Advantages & Disadvantages of being a Night Nanny

 ADVANTAGES:

  • You get free accommodation and free food for your trouble! Generally you will find that going overseas in order to do such a job, you will get all your accommodation supplied to you by your host family. This then gives you a great outlet in order to explore more of the country and really get a chance to see parts that you have always wanted to see. It also allows you to be working right in the place that you are staying, so that you won?t have to travel far at all to get to work!
  • You get to work with children and experience their way of life in a different country! You will no doubt find that working with these kids will be an amazing experience that you will forever remember, and hopefully the children will remember you too!
  • You get to stay up late and sleep in! It?s a great chance for you to really scope out a new way of sleeping and living.
  • It?s a job that has the capability of taking you many places in Australia and the world! Always remember that when you consider the job of a night nanny as something you want to do in the future.
  • You get to experience new cultures! If you are the type of person who loves to travel and go around the globe seeing all amounts of different things, then you should really think about becoming a night nanny.

 
DISADVANTAGES:

  • You must always remain awake at night time to ensure the children have the best care. Given your position is called a ?night nanny? you can safely assume that the majority of your work will take place at night, so this can often make it difficult to people who aren?t used to adjusting their body clocks to suit the situation. It is a big error if you were to ever fall asleep on the job, so always make sure that you are capable of staying up for long hours when doing a night nanny job.
  • You can sometimes get home sick. If you are travelling to another country and find yourself away from home for long periods of time, then it is quite easy to get home sick and miss your family.

Nanny Checklist

Checklist for the future Nanny

  • Make sure you have all the relevant CPR training that you might need should there be an emergency with a child you are looking after.
  • Get all your latest shots and vaccinations to not only protect yourself but also the children in your care. You will find that you can transmit infections and diseases quite easily over to small children and we?re sure that the parents of the children wouldn?t appreciate that one bit, so make sure you get all your relevant shots and then present the documentation to the parents on your arrival.
  • If you are going overseas for a night nanny job then make sure you have all the correct visas. The last think you want is to arrive in another country and find out that you are ineligible to work there, so avoid any potential confusion and negative situations by thoroughly checking what qualifications you need for certain visas and that you have them all in place.
  • If the client has requested you fill in an application form then make sure you bring it with you, signed and completed on your arrival. You won?t want to have to go through the form again as soon as you arrive, and it doesn?t show the best for you in terms of your consistency if you have already failed in bringing a simple form!
  • You may need to bring some form of liability insurance to make sure you are covered in the event of an emergency. It?s always a good idea to speak this over with your insurance agent so that you know exactly what you should be covered for and what options you have in terms of getting covered. While you will obviously not go out of your way to make sure that there is an emergency situation created, it?s always important to have your bases covered in case something was to go wrong, and a simple phone call to enquire about what is available to you could definitely go a long way in making sure things are safe in the future.
  • Take your resume with you on your arrival to your new job as they may want to go over some items with you.If you have any further child care training always bring along your qualification certificates to show to your clients.
  • Bring with you appropriate clothes and working shoes!
  • If you have any toys that you think the children might enjoy playing with, check with the parents first.
  • Bring something for you to keep entertained, such as a book or your iPod. While you are obviously there to look after the children, there may be moments where you will be staying up late with the kids and they will be asleep, so if you have something with you to keep you occupied then it can make the night go by a lot faster for you and the experiences you will be having.
  • Take your phone and phone charger with you! Sounds pretty simple but it?s amazing the amount of people who actually leave their chargers behind and then can?t charge their phones, leaving them uncontactable if an emergency was to occur. Always ensure that your phone is charged fully at all times so that if an emergency happens, you won?t be worried about your phone going flat if you need to be contacted. If you are unsure about the suitability of your phone or whether or not the charge will work, bring along a spare battery or even an emergency phone just in case.

Always bring with you copies of any certificates so that the parent know you are prepared for any emergency.

