Career profile Β· live from the Careermash careers engine
Care / support

Nanny

A nanny looks after children in the family's home, often full-time, caring for them, playing and supporting their development. It is rewarding, responsible work for people who genuinely love children, are patient and reliable, and want a close role in family life.
No degree needed for many routesEntry routes with no formal quals
Direct entry route
0
AI impact
how much AI is reshaping it
Robin Β· your guide
Curious about being a nanny? Here's the honest picture - what you'd really do, what you'd earn, and every way in. No need to decide anything yet.

What you'd actually do

The work is caring for children day to day - feeding, playing, taking them to activities, helping them learn and keeping them safe and happy - and often light related housework. Patience, energy, reliability and warmth matter, along with good judgement, since you are trusted with children's safety and wellbeing, sometimes alone for long days.

Hours are often long and full-time, sometimes live-in, and the work is emotionally and physically demanding, with pay that varies a lot by area and experience. It is a close, trusting relationship with a family, which can be hugely rewarding but also demands professionalism and clear boundaries.

You do not legally need qualifications, but a childcare course, paediatric first aid and references are highly valued by families. An enhanced DBS check is standard and expected, and registering with a regulator can be required for some arrangements.

1Care for and supervise children
2Prepare meals and snacks
3Play and do activities that help them learn
4Take children to school, clubs and outings
5Keep to routines and bedtimes
6Do child-related tidying and washing
7Keep children safe and report any concerns

Degrees that lead here via Childcare & Early Years

Degree options are mapped from subjects - explore the buckets to find related courses.

Apprenticeships that lead here

No apprenticeship standard maps directly yet - the university or college route is the main way in.

How to get in - your routes

Careermash Β· your kind of work, the careers in it, and every route in - all in one place.

Career data: role, pay and progression profiles built for Careermash's careers engine; AI-impact estimates from Anthropic's observed AI-usage telemetry and OpenAI's AI Jobs Transition Framework. Course data: HESA / Discover Uni, including Graduate Outcomes, LEO and the National Student Survey. Apprenticeships: IfATE-published standards, approved only.

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