If you have experience working as a babysitter for a family or several families, you may be looking to increase your workload and earning potential by transitioning into work as a nanny. Despite their similarities, the shift from babysitter to nanny can be tricky, as many families seeking to hire a nanny want to see that a candidate has clear, professional experience under her belt.
Luckily, there are ways for a babysitter to build child care experience and skills so that you can qualify and interview for nanny roles. But first, it’s important to understand the difference between a babysitter and a nanny so you can figure out where you are on the spectrum.
What’s the difference between a nanny and a babysitter?
The differences between a nanny and babysitter are not always clear cut; both take care of children, some families may use the terms interchangeably and some duties and expectations may overlap.
As a babysitter:
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Positions are most likely part-time or temporary — roughly 15 hours or fewer a week.
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Jobs are often scheduled as needed (such as for parent date nights or special events on the weekend).
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Pay averages $16.25/hour, according to 2019 Care.com data.
In comparison, as a nanny:
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Positions can be either part time or full time, and full-time positions often come with paid time off and/or other employment benefits.
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Pay is usually weekly or monthly — $596/week on average.
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Duties often go beyond child care, and can include running errands, light housekeeping, nighttime care, tutoring, meal prep and more.
According to Elizabeth Malson, president of Amslee Institute in Sarasota, Florida, “Babysitters are responsible for supervising children when parents are away for a few hours. Nannies are not only responsible for child safety but also child development. These definitions drive the skills and experiences needed for the job, as well as influences the increase in hourly rate.”
In other words, nannying isn’t just a guarantee of more hours; it requires helping out with the social, emotional, and physical development of the children. Because of this, it helps to build specific skills while working as a babysitter so that you can be prepared (and qualified) to work as a nanny later on.
What skills do I need to be a nanny?
If you’ve been working as a babysitter, then most likely you already have basic child care knowledge. You should also be trained in CPR and first aid, which is also an important skill set for nannies, “not only to continue providing for the safety of the child,” says Malson, “but also to manage the emotional and situational stress that comes with an unexpected issue.”
In addition to safety and first aid, babysitters who want to become nannies can work on advanced child care training and certifications to make sure they stand out from other nanny candidates.
Some skills and certifications parents look for might include:
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Child education or child development
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Child psychology or human behavior
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Physical development
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Water safety and swimming
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Foreign language skills
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Child nutrition
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Infant care or newborn care
Having skills like these can help form the foundation of knowledge you need to “physically, emotionally, socially and intellectually care for children at different ages,” says Malson. “Practical skills in literacy and STEM, as well as physical development activities help nannies support growth, providing care beyond safety and supervision.”
Babysitting may seem like sufficient experience to become a nanny, but at the end of the day, parents want a highly qualified and knowledgeable person caring for their child day in and day out. When you make an effort to grow your skills while continuing to provide babysitter services, you show potential employers the value you can provide for their children when they’re in your care.
How can I prepare for the transition from sitter to nanny?
As you build on your training and child care skill set, there are several ways to leverage your ongoing babysitting work so you can find, apply for and win a new nanny position:
1. Build experience
Keep babysitting. Every sitting job you take is new and relevant child care experience that can expand your network and lead to more jobs. It’s the perfect way to progress your career and make new contacts.
“All those years you spent babysitting can actually be worth something,” says Adina Mahalli, MSW, “because each little step can lead to the next.”
2. Maintain connections with old or current employers
Developing and maintaining relationships with all your employers is key, says Mahalli. “Every place [or family you apply with] will want good references, which is why it’s important to stay in contact with past employers and retain pleasant relationships with them.”
Ask the families you’ve worked for if they’d be a reference for you when you start applying for new nanny positions. A long relationship and glowing reference show potential employers that you’re reliable and trustworthy, which is often a major factor in hiring decisions.
3. Ask for reviews
Getting reviews on sites like Care.com or other job boards can also benefit your job search. Ask the families you’ve worked for if they would be willing to leave a review so other families can see that you come highly recommended. A child care professional with reviews automatically stands out from those without. Additionally, keep any online job profile you may have up to date at all times, including your contact information, training, education, skills and photo.
4. Don’t box yourself in
Just because you were hired as a babysitter doesn’t mean you can’t become a family’s nanny. Rebecca Webb, a child care provider from Tucker, Georgia, says she became a nanny “just by being available.”
“I was hired for a weekend sitting job, then it became a couple days a week, and then, when the mom got a full-time job, I was asked to take on more hours,” Webb says. “By the time I was ready to look for other work, I was really experienced and could confidently call myself a nanny. The only thing I did was say ‘Yes’ to extra work.”
5. Offer more services to current families
Maybe the family you’ve been sitting for needs after-school care, or maybe they need someone to watch a few children for a wedding or party. Expand beyond your typical weekend, evening or “on-call” babysitter role and offer to help other days and times. You can gain experience with a family who already trusts you, which allows you to build both skills and experience you can advertise later.
Sitters can also offer pet sitting, grocery shopping or errand-running for families if they want, which lends even more experience that could pad their nanny resume.
While you can’t call yourself a nanny overnight, you can build the experience you need to eventually gain that title with a family you love.
Read next: Here’s why you need to market yourself online as a caregiver — and how to successfully do it
