There are many educational qualifications available to nannies in the UK:
Most commonly nannies are now completing a degree in Early Years or similar, these are offered at various universities in the UK, the most famous is Norland College in Bath.
This is a three year degree and includes course work and placements to offer hands on experience in a variety of childcare settings.
Candidates can also study a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in Early Years. This qualification is completed whilst working full time, normally in a nursery. It normally takes a year or two to complete, depending on how quickly the candidate completes coursework.
In order to be considered able to work as a nanny, we expect a Level 3 or above to be completed.
Traditionally candidates studied the Diploma in childcare and education offered by NNEB (Nursery Nurse Examining Board) which was then superseded by the CACHE issuing body.
These two courses included practical experience as well as time in the classroom and took two years to complete.
You can study a Montessori Diploma, or a teaching degree or you could specialise in working with children with additional needs.
Each country will have their own courses; in Australia this could be a TAFE Diploma in Community services whereas in New Zealand there is a government based initiative which aims to teach parents and child carers alike the best way to look after young children. A few nannies will have gone through the PORSE system and completed their qualifications.
If you’re unsure if your international qualification is applicable in the UK, we advise you to contact NARIC, the UK government body which compares international diplomas and offers a statement of comparability.
As a childcare professional we also highly recommend you hold liability insurance. Two of the most well known providers in the UK are Morton Michel and Nannytax, but of course there are many more out there.
Your Signature Staff consultant will be able to advise you on this.
We require a minimum of 3 years’ experience of working in a private household.
If you are working with children, will be required to apply for the enhanced DBS.
Signature Staff are an authorised body and consequently can assist you and fast-track your DBS application.
The cost of an enhanced DBS is £55.
There are a number of qualifications a maternity nurse may have including:
There are many development courses qualifications available to nannies. Continuous Professional Development (CPD) provides the children in your care the best possible start in life, as well as helping to future proof your career.
Attending courses both online and in person will help develop your knowledge and skills as well as offering you the opportunity to meet and network with other likeminded professionals.
Some companies and courses we recommend include;
There are of course many other course providers on the market so have a look and see what fits for you.
Only candidates who are working with children must hold a Paediatric First Aid certificate.
This fully incorporates all the necessary modules and is valid for 3 years after which time you will need to repeat the 2 day course.
No fee is paid by candidates at any time during their interaction with Signature Staff.
References: we require you to have at least 3 years’ experience with checkable references – we don’t just stop at two referees
Face-to-Face Meeting: We ask you to attend a face to face meeting at our Central London office, during this interview, we’ll verify your identity, working rights; site your documentation and make sure we have a thorough understanding of your skill-set, experience and what you are looking for in a job.
Most countries have differing tax legislation. Your Signature Staff consultant will advise you on this if you apply for an overseas position.
Equivalently your holiday entitlements will differ too, and will be set-out in your employment contract.
Your Signature Staff consultant can provide a draft contract of employment although sometimes your prospective employers will provide one.
Your Signature Staff consultant will advise you as to the standard terms currently prevailing in the market at that particular point in time to ensure you are treated fairly.
Your employer will register with Nannytax, having inputted your gross pay and other relevant information into the Nannytax portal.
Nannytax will automatically generate a monthly payslip for you which will set out your gross pay and your net pay with the difference being deductions for tax, pension contributions, student loan repayments (if applicable).
The average time from start to finish is 2-6 weeks.
The Signature Staff team spend a significant amount of time drawing up a shortlist of candidates whom, based on both your domestic staff requirements and their skill-set and personality, are the best-fit for your domestic staffing requirements.
Additional time needs to be factored in for the client and candidate schedules for interviews.
We require a minimum of 3 years’ experience working in a private household.
All permanent employees in a household who work are employed, not self-employed.
Those candidates who work on a temporary basis (full-time or part-time) are self-employed and responsible themselves for declaring their income and meeting the accompanying tax obligations.
We advise all staff to talk in terms of a gross salary when accepting a new position, the agency can advise on standard rates of pay to expect.
