Nannies employed by the rich and famous have revealed how their jobs afford them all the trappings of a luxury lifestyle – including jet-setting, expensive gifts and cash bonuses – and an annual salary of up to £120,000.
The high-end child carers told FEMAIL that while there are generous perks of the job, there are also challenges that come with working for clients with high demands and big budgets – including one parent who insisted on a ‘frutarian’ children’s party. Often nannies must speak multiple languages and know skills such as skiing, self-defence and how to dodge the paparazzi.
Running the UK’s first Mummy Concierge, Tiffany Norris, from London, says she has had celebrities, bankers, doctors and entrepreneurs on her books while, Shada, a high-end nanny who earns up to £110,000 a year told FEMAIL that the job lets her mingle with the rich and famous ‘whilst still living a humble life’.
Here, they share their experiences of what it’s like to work at the most exclusive end of the childcare business…
THE MUMMY CONCIERGE
Tiffany Norris has been providing nannies and other professionals to households of high net worth individuals since 2016. The service, she says, is designed to make the lives of wealthy families as smooth and stress-free as possible…
Tiffany Norris (pictured) who runs The Mummy Concierge, revealed celebrity clients often look for a skill-set that includes speaking multiple languages, skiing, self-defence and how to dodge the paparazzi
Travelling business class! Tiffany (pictured) has travelled to Dubai and Ibiza to ‘baby proof’ clients’ holiday homes for them
Speaking to Femail, Tiffany said: ‘I am often asked to find nannies for families including high-profile celebrities in London and LA. Often they want ‘numerous’ nannies – just one won’t cut it!.
‘I set up The Mummy Concierge in 2016 and have since worked with celebrities, lawyers, bankers, doctors and entrepreneurs to help them with everything from finding their ‘Mary Poppins’ to babyproofing holiday homes and kitting out hospital rooms for delivery.
She says she charges ‘between £120-300 an hour’ and has been flown all over the world in order to sort out client requests.
‘I have been gifted a Cartier watch as a “thank you” and been offered exclusive use of a holiday home in South Africa, but that’s not the reason I do the job. The perks are wonderful but, whether they are VIP families or not, I treat everyone the same.’
Tiffany (pictured) says ‘I literally only work with the crème de la crème…because that’s what VIP families expect’
One family sent her to St Anton in Austria to interview potential nannies for them out there
Many of her consultations with clients take place at various private members clubs around the UK. Pictured: Babbington House
Tiffany (pictured) revealed she’s had clients request a specific potty trainer who charges £500 an hour as well as one who wanted an ‘etiquette’ school for their four-year-old
Clients come, Tiffany says, by word-of-mouth and she now has a waiting list. She adds that every nanny on her books has experience with high net worth or celebrity families. Prestigious Norland College is the best place for her to find good nannies.
‘They [the nannies] understand non-disclosures, will often have had training in self-defence and avoiding paparazzi and have “extra skills” such as speaking multiple languages, knowing how to ski, have done courses in potty training and weaning, have degrees from Oxford or Cambridge.
One family wanted a specific potty trainer who charged £500 an hour, and another wanted me to source an etiquette school for their four-year-old…
Tiffany Norris
‘I literally only work with the crème de la crème…because that’s what VIP families expect.’
Tiffany reveals one family wanted a ‘frutarian’ children’s party for their child with party bags filled with ‘fruit that fell from the trees.’
She said: ‘The challenge was making this party bag appealing to the children! Lets just say lots of cookie cutters were ordered in various shapes and the nanny had to spend hours turning bruised apples into works of art.
‘I have had a family who wanted me to find them a specific potty trainer who charged £500 an hour for her services, and also a family who wanted me to source an etiquette school for their four-year-old.
Tiffany says she was inspired to become a Mummy Concierge after the birth of her first child. Pictured: Children of a family she worked for in Ibiza
One client flew her to Ibiza to baby-proof their holiday home, giving her a chef and butler while she was there
I also once got flown out to Ibiza to baby-proof a holiday home. I was given my own chef and butler whilst there and despite putting up numerous stairgates and high chairs and sorting out a ‘summer holiday appropriate wardrobe’ for the baby, it really didn’t feel like work.’
