Au Pair / Nanny / Childminder
OFO No: 531103
Other names for Nanny/Childminder:
- Au Pair
- Governess
- Baby Sitter
What is a Nanny / Childminder?
A Nanny/Childminder is a person who takes care of one or more children for a family. They may prepare the children’s meals, do grocery shopping for the children, accompany children during meal times and sometimes need to clean up after their meals. Some Nannies might even do a few chores around the house.
What does a Nanny/Childminder do? (for baby)
- changes nappies
- washes and irons baby clothes
- packs clothes away neatly
- washes and sterilises baby bottles
- gives baby medicine when required
What does a Nanny/Childminder do? (for children)
- baths and dresses children
- makes sure children clean their teeth and brush their hair
- makes the children’s food
- tidies and cleans child’s bedroom/s
- washes and irons children’s clothes and packs them away
- cleans up afterwards
- plays games
- cleans and packs away toys
- teaches children skills and manners
- plans birthday parties
- goes on vacation with family to look after the children
- takes care of sick children
- makes sure children are safe at all times
Are you . . . ?
- a person who loves children?
- healthy?
- caring?
- gentle?
- understanding?
- playful?
- helpful?
- hygienic?
- a person with a good sense of humour?
How do I become a Nanny or Childminder?
Although some parents don’t mind if you have training or not, parents these days are expecting their nanny to be good at what she does. The more skills you have, the easier it will be to get a job. You will also feel more confident with some of these skills.
Some ideas for skills are: Driver’s License, First Aid, Basic Child Education, Cooking, Hygiene etc
A lot of colleges and schools offer short 1-3 day courses as well as part-time courses for these subjects. This means you can work and study at the same time. In some cases, your employer might even offer to pay for your studies.
Here are a few examples of places you can study at:
- PULSE POINT: (Delarey (Florida), Johannesburg)
- SA NANNY: (Johannesburg)
- EDU-CARE: First Aid and Childcare Courses
(PE, Pretoria East, Edenvale, Constantia, Durbanville, Somerset West, Blouberg and Pietermaritzberg)
OTHER CAREERS TO CONSIDER: Early Childhood Development Practitioner or Day Care Centre Manager or Owner
Is becoming a Nanny or Childminder the right career choice for me?