The easiest way to determine your net pay (salary into your bank account after deductions) is to call your Signature Staff consultant and we’ll be able to advise you.
The client is responsible for covering travel expenses at the start and end of the employment.
Over and above this, for overseas placements, 1-2 return flights to the candidate’s country of residence are typically included and will be set out in the employment contract.
A trial period is normally built into a probationary period in the contract.
In the UK, you need to hold a full working visa – there are a few options currently available, including a Tier 5 Youth Mobility Visa, a Spousal Visa, and an Ancestry Visa.
Currently, household staff are not able to be sponsored by employers to get visas.
For overseas positions (ex. UK), your Signature Staff consultant will ensure the requisite visas are applied for by the Client, and the Client will also bear the costs of these.
Those employees who work on a permanent part-time basis will be classified as employed.
If you are employed in a part-time role, your employer is responsible for operating a PAYE scheme.
The duties of a nanny housekeeper are wide ranging, depending on the requirements of the household, but in general they involve general household cleaning and tidying, laundry and ironing, cooking/help in the kitchen, and some lighter childcare duties including babysitting, school runs, etc.
There are a number of qualifications a maternity nurse may have including:
The average is a 6-12 week booking for maternity assistance, though could be as short as for a 2 week period and as long as an 18 week period.
Most maternity nurses commence the role at or around the due date of the baby.
The average time from start to finish is 2-4 weeks.
The Signature Staff team spend a considerable amount of time and effort drawing up a shortlist of candidates who represent the best-fit for your household based upon both your maternity care requirements and their skill-set and personality.
Further time needs to be allowed for the schedules of both the client and candidates for interviews.
Most Signature Staff clients wait until 12 weeks into the gestation, when the pregnancy has progressed and they know whether they are expecting a single, twins or triplets.
We would encourage clients to register early to ensure an excellent selection of maternity nurses.
Maternity nurses are trained to look after newborn babies and infants so their tenure with a family tends to be of short duration. They work longer shifts than nannies with many being on call for 24 hours, 6 days a week. They are self-employed unlike nannies who are employed by the family.
Nannies, on the other hand, look after infants aged 3 months and older and their contracts are long-term. Nannies work 10-12 hours per day for 5 or 6 days per week. Typically a nanny doesn’t do night duties, although they are often prepared to babysit if given sufficient notice.
There are many educational qualifications available to nannies in the UK:
Each country will have their own courses; in Australia this could be a TAFE Diploma in Community services whereas in New Zealand there is a government based initiative which aims to teach parents and child carers alike the best way to look after young children. A few nannies will have gone through the PORSE system and completed their qualifications.
Both live-in and live-out nannies would have similar respective experiences and qualifications.
A live-in nanny would either live with the family in their home or she would have separate accommodation provided for her which would include food and all household bills being paid.
A live-out nanny would arrive for work early in the morning and leave in the evening at the agreed time stated on her contract of employment and would provide her own accommodation at no cost to the family.
All candidates who register with us need to meet our rigorous vetting process;
References: we require them to have at least 3 years’ experience with checkable references – we don’t just stop at two referees, we will try and reach every one of their past employers.
Face-to-Face Meeting: We ask all candidates to attend a face to face meeting at our Central London office, during this interview, we’ll verify their identity, working rights; site their documentation and make sure we have a thorough understanding of their skills, experience and what they’re looking for in a job.
Certificates:
You, as the employer, will be responsible for paying all necessary tax, national insurance and pension contributions in addition to the employee’s net salary.
Signature Staff recommend using Nannytax, a specialist outsourced payroll provider to undertake this. Nannytax will charge you an annual fee to look. after this.
Nannytax will generate a monthly payslip for the employee detailing the net amount (after tax, pension contributions & student loan deductions) to be paid into the employee bank account by the employer.
The employer will also then settle both the employer & employee’s tax, pension and other obligations in a monthly payment to HMRC.
Your Signature Staff consultant will be able to secure a 10% discount on the Nannytax service.
For permanent placements we charge a % of the candidate’s gross annual salary, payable when an offer of employment is made by the client and accepted by the candidate.