Tiffany said her role as a mummy concierge doesn’t allow for her to turn her phone off and it isn’t unusual to receive a call at 2am from a distraught parent.
Tiffany said: ‘I realised when I was pregnant with my first child that there is no one actually there to help with everything that comes with being a parent. I didn’t want to spend hours Google working out the best pram, best sleep trainer, best holiday with children. I needed someone who could do it all for me. Which is where the idea of The Mummy Concierge came about. I have now worked with over 5,000 mothers.
‘I love it when clients return to me when they are pregnant again. Being able to help parents from the moment that pregnancy test says ‘positive’ makes it a very rewarding job.’
NANNY & BUTLER
Shada has been a nanny to high profile clients for 17 years. She started her career as a teenager working for rich families and later went on to work for public figures and celebrities. A potty-training specialist, she’s also an ambassador for the UK Nannies Matters Campaign…
Shada (pictured) who can earn up to £110,000 a year, revealed perks of the job includes international travel, living in mansions and meeting people from all walks of life
Shada who currently on the books of London based company Nanny & Butler, revealed that she can earn up to £110,000 a year as a nanny, with perks including international travel and staying in mansions with celebrities.
She said: ‘Before I became a nanny I was working as a part time babysitter and assistant freelance dance and drama teacher for three years.
‘Prior to becoming a Nanny I made sure I enrolled in childcare courses to help gain further childcare training and knowledge, such as paediatric first aid, early childhood development and child nutrition.’
Shada (pictured) said her clients in the Middle East gave her a room overlooking the beach with an ensuite bathroom, as well as a Range Rover
Shada (pictured) said nannies should have a niche skill that they master, as well as knowledge of first aid and a childcare qualification
Her role pays Shada a salary from £65,000 to more than £110,000 a year.
‘The perks of being an international career nanny is that I am blessed to do a job I genuinely love,’ she said. ‘I get to experience the life of the rich and famous whilst still living a humble life.
‘Perks include flying First and Business Class, travelling to more than nine countries a year, living in Mansions, learning on the job, meeting new people from all walks of life and being a focal point of childcare support for high profile families.
‘With my last nanny family I was very blessed to be gifted a gym membership with access to a pool as part of my pay package. When I worked overseas in the Middle East my room overlooked the beach and I was gifted a Range Rover as my work car as well as a huge bedroom with an ensuite bathroom.’
Shada said although the role of a nanny can be ‘very demanding’, it’s equally rewarding.
How do you become a nanny for the British royal family?
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge recruited their long-term nanny from Norland in Bath. The college revealed their intense training session to Femail:
Norland students complete two courses over four years full-time: a three-year full-time BA (Hons) in Early Years Development and Learning alongside the prestigious Norland diploma. Plus a one-year full-time probationary nanny position, the Newly Qualified Nanny (NQN) year, which is salaried and arranged and fully supported by us (no tuition fees are due for this final year).
The NQN year is the final module of the diploma and all students must successfully complete not only their degree but also each element of the Norland diploma to use the professional title ‘Norlander’ or ‘Norland Nanny’, as our fully qualified graduates are known.
The degree programme is unique to Norland. It draws on approaches from many disciplines including psychology, child health, philosophy, social sciences, literature and education. Modules include Safeguarding and Child Protection, Promoting Health and Wellbeing, Making Sense of Children’s Behaviour and Working with Families and Communities. Since 2019, Norland has held taught degree awarding powers, meaning that we award our own degrees. This is our first step towards our ambition of becoming the first early years university in the world.
Running alongside the degree, and for a fourth year following completion of the degree, is the prestigious Norland diploma, which prepares students for working with families and the practical aspects of the care, learning and development of children in the early years (aged 0-8). Modules include Communication in Practice, Food and Nutrition, Health and Wellbeing, Play and Learning, and Sewing. Students learn additional professional skills required to work with children, including good timekeeping, team-working, excellent communication skills and respect for and love of children.
Students spend around 50 per cent of their time (a minimum of 1,216 placement hours) at Norland on placement in a variety of early years settings – including nursery, school, hospital, special needs school settings and as a daily and live-in nanny.
