Childcare Staff
Childcare staff look after children in private homes. That can mean a nanny caring for a toddler, a governess teaching languages, or a maternity nurse caring for a newborn.
What makes private childcare different is how personal it is. Getting the right person matters more here than in any other household role.
How to Hire the Right Childcare Staff
It’s important to be clear from the start about what you want from childcare staff.
Start with the basics like how old are your children? What hours do you need? Will who you employ be live-in or live-out? Will the nanny need to travel with you?
Then think about education. If you just need someone to keep the children safe and entertained, then hire a nanny. If you want structured learning with languages, reading and teaching manners or etiquette then a governess is going to work better.
Be honest about the role from day one. If you want a nanny who also cleans then that’s definitely possible, so tell us straight away and we will find the right person for the job.
The nanny needs to agree with the parents on education and discipline before she starts. There’s no point finding out after a few weeks that you don’t like the nanny’s beliefs about how childcare should be done.
For families who travel or need long hours, a rota nanny can be a good option. Two nannies rotating every two weeks can work very well long term. One nanny working 50-hour weeks however much she likes the job or is good at it might find that it is too much and move on.
There are also more specialist skills that you can consider. Families often hire a maternity nurse to help care for a newborn and to set them up well with routines and strategies to manage the first months of a baby’s life.
Roles we Place
Looks after the children day to day, from meals and doing the school run, to activities and bedtime.
Educates children at home, more than just childcare, includes languages and teaching manners.
Looks after a newborn baby for the first weeks or months. Helps with feeding, sleeping and recovery.
Why Work With Morgan & Mallet
Our co-founder Laurine Mallet worked as a nanny before starting the agency.
She built our childcare recruitment process by talking to families and understanding what they want.
This is refined for every family because everyone has different needs.
200,000+ vetted candidates worldwide. Only one in four applicants makes it into our database. 68% of our nanny candidates speak multiple languages.
We interview for the things that matter. 90-minute interviews. We ask nannies to walk us through a typical day.
We test discretion with real scenarios. First aid is non-negotiable we do not register any childcare candidate without it.
96% placement success rate. Parents are more demanding about childcare than any other role. We look at the personality and values of our candidates, not just skills.
What you should know about Childcare Roles
Rota Nanny
Two nannies that rotate every two weeks. It costs more, but it can be better for giving the nannies a break and allowing them to be fresh for the next two weeks.
The hard part is finding two nannies who work well together. They need to agree on different routines and make sure they don’t clash. Combined cost: $160,000–$240,000 per year.
Maternity Nurse
These specialist newborn nurses are usually for the first weeks or months after a baby is born.
These roles move fast. Families often need someone at short notice.
Qualifications are maybe more important here than in any other childcare role, families want NNEB, NCT, or neonatal certificates, plus experience with high-net-worth households.
Governess/Tutor
A governess educates children either alongside school or as the main type of education. Most work with children aged five to twelve.
Demand is growing, families often want European educated governesses. French and English are the most requested.
There is a real shortage. We get more requests than we can fill.
Nanny/Housekeeper
A combined role for families who need both but do not want two separate hires. The usual split is about 60% housekeeping, 40% childcare.
It works when the children are at school during the day and the home is manageable.
If you need full-time childcare and full-time housekeeping, that is two jobs.
In that case it's best to hire two people. US salaries: $90,000–$100,000
Looking for a
childcare role?
If you are an experienced childcare professional, we would like to hear from you.
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