Please ask the parents to prepare the following items for you:

  • a copy of the house rules
  • a comprehensive list of any allergies
  • keys to the house 
  • Information about the house alarm
  • a form stating they have your permission to take them to a medical practice should it be required.
  • copies of your children?s prescriptions
  • private health insurance or Medicare cards in the event of an emergency

... Just some suggestions, you are welcome to adjust this list to your needs.

A list of emergency contact (mobile phone) numbers:

  • the Australian emergency number of 000
  • family members
  • doctors, paediatricians, dentists, hospitals
  • close friends, neighbours
  • school, kindergarden eg.

These are just some simple, common sense checklist items that will help you always remain prepared during each night nanny job. You may find that over time you will add your own variations to this list and make sure that you will always be prepared in all situations for your night nanny jobs. This of course is extremely important as you don?t want to in any form go into a job unprepared and have an emergency happen or something else that will leave you with egg on your face! Keep this in mind when going into your next job.

Night Nanny Jobs - Do's & Don'ts

 DO get some experience around the area that you live in before trying your hand overseas. You can always look for local night nanny jobs within your city or town to see what it is like, because you don?t want to travel to the other side of the world to realise that being a night nanny isn?t exactly what you thought it would be! And it always helps to have a bit of extra experience on the resume for future employers. If you can?t find any paid work in your area, why not offer to do some night nanny work for some of your family or friends? This way you might find it a bit of an easy transition as you will be looking after kids that you know so that you know they will be a little bit easier than some stranger?s kids!
 
DON?T ever take on a night nanny job if you aren?t prepared to change your sleep patterns! Remember the job is called a NIGHT nanny so the majority of your work will take place, you guessed it, at NIGHT! If you are unsure if you can adjust your sleep patterns, then try and get into a bit of a routine at home. Go to bed as late as you can and sleep in a bit during the day, then try and stay up a little bit later each night and sleep in a little bit more before you soon realise that you are in a pattern of your own and you will actually be getting used to the prospect of working at nights. It?s exactly the same way you may find yourself adjusting your body clock before you go overseas.
 
DO as much reading and research as you possibly can! It never hurts to ?know too much? and there are so many books and resources available for you to really research some great topics in regards to being a night nanny. Head to your local library or bookshop to find some great literature about it, or jump online and do a bit of a search for further tips and advice on what makes a good night nanny. We provide you with some great tips on our website, but it never hurts to learn a bit of extra information while you have the opportunity to do a bit of research!
 
DON?T ever fall asleep when doing a night nanny job! This is pretty much the WORST thing that can happen to you personally when you take on the job as a night nanny, and you will often find that parents can potentially even fire you straight away if they find you asleep. It really is probably rule number one that you need to follow as a night nanny and that brings us back to our previous ?don?t? of adjusting your sleep patterns. If you are finding it difficult to stay awake when you have to and don?t think it?s something you can do, then don?t do a night nanny job as part of your career.
 
DO expect to be looking after all different types of children from all around the world. If you want to take your night nanny work to other countries then it is a great chance for you to meet other people and travel the globe, purely to experience other cultures and take care of children that you thought you may never have had anything to do with. It is an amazing experience too when you realise you have helped out a family who may have been struggling for some time to get the help they need, and doing it in another country too will really make you just that little bit happier.
 
DON?T ever forget that the number one reason you are there as a night nanny is to look after the families children, it isn?t for a holiday! It?s great when you find the chance to get some free time and see other places around the world, but always remember that your number one priority is the care of the children you have been entrusted to look after, so remember that to avoid any potential bad situations.

Night Nanny FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions for Night Nannies

 Becoming a night nanny is something that is hard work, and it always pays to be as prepared as you possibly can be. Doing preparation work for any job is always ideal, but for something like a night nanny you should always be as well prepared as you possibly can, based purely on the tasks you are going to be doing. We get a lot of questions about night nanny positions that we offer and it?s in this section that we present to you some of the most frequently asked questions with answers so it can better help you on your way to becoming a night nanny.
 