Students gain additional skills and experience as part of Norland’s value-added curriculum. Subjects include: Self-defence classes, Security and Cyber-security training, Emotion Coaching, Sleep and Behaviour, Skid Pan driving, Baby Massage, Drama at The Egg Theatre, and many more.
Skills we look for in applicants:
In addition to our academic entry requirements, or their equivalents, we are looking for applicants that can demonstrate passion and commitment for caring for children in the early years. We expect applicants to have some experience of childcare. This could include babysitting, nannying, volunteering at a children’s group, or helping to care for younger relatives, for example.
We interview all applicants that are predicted to meet our entry requirements and candidates also take part in a task designed to assess their communication skills and enthusiasm for working with babies and young children. Applicants are not required to have studied for an early years qualification before they come to us because we teach all of the knowledge and skills they will need. Amongst many traits, Norland Nannies need to be loving, kind, honest, creative, practical, responsible, organised and willing to continually learn and improve in order to do the very best for the families and young children with whom they work.
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She continued: ‘If you do not love working with children then being a nanny is not for you. You cannot be in it for the money, you will not survive. My experience as a nanny has been amazing and I have had good and bad days, but overall I have met some amazing people, children and families.
‘Many of my past nanny families have become like family members and I stay in touch with a lot of them. The children usually call me Nanny Sharz or Auntie Shada and my positive influence is still very much present even years after leaving their family.
Shada admitted she’s had some strange and extravagant requests from families, however she’s unable to speak about it because of non-disclosure agreements.
She revealed her clients have made their wealth in various ways, with entrepreneurs, actors and surgeons among past clients.
‘I do not have set hours and it can range from six hours a day to 16 hours a day. Normally Nannies work long hours and it is common for Nannies to work 10-12 hours a day. It could be anything from 7am-7pm or 8am-6pm, it really depends on the job role and the families childcare needs,’ Shada said.
Shada said she has many memories including seeing children achieve milestones but ‘nothing beats hearing your nanny child tell you that they love you for the first time’.
Shada added that anyone who wants to become a nanny should invest in a mentor who has a wealth of experience and childcare knowledge.
She said: ‘I mentor many Nannies all over the world and I have seen the huge impact it has on their careers whether they have been in the industry for 15years or new to the profession.
MyTamarin
Two nannies who work for MyTamarin explained that they’re unable to reveal their identity because they work with royal families.
Having studied Early Childhood Education, one nanny revealed she now earns 30,000aed per month with perks including car, cash tips, holidays paid for, gifts such as jewellery and concert tickets.
She told Femail, she has worked for a royal family for just over three years, saying: ‘It can be exhausting but it is very rewarding, rewarding in the way of seeing how far the children have grown and developed and the special bonds that you made with them.’
She added that it’s important to be one step ahead of any requests from the family and ready for any possibility.
‘My working hours are 12 hours a day but this can often go over depending on the families plans. Days are often 14, 16 or even sometimes 19+ hours.
‘This role has so many good memories. I can’t pin point just one. My employer has given me so many amazing and unbelievable experiences and opportunities that I wouldn’t have had without working here. Alongside that I get to work alongside an amazing family and group of children.’
The other nanny who has 14 years worth of experience, said she was a mother and a registered child minder before working with royals, lawyers, authors and CEOs.
She revealed her current rate is £250 per day gross as post natal maternity nurse, with perks including large cash bonuses, designer watches, handbags and jewellery.
The nanny said: ‘I love my work as I also get to travel a lot and experience and see a side of life most people never will, living in palaces travelling on private planes stays in the worlds best hotels, holidays on super yachts are very much the norm but after the initial excitement I now just see them as a place of work and not phased by any of it now.
‘In one positions I had to do all the shopping and buy literally every thing, was asked to put together a nursery and the cost was £165,000. In the same position I had top designer stores on WhatsApp, and when any new collections came in I would show the client and they would choose the clothes they wanted for their child. A spend of £10,000 up wasn’t unusual.’
She revealed her current position requires being on call 24/6, but she wanted to become a nanny to combine her love of children and travel.
‘My craziest memory is having dinner in the middle of a pen in a families private zoo with some kind of antelope and zebras running around the perimeter,’ she said.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk
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