If you are considering becoming a French-speaking nanny, you might be wondering what qualifications are required to become a French-speaking nanny. While there are copious Nanny courses available, the only course that is essential and required by law for all childcare providers to have is the paediatric first aid certificate. Paediatric first aid training differs from general first aid training as it deals specifically with infants and children and it is an essential skill for anyone working with children. Whether at home, playing at the park, or in the car, a child is almost guaranteed to have an accident at some point. A paediatric first aid qualification will ensure you are able to act in a calm and confident manner, and depending on the accident, provide potentially life saving care.
There are typically two types of paediatric first aid courses that are available to you as a French-speaking nanny. There is the emergency paediatric first aid course and the full paediatric first aid, this can also be called an Ofsted compliant paediatric first aid. First aid courses are required to be refreshed and updated every three years. This is to ensure the course and life saving methods are always fresh in your mind if an emergency situation was to arise.
As a French-speaking nanny, you will also be required to provide your hiring family with a certification of a recent DBS check. DBS checks provide a full criminal record for an applicant. There are three levels of DBS checks - Standard, Enhanced and Enhanced with barred list checks. Childcare professionals will be required to obtain an Enhanced DBS check which includes spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings plus any additional information held by local police that is reasonably considered relevant to the role in which the DBS is being used.
There is no expiration date for a DBS check but the information provided will be valid up until the date it was issued. This means that an employer may ask for a nanny’s DBS to be renewed at any time. In 2013 an updated service was introduced which allows DBS checks to be kept up to date and checked online without the need of a completely new check to be done.
Having a paediatric first aid certificate and an enhanced DBS check are the two essential documentation that is required to become a French-speaking nanny. To be classified as a professional Nanny, especially if you are looking for positions through an agency, you will be required to have at least 3 years of professional childcare. This experience is required to be in a professional setting, caring for family members will not be considered professional experience. If you have less than 3 years, you will be considered either an au pair or a junior nanny. These two types of positions do come with a lower salary than that of a nanny, however, they are a great way to build up your experience to then progress into a nannying position.
To help you land a job, you can register for Ofsted. Ofsted stands for Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills and is responsible for inspecting and regulating the services which care for children and young people. Getting registered with Ofsted may open up more job opportunities for you. Families who employ an Ofsted-registered nanny can receive financial contributions toward their childcare costs, therefore many parents will be looking to benefit from employing an Ofsted registered nanny.
Nannies are also required to hold Public Liability Insurance when becoming Ofsted Registered.
If you want to register for Ofsted, there are a few things that you will need to obtain:
Once you’ve completed these tasks you can register for Ofsted. Ofsted will generally register you within 12 weeks and once approved, you will receive a registration certificate.
There are fees involved in becoming Ofsted registered and it is crucial that you regularly update your documentation.
If you are looking to develop your career opportunities and work with newborns, a qualification in postnatal care is an excellent way to open the door. Nannies that have a qualification in postnatal care and specialise in the care of newborns are able to help guide a new parent through the highs and lows that can come with newborns. By specialising in newborn care with a qualification you are able to request higher salaries than nannies that work with older children. This is because newborn care is typically 24 hours a day in the first few weeks of the newborn’s life.
As with any Nanny position, the main duty of a French-speaking Nanny is to ensure the child or children in their care are cared for and happy.
While one of the main reasons a family looks for a French-speaking Nanny is for their language skills, French-speaking Nannies are also able to teach the children about French cuisine and culture. Nannies are brought into the home to ensure that children are safe, happy and reaching their developmental milestones. It is essential that a Nanny has an open channel of communication with the parents they are working with to discuss these factors and any adjustments that may be needed to ensure the children are reaching their full potential in the Nanny’s care.
A French-speaking Nanny is responsible for but not limited to
As the children grow, the duties of the Nanny will develop alongside them. So while you might be hired as a Nanny when the children are toddlers to help take them to playgroups, as they grow up you will be able to transition from arts and crafts to assistance with assignments. Little Ones prides itself on bringing families and nannies together to create placements and bonds that can last a lifetime and have a profound impact on little ones.
Knowing where to start your French-speaking nanny job search can be overwhelming. This is where consulting an experienced French-speaking nanny agency is a good starting point to go from. With an agency, you have access to expert, experienced advice. Agencies also take the hassle of finding and applying to jobs directly, our consultants will work with you and present you with jobs that match the requirements that you have explained to them that you are looking for in your new job. Our consultants take the time to get to know you, understand your nannying style, what salary you’re looking for and in what areas you are looking to work in, whether this is local to you or overseas.
Our consultants are also on hand to help and answer any questions you might have along the way, using a French-speaking nanny agency in London like Little Ones means you have a direct line to the experts. Not only do you have a direct line during the search, but our consultants are constantly on hand to help with any follow-up queries or concerns you might have once your search has been completed.
Little Ones is also able to assist you if you require a new DBS or if you are looking to find out more about courses available. Little Ones regularly runs a range of courses throughout the week and month. Little Ones has a dedicated courses department that will be able to discuss with you where you would like your nannying career to go and what skills you are looking to develop. From there they will be able to advise what courses are available to you that best suit your needs and provide you with more information.
Our years of experience within the nannying industry means we know what is required for French-speaking nannies and clients to be a perfect match, we are looking to help you find a client that you can have a joyful and harmonious relationship with.
We pride ourselves on providing a premium level of service to our candidates because we know they will be providing our clients and their children with a premium nannying service.
Here at Little Ones, we pride ourselves on being able to skillfully align a premium, luxury service for an aspect of your life that is so precious and personal.
Using an agency that specialises French-speaking nanny placements like Little Ones means you can be sure you will receive support from every side, we will take the stress that comes with trying to find a job and present you with options that perfectly align with what you are looking for. We work with you to find solutions, whatever your requirements. To make perfect and seamless placements is Little Ones ethos.
