4 Reasons Why You Should Be a Nanny This Summer

By Tamiera Vandegrift on April 23, 2017

Summer jobs are an excellent way to start earning some cash for the upcoming college semester. There are a variety of summer jobs to choose from: waiting tables, clerical work, internships, retail jobs, and more!

However, there is one particular summer job that you might not have considered. Have you ever thought about becoming a nanny? I’m willing to bet that the first image that came to your head was that of Mary Poppins, or of some older woman taking care of a household of children. However, a nanny does not have to be a female. Women are typically employed as nannies, but it is not a requirement; a person can be a nanny no matter what their gender is.

With that being said, even if applying to work as a nanny does not pique your interest right away, it is definitely a summer job to consider. Why? Well, keep reading and find out!

A nanny is a person that is employed to care for children in their own home. This is what sets them apart from a babysitter. Now that you understand the position a little more, you are probably wondering what working as a nanny would be like, and what you could potentially gain from the experience.

Image via: www.pexels.com

You’ll make a difference

It is certainly possible that the children you will be caring for will be spending more time with you than with their own parents, which is a little sad when you think about it. As a nanny, you will be able to be a figure of care and support to children who may need it. You will have a part in watching these individuals develop and have a part in molding their impressionable minds for the future. You will be able to pass along your wisdom and life experience to them.

You will also be making a difference by helping their parents out. As you can probably imagine, it is stressful enough to work while maintaining a household, without even adding a child or two into the mix. As tragic as it is, parents cannot always be there for their children as much as they would like to be.

As a nanny, you will provide comfort to the child’s parents because with your presence, they will know that their child is in good, capable, and loving hands. With this comfort in mind, the child’s parents can rest easy and do what they need to do. You will truly be making a difference in all of their lives, including your own.

You’ll learn so much

If you love working with children and you want to make working with children your career (teaching, pediatrics, camp counseling, licensed clinical social work, etc.), being a nanny would be a perfect time for you to develop experience working with kids — which would be an incredible feature to add to your resume. You will learn how to interact with kids, how to stimulate their minds, and how to figure out what they want and need. This valuable knowledge will take you far into a career working with children.

Even if you do not necessarily enjoy interacting with children, you might find yourself singing a different tune after you work with kids over the course of a summer. Working with kids will teach you a variety of lessons that you can apply to your life, no matter what career you decide to pursue. You will learn assertiveness, patience, flexibility, and mental sustainability after a long shift. By the end of your experience as a nanny, you will be asking yourself if you taught the children, or if they taught you.

Image via: www.pexels.com

You’ll have fun

If you are lucky enough to be working a part-time job that you actually enjoy, then good for you. This is for the rest of us: working with kids is fun! Even if you are anything like me, someone who doesn’t particularly care for children, you will find something to enjoy about working with kids. Essentially, you are reliving your own childhood! You will be able to return to the halcyon days of finger painting, Saturday morning cartoons, and LEGO’s. As long as you are willing to let go of any reservations against acting silly and using your imagination, you will be able to enjoy yourself wholeheartedly.

You’ll have another family

The best part out of all of this is the fact that you will emerge from this experience with a second family. You will be looked upon fondly by the generation following yours and it will feel so fulfilling. As a college student, it is likely that you do not have a lot of time to spend with your own family, which can be hard. While nothing can replace your family, just as nothing will replace the family of your child(ren), it still feels nice to have that warm, fuzzy dynamic again. If you live far from home, you will have a place to call home for the holidays and a support system — all in a day’s work.

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