While a Nanny and a Governess seem to be quite similar, there are a few distinct aspects that define one from the other. The most distinctive difference is that a Governess will focus on the children’s educational development and their etiquette. A governess is focused on making sure children are reaching educational milestones and whilst they ensure that children are safe and cared for, their main focus will be the child’s education and etiquette. On the other hand, a Nanny will also ensure that the children are cared for, they will also help with nursery duties such as sterilising bottles, organising the children laundry and preparing meals for the children. A Governess will typically start working with children as they start school, Nannies, on the other hand, will work with newborns all the way through to high school aged if you desired.
Because a Governess is significantly more educationally focused, parents tend to hire a Nanny for the first few years of the child’s life and once they start school, then the family may hire a Governess. Having a Nanny and a Governess is not mutually exclusive, some families may decide to hire both to help care for their children.
Hiring a Governess for your family is similar to hiring full time private tutor for your children, The Governess will have full responsibility for overseeing both the formal and informal education of the children in their care. As well as teaching all aspects of the curriculum, the Governess will also help with the social and cultural development of the child, encourage self-awareness and creativity. While there is no minimum experience requirement to become a Governess, typically a Governess will have at least 5 years of professional childcare experience as well as having either a teaching background or higher childcare education qualification. Because of their increased experience and significant qualifications, a Governess is the most expensive childcare option available. While Nannies may or may not have an advanced degree, Governesses have a teaching certification and are able to design a personalised curriculum for each child in the house. Some children who work with a governess are home-schooled, while others attend a traditional school in addition to governess work.
A Governess is similar to hiring a full time private tutor for your children, however, instead of specialising in a particular subject, a Governess will provide a full range of education. A Governess will work alongside the educational system in place in your region. A Governess functions as an educator and is not usually employed to perform domestic tasks or to meet the physical needs of the family’s children such as preparing meals for the children, organising the children’s laundry or tidying the children’s bedrooms. Because of the educational focus a Governess has, their responsibilities will differ from a Nanny. A Nanny is there to provide childcare to your children, ensure they are meeting developmental milestones and encourage and assist your children to become their best selves. This can be clearly shown through the different types of duties that they would each be responsible for.
A Governess’s responsibilities can include:
Where as a Nanny’s duties can include:
As with any position, the salary range of a Governess will depend on the experience, languages spoken and qualifications of the candidate as well as the requirements of the positions. A live out Governess can ask for between £13 to £17 net per hour whereas a live in Governess can ask for between £550 to £800 net per week. However, these are the current market rates, and depending on the experience and qualifications of the Governess and the type of position you are looking to fill, the Governess is able to negotiate a salary that is outside of these examples. For example, if a Governess speaks a second language, especially a second language that is in high demand, the Governess is able to request a higher salary than those who are not bilingual.
As it currently stands, the market rate for a full time live out Nanny in London is between £11 and £14 net per hour. Positions that are over 35 hours per week are considered to be full time, anything that is 35 hours and under would then be considered a part time position and a different hourly rate would apply. Typical full time positions will be between 10 and 12 hours a day.
As their employer, you will also be responsible for any tax contributions that are required on behalf of the Governess or Nanny which is important to consider when deciding on your budget. Little Ones has a premium payroll service that is able to assist you with all of the admin that comes with being an employer.
Our years of experience within the childcare industry has meant that our vetting procedure has been honed down to a fine art. When you use an agency like Little Ones that specialises in childcare recruitment you can rest assured that the childcare option you are being presented with has had a thorough background check, verbal references have been verified by our consultants and their experience compliments your requirements perfectly.
Our consultants believe that you should feel supported the very moment you contact us, and will not stop once you have found your childcare option that perfectly complements your needs. Our consultants are always on hand to assist at any point during your search and even after you have found the childcare option for you.
Childcare agencies such as Little Ones take the hassle of resourcing potential childcare candidates from you and will only present you with the best of the best that we meet. We bring them into the office for a face to face interview where their experience and qualifications are discussed at length and we are able to obtain verbal references which we then personally check ourselves.
All of our childcare candidates will have the following:
From the very first call, your expert consultant will guide you through what your options are, what would suit your requirements most closely and put your mind to rest with any concerns you might have regarding your childcare search. Our consultants are also on hand to help and answer any questions you might have along the way, using an agency that specialises in private childcare like Little Ones means you have a direct line to the experts. No matter what stage you are at with your private childcare search, our consultants are on hand to assist.
Our years of experience within the childcare industry means we know what it takes to be an exceptional childcare candidate, which is why all the childcare candidates we work with are the best of the best that are available. We pride ourselves on providing a premium level of service and care for our clients because we expect the same from our candidates. We maintain the highest standards and expect the best from our candidates because we know you expect the best for yourself.
Here at Little Ones, we pride ourselves on being able to delicately align a premium, luxury service for an aspect of your life that is so personal.
Using an agency that specialises in private childcare for your home like Little Ones means you can be sure you will receive support from every side, we will take the stress of finding private childcare from you and present you with private childcare options that perfectly aligns with your childcare needs and your schedule.
We work with your family to find solutions, whatever your needs. To make perfect and seamless placements is Little Ones ethos.
