - your love for working with kiddos), transitioning into teaching or pursuing a degree in early childhood education is a natural next step – and the experience looks great on a grad school application.
Healthcare roles: The problem-solving, multitasking, and empathetic skills you develop as a nanny are perfect for roles in pediatric nursing or occupational therapy.
Administrative roles: Organizational and multitasking skills are highly sought after in administrative positions, like office management, project coordination, or executive assistance. (Several of our top tier nannies in fact transition from nannying to family assistant or household manager for the same family.)
Event planning: Managing multiple schedules, problem solving on the fly, and planning activities for children make nannies great candidates for roles in event planning or project management. Besides, if you can entertain a gaggle of preschoolers on a playdate, you can handle any event!
Social work or counseling: The emotional intelligence and nurturing skills needed in nannying are essential for those looking to help others through social work or counseling roles.
Nannying as a career foundation
Beyond these direct career paths, nannying also builds essential "soft skills" like flexibility, creativity, and leadership. These skills are vital in almost every job and can set you apart in any field you choose to pursue.
At our nanny agency, we see countless creatives pursuing acting, music, and other creative careers alongside their work with children, in a dream combo of work and play, while being able to wrangle a gaggle of little ones in an effective, fun, and educative way turns out to be brilliant practice for wrangling adults in an empathic assertive, and productive way as a leader in nearly any field.
Nannying allows you to make a tangible difference in children's lives while equipping you with skills that will serve you in any career you choose.
On the other hand, you may want to stay in the nannying profession forever, and that’s awesome, too! If that’s you, read this post about why being a nanny is a great career move and why you should be proud of it.
Start your career here
Choosing a career in nannying is about more than just childcare—it's about building a skillset that can translate into a variety of career paths. Whether you're interested in education, healthcare, administration, events, or another field, nannying offers a solid foundation of valuable, transferable skills.
Are you ready to take the next step in your nanny career? Here at Smart Sitting, we are always looking for dedicated, experienced, and excited nannies and babysitters who are ready to level up when it comes to their career. Through our hand-on, personalized process, we’ll help you find the perfect role that fits your skills, availability, and future career goals. Working with a select number of hand-picked caregivers gives us the chance to really hone in on your ideal set-up and makei it happen.
If you think you have what it takes to become a Smartsitter, send in your application today via the button below. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Start Your Career Here
Choosing a career in nannying is about more than just childcare—it's about building a skillset that can translate into a variety of career paths. Whether you're interested in education, healthcare, administration, events, or another field, nannying offers a solid foundation of valuable, transferable skills.
Are you ready to take the next step in your nanny career? Here at Smart Sitting, we are always looking for dedicated, experienced, and excited nannies and babysitters who are ready to level up when it comes to their career. Through our hand-on, personalized process, we’ll help you find the perfect role that fits your skills, availability, and future career goals. Working with a select number of hand-picked caregivers gives us the chance to really hone in on your ideal set-up and makei it happen.
If you think you have what it takes to become a Smartsitter, send in your application today via the button below. We can’t wait to hear from you!
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