Today we are going to talk about governesses.
Sometimes there is a bit of confusion to what a governess is. We recently had a client say they needed a housekeeper or a governess. That’s kind of like saying you need bananas or batteries. Completely different things :)
So let’s talk about what a governess is and isn’t.
A governess is a teacher. It is a quite old fashioned position in a household that is much less common now than it was in Victorian England.
A governess is responsible for a child’s education and usually looks after older kids than a nanny does, but a governess can work with children as young as three. Often there is a nanny working in parallel with a governess because their duties are quite different.
A governess is traditionally responsible for the children’s education, whether it is a well rounded knowledge in English, Maths, Music and the Arts or social things like etiquette and manners. A great governess would teach life and social skills as well as basic academia.
The governesses that we have in our database are highly educated, often teachers with further education and their own specialties that stand out. They often speak several languages and know how to carry themselves in all kinds of situations. The families that hire governesses nowadays are not your average families.
Governesses don’t do nursery duties, but form a child’s all around educational experience, with a deep knowledge of child development.
As you can imagine a governess makes quite a bit more money than the average nanny, figures showing about four to five times more depending on the job, it’s a highly qualified and specialized job that is in many ways quite different from nannying.
If you are listening and thinking, wow, what an inspiring job, I want that to be my career, depending on what your qualifications look like now you might be closer or further away from that possibly being true for you. If you would like help making out your road map, we offer that service for you and you can email me to find out more at hello@rivieranannies.fr

This week we are going to talk about some of the differences between nanny and daycare as childcare options. This is I suppose geared towards families making the choice, and can be helpful for nannies both as a perspective, but also to have a leg to stand on when negotiating and talking to a family.

Let’s jump right in :)

The first thing that we should talk about is the big elephant in the room, cost.

Having a private nanny for your child is most likely going to cost you a lot more than if they were in daycare. But not always. Depending on how many hours you do it will make more or less of a difference, but in general, a nanny is more expensive than daycare.

The second big question for me as a parent is how much your kid is going to be sick when they are little. There are many variables there, but in general a child in daycare is sick a lot more than one that is with a nanny. But of course, if you are lucky enough to find a daycare where parents don’t bring their kids when they are sick and follow good guidelines, then they might not be as sick as with a nanny who is not well versed in hygiene and illness prevention. But again, generally, for the first year or so, a kid in daycare is sick a lot more than one with a nanny, which might even end up costing you a lot more in lost work time, so a lot of the money saved putting a child in daycare might be lost in sickdays where you either miss work or have to get a, wait for it, nanny.

Getting your child socialized, able to make friends, share toys and function in a group happens organically in most daycares. But, on the other hand when you have a great nanny, he or she will be taking part in playgroups, meet with other kids, learn basic social skills, including good manners and interacting with others, so in this case I think it’s more a question of having a great nanny with an intentional routine, vs how it happens kind of on its own in daycare.

Making friends is closely related to socialization where your kids will make friends from an early age. Again this happens more organically in daycare, but with some organizing you can do the same things with the same kids every week, like music or dance lessons. It’s not really the same as spending all day together though, so if this is important, daycare has the advantage.

The last point I will go over is attention. Your child will get much more personalized attention with a nanny, and this has both advantages and disadvantages depending on your point of view. And again, with a skilled and experienced nanny it will never be an issue. I know kids who have grown up without siblings and with a nanny who are perfectly well adjusted and don’t have any of the possible issues anyone who thinks too much attention can create. A great nanny will meet your kids needs in a way no daycare really can.

So what do I think you should do? I think it really depends on your situation and your values. Ideally I think being with a full time care taker for the first few years of life is beneficial. Less stress, slower pace, more focus and attention. Then going into school goes seamlessly. And if being part of the daycare community where you live is important to you, then that’s what you should do. I come from a culture where people put their kids in daycare at age one. I would personally not make that choice, and didn’t, but it seems to work for lots of people. Even though they do complain a lot of how sick their kids are all the time, so there is that part too.

Nannies, when you are talking to families these are all points you can bring up when discussing their needs and how you can help them :)

Today we are going to talk about what you ask when you are interviewing, either with an agency, or for a job.


I have a pretty radical view on collaborations that most people don’t have. Are you ready? I don’t believe in hierarchy. At least not in the traditional sense. I don’t think anyone is above or below, I think we all bring value and that it would benefit us all to see that value in each other.


So that’s my radical belief. What do you think?


Some people might think that when I say that they are welcome to sweep in and do whatever in my business, family or wherever we are moving. That’s not true. Lack of this particular structure does not mean lack of integrity. Just getting that out of the way.


So when I hire childcare it is with the understanding that they need a job, I need their service. When a client comes to me, they need a nanny, my business needs clients and we happen to provide what they need. We are in symbiosis. It is very tempting to try to take advantage of this situation, but it’s not a good idea. People like me will then move on. I can assure you, it’s not worth it.


So, what does this little speech have to do with the questions you ask when interviewing, you ask? Everything :)


During an interview, we are getting to know each other. Say for example you are interviewing with an agency, but it’s the same with a family, really. I am interviewing you, and you are interviewing me. With that comes a huge responsibility for both of us.


We both have to be open and honest. We both have to see how we fit. We both have to behave ourselves (who knows what repercussions burning a bridge has?).


So what questions do you want to ask?


Well that depends on what you want to know doesn’t it?


For the nannies and families that are registered with us you know that our intake is quite deep. I am not interested in the things you happily volunteer, I want to understand the answer to the question underneath so that I can serve you better. Place you in a better fitting family. Find you a better nanny.


So when you apply for a job, you should think about what your values are. Maybe write down your top five or so priorities. Is faith important to you? Is lifestyle important? What about parenting philosophy? Remember, you can only change you. Everyone else is off limits and you are not here to convince people they are something they know in their hearts they are not.


Write down what is important, and ask questions that get you the real answers. For example, if you ask someone if they like to eat healthy, that might mean something completely different to them. Instead, ask them what eating healthy looks like to them. Let them share their stories with you, let them show you and lead you to the answers you need.


Do you need long days? What is a long day?


Be as specific as you can while leaving as much room as possible in the answer to get to what you are looking for.


I am personally not a haggler and I always assume that when someone says something, for example what kind of salary they are looking for, or what a service costs, I go in with the notion that they understand that they are comfortable disqualifying themselves from all jobs with a lower salary. Just because I ask them or they say it, it doesn’t mean that job exists. I have had nannies say they want to earn 30 euros per hour, and I respect that, and at the same time I know that it’s not quite realistic for most jobs.