career

The completely OTT lives of nannies to the SUPER RICH.

An English Nanny with a British accent who is fluent in French and Spanish, she must hold a Masters Degree and play piano.

This is the average request from the wealthy clients that call Nanny & Butler Domestic staffing agency looking for top notch Nannies to look after their children. Sure it might sound impossible, but they are willing to pay good money for it. (Around $150,000 per year or more to give you an idea!)

Since the rise in celebrities hiring nannies who speak multiple languages to care for their children, the elite world has caught on.

Look at Angelina Jolie whose brood of six children speak seven languages between them! Almost each nanny they have speaks a different language to ensure their children become bilingual.

Listen: On the latest episode of This Glorious Mess, we know they’ve got ’em, so why don’t we ever see celebrities’ nannies?

Many of these families are celebrities, royals, and high net-worth families. They will hire at least one nanny per child, some will hire two or three per child. A head nanny with two assistants is very common in many Middle Eastern families.

Some families request help seven days a week with 24-hours cover. In these cases, they request two nannies for the one child. The nannies will work on a ROTA system, for example a week on and then a week off, being paid even on their time off.

Usually the families will request different skills in this situation. For example one Russian client requested two nannies, one English and one Italian so the child could learn both languages consistently. Both nannies though, had to be medically trained in case of an emergency, and not just your basic first aid, they had to have some sort of nursing or medical background.

Money is no issue for these families. They are willing to pay for the highest calibre candidates; “Whatever they want as long as they are good”. Many nannies request up to $3,000 per week.

The families provide the nannies with accommodation for their time off, or they will pay for a flight to her home country or to a nearby destination where she wants to spend her rest time. We had one client fly their nanny back to Australia every month from Dubai so that she didn’t get homesick.

Eight ways to nail homework when you don’t have a clue. Post continues below video.

Flying in private jets or first class; staying in 5-star hotels and resorts around the world; sailing in private yachts; these are just a few of the perks nannies get while getting paid to look after the children of the rich and famous.

And their duties are usually only regarding the children’s education. These families usually have fully staffed households including house managers, housekeepers, personal assistants, personal chefs, to look after the other stuff.

Of course there are the outrageous requests, there are families asking for the near impossible. For example, one family requested a nanny with a teaching degree who speaks Chinese and who is also willing to also do housekeeping and walk the dogs. No qualified teacher is going to pick up dog poop!

One of the most bizarre request was for a Nanny/Beautician, the family had an six year old daughter with long golden locks that needed “styling” every day. The nanny had to be familiar with specific products that they use, all biological, no chemicals etc. She had to follow a specific routine which included massages, facials, pedicures, manicures. She herself also had to be always well groomed.

In addition to her “beauty duties”, she would accompany the child to her ballet, help her bath and dress, and read her bedtime stories at night.

Even though many of the requests are quite specific, most positions are able to be filled. Some professionals will take time out of their own careers to work as nannies and travel and make money that they wouldn’t dream of making where they are.

Midwives and nurses jet off to work as maternity nurses looking after newborn babies, and qualified teachers can work home-schooling children in families who constantly travel. With salaries in the hundreds of thousands and with all expenses paid, it is an experience most nurses and teachers would jump at!

English speakers are the highest in demand, with most Russian, Middle Eastern, and European Families realising the benefits of their children having a second language that is so widely spoken. Chinese and French are quite popular too. Some families will hire Nannies for the sole purpose of teaching their children languages and then hire other staff to do the rest.

It’s no easy gig as the parents usually have extremely high expectations, but these nannies get to experience the glamorous lifestyles of the rich and famous, while getting paid to do so!

Hear the full conversation of This Glorious Mess here

This post was written by Chontelle Bonfiglio, the Head of the Overseas Team at Nanny & Butler. She is also a freelance writer and blogger at Bilingual Kidspot a website for parents raising bilingual children.

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Top Comments

FLYINGDALE FLYER 8 years ago

Well it seems that the kids have the same currency as the swanky wanky handbag


squish 8 years ago

Good luck to the nanny who has to use hair products with "no chemicals". Everything contains chemicals!