The Nanny Podcast

When someone asks you a question, what you might not think of or realize is the enormity of responsibility that comes with. Let me frame it for you. When I ask a client what they are looking for, it happens that I can see them over the phone tapping their fingertips together in delight of being granted the wish of being able to have whatever they can think of. Which of course is not true. Same with nannies and for example salary wishes. www.rivieranannies.fr

A common question you might get in an interview is “why are you applying for this job”. And I bet that the person asking it has something in mind that they want to hear. It’s never going to be the same answer that is the right one. This is one that I have been thinking a lot about recently, I had a client who said the first question they ask is always why are you applying for this job, and the way he told me it seemed very obvious I should know exactly what his right answer was. www.rivieranannies.fr

Let’s talk about a gap in your CV and how people read it. First off, I just want to say that I generally think that it is much better to address possible objections first, meaning, if you think someone is going to ask or wonder about something, take charge of that conversation and lead it where you want it to go rather than be caught off guard and not feel prepared to answer, or even comfortable to.  www.rivieranannies.fr

Since the beginning of the Sars Cov2 pandemic we have all collectively gone through a traumatic period. We are all affected differently, but regardless of how, the world is different now. We are different. Some things are good, some things are awful and I always try to look at it, trying to find the silver linings. One of the things I like, that I wish will stay with us but I am not sure if it will is a new level of honesty. We have relied on each other’s honesty to stay safe and healthy, and we will continue to do so.  www.rivieranannies.fr

Parenting values can be controversial topics in all kinds of circumstances. What philosophies do you agree with? Which ones do you disagree with? That's what we will talk about today. www.rivieranannies.fr 

Today I thought we could talk a little bit about your career path and whether or not you have an idea of where it’s going. www.rivieranannies.fr

Have you thought about where you want to be in five years? Not only geographically, but emotionally, physically, in your career, in your relationships? I think it’s always good to have goals to aim for, and for the areas that are your priority right now, a clear path to take you to the next step. That's what we will talk about today. www.rivieranannies.fr

“Who do you want to be?” This podcast is brought to you by the Riviera Nannies and Staff Academy, your place to learn and fine tune your career path and professional profile at any stage of your career. Visit www.rivieranannies.fr for more information. Who are you? Who are you now, and who do you want to be? It can be in any area of your life, but because we usually talk about work and career, let’s talk about who you want to be as a professional. We all have areas that we are happy with as they are, and we have areas that we want to improve. And although it wasn’t meant as such a big and profound question, the phrase “Who are you today” is just such a great one to ask ourselves. Who are you today? Today I have these things going for me. I have honored my integrity and values in this and that way, but I would really like to improve this part, and the way to do that is by these steps.

Friends, this is the first episode of the third season of The Nanny Podcast. I am so psyched you are here with me. Let’s start this season with something a little different.   This episode is a hands on exercise, if you want to do it and play with me, you need something to write with and something to write on. Today I am going to ask you a question. And you might think it’s silly, or wonder what it has to do with being a nanny, and I am going to ask you to bear with me, hear me out. You will know more in a minute. If you are up for playing with me, grab a pen and paper and write down your answers as we go along. www.rivieranannies.fr

Today I want to talk to you about figuring out who people are, using simple tools like search engines online. Always a good first step to start building the image of the person you are trying to figure out.   First I want to tell you that all the things you find are clues to build the image of the person you are trying to figure out. Try to see it from an as objective place as you can, it will help you get a better idea.   Many years ago I got divorced. When I was looking for an attorney to represent me I did some digging on them before making my choice. When I googled the lawyer I ended up working with I found a hate blog dedicated to spewing anger and hateful rhetoric about him. I went further down the rabbit hole and found that the person writing the blog was a guy whose ex wife had been represented by the lawyer in their divorce. In this case, negative publicity helped me make the decision to hire this guy. Negative information isn’t always bad, it helps paint the picture.   So when you google someone, lo

Today we are going to talk about something we sometimes hear from our families. That the nanny is dressed inappropriately.   So let’s start from the beginning. What is inappropriate? That depends on the situation.   Have you ever heard the expression dress for the job you want to have? When I get reported to me that nannies are dressed in short skirts, low cut tops and over the knee boots, I am not sure what job they are applying for.   To be clear, I don’t think there is anything categorically wrong dressing in any way at all. I used to go to clubs where clothing was optional or sometimes plastic wrap, I’m pretty jaded on the shock scale when it comes to dressing in alternative ways, but I do think there is a time and a place for everything.   So when you are applying for a job as a nanny, what should you wear? I would say, to start, go conservative and neutral. Then read the situation and go from there. I once had a manny interview with me who showed up in a suit and tie. I wondered, what does he think the

Today we are going to talk about the simplest way to kindness and compassion. It’s something that means a lot to me. I try to do it every chance I get :)   I hear comments from both nannies and families, as well as parents and kids, it’s all connected, about how they want to be appreciated. How they want to be heard and seen. Acknowledged, as they are.   It is quite rare that people ask for or expect expensive gifts or big bonuses as a token of appreciation. I’m sure lots of people want that too, but from my anecdotal collection of data it seems more important to most people to be seen and heard than to get material compensation as a thank you for being awesome.   What all these people want is to be seen and appreciated. I would even go so far as to say that all people want to be seen and appreciated for what is important to them. A mother wants to be appreciated as a good mother to her kids. She wants her efforts seen and heard. Professionals want to be acknowledged for the work they do whether it is launchi

