Being a nanny is a very responsible job. It’s certainly also rewarding, but only if you’re good at handling the responsibility that comes with the rewards.
While the demand for nannies is only expected to increase in the foreseeable future, only those that manage to build their reputation as a “good” nanny will probably be able to make a good living as a nanny. And if you’re looking to be a good nanny, you need to be aware of the skills that are crucial when it comes to your success as a nanny.
With that being said, let’s take a look at them below.
Skill Set
A good nanny in Santa Monica needs to have a specific skill set that makes her qualified and capable of doing her job well. While you need to be really good at some skills, the other skills may usually not turn out to be as important.
And so we have come up with three different skill levels: LOW, MED and HIGH. As you can probably guess, the skills that are rated as “HIGH” are something that you need to be really good at, while the ones rated “LOW” aren’t going to be the most crucial.
Now that you’re aware of how we are going to rate the skills you need to have as a nanny, let’s walk you through them as well as their level of importance.
Verbal skill: MED. You need to have good communication skills to be able to have effective and clear communication with the children, but it’s probably not going to be one of your best skills as a nanny.
Critical thinking and problem solving: HIGH. Doesn’t really come off as a surprise, does it? Critical thinking and problem solving is indeed a critical skill to have when you’re trusted with the task of child development.
A nanny is likely to come across a wide range of problems, and hence needs to be very good at dealing with the problems in an effective manner. Critical thinking, on the other hand, helps her ensure healthy all-round development of the child.
Equipment operation and maintenance: MED. A nanny may need to be familiar with some basic equipment that are needed in the care and development of a children.
Math and science skills: LOW. Well, small children don’t really have much to do with advanced math or science. Of course, some basic knowledge about these subjects wouldn’t hurt, though.
Technology design and control: MED. Some parents may prefer an active involvement of technology in their child’s care, including for monitoring purposes. While you don’t need to try to keep yourself updated with every single piece of technology out there related to babies and child development, but understanding and being knowledgeable about some of the more common ones may turn out to be important.
Leadership: HIGH. While it may sound a little surprising, but a nanny actually does have to be really good at leadership as well. If the nanny is a good leader, she will be able to develop qualities like discipline and strong morals in the children, which is an important part of her job.
Important Qualities
Apart from the skills we discussed above, a nanny is also required to have quite a few qualities. We will take a quick look at some of the important ones below.
- Finds the company of children fun and enjoyable
- Good at child development
- Helps ensure the rights of the children in her care are protected and not compromised in any way
- Very energetic, patient, punctual and organized
- Ensures safety of the children in her care
- Flexible enough to accommodate the changing needs of the children and their parents
- Understanding, reliable and trustworthy
- High on motivation at all times
- Good at handling an emergency
- Makes kids love her company (which is usually considered as a result of her efforts)
