School will start in a few days and children will go back to their routine of school, homework and an earlier bed time. The fun is over. The end of the summer holidays can be a dificult time for our families.
The truth is children are not the only ones who dread the end of summer – nannies do too. For some of them, this concern becomes real and heart breaking as their jobs come to an end and they need to get ready for their next nanny position.
The majority of families in the U.S. who employ a nanny, will do so until the kids start school full time. Nanny jobs are therefore variable by nature and nannies must be prepared for change. Every nanny knows there is a possibility for her hours to be reduced, changed or she might even be terminated, depending on the family needs and the growth of the child.
For some nannies, there is another route - a possibility that will keep them around …
It is hard for the family and children to let the nanny go as well. They care about her. Families who are attached to their nannies and can afford household help will look for different duties to keep the nanny around.
This is when the transition begins; duties will expand when the charge is at school. The full charge nanny’s position will evolve into a more blended nanny/house manager role. She will plan and facilitate after school activities, help with homework, perhaps prepare meals, shop for groceries, pick up laundry for the family, schedule the carpet cleaning, arrange auto maintenance for the household and run different errands, depending on the family needs.
Although this seems to be the ideal next step for the nanny’s career, be careful; many nannies want to make sure that their new duties fall under the “house manager” rather than “housekeeping” category.
There is a fine line between keeping the nanny around and transitioning to become a nanny/house manager and using her new “free time” to do general housekeeping …
The household manager job description is to take care of the daily details of managing a private home, freeing up time for the employer to spend more time with their family. In some situations, the house manager will manage more than one residence. Household manager duties will vary in each home, depending on the household needs. The more complex the residence and the standards of the home, the more sophisticated and professional the House Manager should be.
A Housekeeper is a person (usually a woman) that works in a private home, taking care of the cleaning, scrubbing, dusting, and all household related cleaning duties …
There is no one-size-fits-all solution and many nannies will be willing to take on household management and some housekeeping responsibilities. However, the majority of nannies express disinterest in becoming a housekeeper. They prefer the mental challenges continuing to work with the children on their emotional and intellectual development, coupled with managing household activities over the more task oriented work of a general housekeeper.
Families, would you consider offering a house manager position to keep your nanny around?
Nannies, would you be willing to change your duties and get into the house managing to keep your job?