For temporary placements we charge a weekly fee.
Our fees are extremely competitive, please do contact a Signature Staff consultant to find out more.
Your nanny may be required to travel within the UK and overseas with you. Prior notice and agreement needs to be given. If your nanny accompanies you on family holidays this will not be deducted from their holiday entitlement.
By law, an employer is required to give any employee the statutory minimum of 28 days holiday (including 8 days of bank holiday) per annum in the UK.
Holiday as a nanny, may be taken only at times convenient to the employer as previously arranged by notice.
Typically the employer will choose two weeks during which the employee is required to take leave, whilst the employee may choose when the remaining two weeks are to be taken, with prior agreement from the employer. All holiday arrangements should be discussed and agreed with your employer.
No fee is paid by candidates at any time during their interaction with Signature Staff.
The average time to recruit a nanny from start to finish is 2-6 weeks.
The Signature Staff team spend a considerable amount of effort to draw up a shortlist of candidates whom are the best-fit for your household based on your requirements and their skill-set and personality.
Further time needs to be allowed for the schedules of both the client and candidates for interviews and possible subsequent trials particularly for overseas roles.
If you require and position to be filled urgently please advise your consultant of your anticipated time frame and we will work out hardest to fulfil your request.
For a temporary nanny the process can prove to be over a significantly shorter time frame (as little as 1 hour).
Your employer is responsible for operating a PAYE scheme for all permanent employees in their household.
This means you, the employee, will receive the net amount (after tax, pension contributions & student loan deductions) into their bank account on a monthly basis, with the tax, pension and other components automatically paid to HMRC, pension providers etc. respectively.
This will typically be done through Nannytax or an equivalent payroll provider.
The easiest way to convert gross salary into net salary (salary into your employee’s bank account after deductions) is to call your Signature Staff consultant [insert link to contact us page] and we’ll be able to advise you.
In the UK, you need to hold a full working visa – there are a few options currently available, including a Tier 5 Youth Mobility Visa, a Spousal Visa, and an Ancestry Visa.
Currently, household staff are not able to be sponsored by employers to get visas.
For overseas positions (ex. UK), your Signature Staff consultant will assist you to ensure you apply for the requisite visas for your employee, and you, the Client, will also bear the costs of these.
If you employ a nanny in a permanent part-time position, you are responsible for operating a PAYE scheme for all permanent employees in their household.
It is suggested that employers use Nannytax, a specialist outsourced payroll provider to undertake this. Nannytax will charge you an annual fee to look after this.
A temporary part-time nanny will be self-employed and hence an employer will pay the nanny the gross amount.
All permanent employees in a household who work are employed, not self-employed.
Those candidates who work on a temporary basis (full-time or part-time) are self-employed and responsible themselves for declaring their income and meeting the accompanying tax obligations.
We advise all staff to talk in terms of a gross salary when accepting a new position, the agency can advise on standard rates of pay to expect.
Signature Staff employ a rigorous matching policy to ensure the chosen candidate is the best-fit for your household based on your requirements and the candidates’ skill-set and personality.
However, extremely infrequently unforeseen challenges can arise for either or both parties.
Should the original candidate leave in the initial 10 week period (10 weeks from the start of employment) for reasons other than employer misconduct, Signature Staff will seek to find a replacement (at no cost).
If at the end of the initial 10 week period a replacement has not been found, 35% of the initial fee charged shall be reimbursed to the client by Signature Staff.
Your Signature Staff consultant can provide a draft contract of employment for you should you require this.
The consultant will also advise you as to the standard terms currently prevailing in the market at that particular point in time.
A trial period is normally built into a probationary period in the contract.
The client is responsible for covering travel expenses at the start and end of the employment.
Over and above this, for overseas placements, 1-2 return flights to the candidate’s country of residence are typically included and will be set out in the employment contract.
Most countries have differing tax legislation. Your Signature Staff consultant will advise you on this if you apply for an overseas position.
Equivalently, your holiday entitlements will differ too, and will be set out in your employment contract.
