Professionalism and structure have been identified as the key ingredients to consider when employing a Nanny. This was made known by Amara Agbim, Founder, The Nanny Academy, at the institute’s tenth-anniversary celebration in Lagos.
According to her, most trained Nannies understand the value of contracts and the need to respect them.
“They understand that forming secure attachment is a critical part of child development and work in partnership with parents to help children thrive. To achieve this level of professionalism, deep training which penetrates to achieve a mindset shift is preferred over sandwich training packages,” she explained.
Also, Agbim identified some challenges facing the growth and development of this essential social service industry. She said it is wrong for employers to think that individuals take to the profession due to a lack of gainful employment or any other work to do.
“Children aren’t always easy to handle so we should do away with thinking that It is an unfortunate truth that most nannies work in childcare because they couldn’t find a “real” job. It is not true that they take to the role because they’re looking for something simple and don’t strive for anything more out of laziness,” she added.
In addition, experts believe employer malpractices can discourage professionalism. According to Chichi Okiche, a recruitment manager with Robert Half, the ideal candidate to hire is one with the right combination of education and experience. The right education in itself equips the candidate with the right social skills and interpersonal skills to succeed on the job. Hiring untrained hands and expecting them to meet the job expectation based on some ‘experience’ is just malpractice.
“With a trained Nanny, you don’t have to worry or assume that they will take the place of parents. A trained Nanny understands that parents are the primary caregivers of their children and are available just to help assist parents to provide a nurturing environment for children. As long as parents are able to create the time to bond with their children despite being away at work or even being a stay at home Mum, children will always know who their parents are and love them for it.”
Read also 35 things to consider before you hire that nanny
Both speakers agree that society should play its part in doing away with harmful myths and notions against people serving them in the home. This they argue trickles down to how Nannies and domestic workers are being paid poorly. Instead of being paid poorly, nannies should be rewarded handsomely for the sacrifice they make in society, rocking the cradle of future leaders.