So what exactly is a night nanny? I?m pretty confused!
Essentially a night nanny is exactly the same as a normal nanny, but tends to do the majority of their work at night time. This is usually ideal for parents with younger babies who are having difficulty sleeping, and they find themselves losing countless hours of sleep ahead of their usually busy days at work. A night nanny is perfect for these situations and will really help parents out as they try and get used to their new arrangements. It?s great for somebody who has done some nanny work in the past and wants to move this on to some night time work.
 
Is all I will have to do is clean nappies and wipe dirty bottoms?
No, there will be many other tasks that will be required of you throughout your time as a night nanny. While cleaning nappies and cleaning the babies themselves are important jobs, you have to realise that there are lots more things to be done throughout the night! You will always have to make sure that the babies are sound asleep and that they aren?t being too noisy that they will wake the parents up. These are just a few examples; if you want further information then you should find the article on this site which details some other jobs that will be required of you.
 
Will I have to stay up ALL night with the babies and the kids?
Maybe not all night but for large portions of the night, yes you will have to remain awake. As we have mentioned previously the key role of a night nanny is to provide assistance during the night hours as this can of course be some of the most difficult times for the parents. If you think that you will struggle with this arrangement then you should really look into other career opportunities because the key responsibilities of a night nanny really do take place at night. If you wish to do the same duties but during the day, then you should stick to being a ?regular? nanny.
 
Can I really get free accommodation around the world for being a night nanny?
You sure can! There are so many places around the world that require a night nanny to come and stay with them, and if you can find ones in the countries which you wish to go visit, then it will make things all the more easier for you in the long run! Saving on accommodation when you are overseas really is something that you will find extremely rewarding; given all the extra money you will have to yourself in order to spend on extra items that you want! It also gives you the opportunity to get free food for most of it too, saving you even more money in the process!
 
How long will I have to do my night nanny work for in other countries?
There really is no ?set time? to any of our night nanny jobs; it all really depends on what the families want from you. Some will want you just for a couple of months until their babies and kids get settled, while others may want you for even longer so that they can really get settled and expect to be well ?trained? in that area. If you are after longer stays than some then request that on your application.
 
So with all these questions answered for you, hopefully you will now have a better insight into the aspects of a night nanny and what it takes to become a successful one at that!

Night Nannies and what you will be doing

By Ben Waterworth

  • The main part of your job will be to assist with the care of children at night time, usually while the parents go to sleep. This can sometimes be the case because the children have difficulty at night time and the parents require extra sleep because they have busy jobs during the day. It is important then that you are capable of changing your sleeping patterns to meet the requirements of a night nanny so that you don?t find yourself falling asleep on the job on your first day! This is massive downfall for a night nanny and should be avoided at all costs.
  • The job depends on the ages of the children and what exactly the issues they are having with the children. If you have to look after toddlers and babies then it will probably be key to your job that you change and feed them and make sure they sleep at the appropriate times so that they don?t wake up crying and wake up the parents.
  • You will be responsible for all cleaning throughout the night that comes from looking after the children (nappies, clothes, dishes).
  • Another thing that you may be asked to do is look after any animals that the family may have. You should never though let your responsibilities as a nanny for the children be overtaken by the responsibilities of taking care of the animals.
  • One other thing you probably wouldn?t be aware of that is your responsibility is the safety and security of the house and the parents children. If anything was to happen during the night that was to pose a threat to the kids, you would be responsible in ensuring that steps were taken to avoid any further issues. Having things like emergency numbers on hand as well as other methods to protect yourself and the family should always be around in the event that something major was to happen.

These are only a few things that will be required of a night nanny and you should always remember that there is the potential for more things to be added to the list, all depending on the family which you stay in. Always make sure you clarify with the family to exactly what tasks they want you to do so that you can avoid any confusing situations, and you can always ensure you do a great job and are correctly praised for it!