Being a male nanny, or MANNY as we are known, is one of the most up-lifting and rewarding jobs you can possibly have. I obviously speak from experience as I have been working with children for 8 years. Throughout my career I have had to fight to prove to people that I am the best person they can possibly employ to take care of their children. For example, I continue to expand my knowledge by attending training courses that strengthen my specialism of newborn babies to 3 year olds.
When I go into a home I like be part of a team and work alongside parents to develop routines that work for the whole family. Being a part of the stages of life that children go through gives me so much joy, however I am happiest when parents develop their own skills and tools to keep them confident and to believe that the foundations they are laying out for their children are the right ones.
One thing that has made it easier for me to find work with families are agencies like Little Ones. A lot of agencies I tried to register with wouldn’t consider taking a male nanny on, they said “they wouldn’t find any work for me.” When I phoned Little Ones I spoke to a recruiter called Tom who was more than happy to have me in for interview. When I came in for interview I was met by Natalie who was blown away by my experience and said that they would have no problem in finding me work. Little Ones filled me with such confidence and helped me to realise that I am just as good as female child careers and that I deserve to have the same chance and rights at jobs with children as they do.
I am currently working with a family in SW London caring for twin babies (I now specialise in twins). I also provide troubleshooting and sleep training for families in and around the London area. My take on how to bring children up is old fashioned with a modern twist – “I believe that you should expect the best from them and in doing so you will have beautiful, well behaved, happy and out going children.”
Christopher Alderton