Welcome to the Nanny Podcast, I am Hanna Schaer from Riviera Nannies. I am so happy you are here :)   Today we are going to talk about governesses.   Sometimes there is a bit of confusion to what a governess is. We recently had a client say they needed a housekeeper or a governess. That’s kind of like saying you need bananas or batteries. Completely different things :)   So let’s talk about what a governess is and isn’t.   A governess is a teacher. It is a quite old fashioned position in a household that is much less common now than it was in Victorian England. A governess is responsible for a child’s education and usually looks after older kids than a nanny does, but a governess can work with children as young as three. Often there is a nanny working in parallel with a governess because their duties are quite different.   A governess is traditionally responsible for the children’s education, whether it is a well rounded knowledge in English, Maths, Music and the Arts or social things like etiquette and manne

This week we are going to talk about some of the differences between nanny and daycare as childcare options. This is I suppose geared towards families making the choice, and can be helpful for nannies both as a perspective, but also to have a leg to stand on when negotiating and talking to a family.   The first thing that we should talk about is the big elephant in the room, cost.   Having a private nanny for your child is most likely going to cost you a lot more than if they were in daycare. But not always. Depending on how many hours you do it will make more or less of a difference, but in general, a nanny is more expensive than daycare.   The second big question for me as a parent is how much your kid is going to be sick when they are little. There are many variables there, but in general a child in daycare is sick a lot more than one that is with a nanny. But of course, if you are lucky enough to find a daycare where parents don’t bring their kids when they are sick and follow good guidelines, then they m

Today we are going to talk about what you ask when you are interviewing, either with an agency, or for a job.   I have a pretty radical view on collaborations that most people don’t have. Are you ready? I don’t believe in hierarchy. At least not in the traditional sense. I don’t think anyone is above or below, I think we all bring value and that it would benefit us all to see that value in each other.   So that’s my radical belief. What do you think?   Some people might think that when I say that they are welcome to sweep in and do whatever in my business, family or wherever we are moving. That’s not true. Lack of this particular structure does not mean lack of integrity. Just getting that out of the way.   So when I hire childcare it is with the understanding that they need a job, I need their service. When a client comes to me, they need a nanny, my business needs clients and we happen to provide what they need. We are in symbiosis. It is very tempting to try to take advantage of this situation, but it’s no

I think imagining different fictional people in their jobs, why they are there, what kind of personalities they have and what brought them to where they are is really fun. So I thought, today we are going to talk about Becky Sharp, the fictional governess in Vanity Fair. Becky is thought to be a composite inspired by several real women. And that isn’t really surprising to me, what do you think?   Becky Sharp is the first time a governess was the main character of a story, she was poor without social status, and typically at the time her friend Amelia would have been the main character.   So Becky does something that with the tweaks and twirls of time and culture still happens today, doesn’t it? From a cynical point of view we can read her as being a ruthless opportunist who uses people as stepping stones in her quest to climb the social ladder to riches and glamour. I have seen it in the CVs I get from people from marginalized countries with no childcare experience who say “I will take any job in Monaco”. (ju

Today we are going to talk about something that is kind of a pet peeve of mine, and I have been guilty of it myself as a parent. I am talking about how we expect our kids to do what we say not what we do.   Any experienced parent or nanny will know that this is not how kids learn and work. Right?   I find that when I don’t back up my talk with walk my kids see and know it right away, I can’t fool them, even if I can briefly fool myself that I am not full of it.   Showing our kids that we are real people with flaws and feelings is I think one of the most important things we can do for them. I will explain what I mean. If my kids say or do something that hurts my feelings, or that hurts me physically, I tell them. If they say something rude or unkind, or act dismissively with epic eye rolls, I tell them how it makes me feel. Not overly dramatic, but letting them know that they are not invisible, that their actions have an impact on people around them is essential for them to grow up to be empathic and kind peop

Nanny Podcast season 2 episode 8 “Mary Poppins”   Welcome to the Nanny Podcast, my name is Hanna Schaer from Riviera Nannies and I am your host today. I am so happy you are here :)   Today we are going to talk about Mary Poppins, the fictional super nanny that we have followed on her mission and adventures in two movies now, based on the books by P. L Travers. Disney has brought the stories to the big screen and into our homes in the most Disney of ways.   I hadn’t watched the first movie until a few years before I started Riviera Nannies. I had a friend who just couldn’t believe that I hadn’t watched it and it kind of became an event between us when I did. Thank you James for insisting I watch it and for introducing me to the amazing world of Mary Poppins :)   I think there are so many things in Mary Poppins that are great guiding principles for both parents and nannies, so many lessons and learning moments in big and small things. I definitely feel both inspired and validated as an adult spending a lot of t

Nanny Podcast season 2 episode 7 “ending a job”   Welcome to this week’s episode of The Nanny Podcast, my name is Hanna Schaer from Riviera Nannies and I am your host. I am so happy you are here.     Today we are going to talk about ending a job. We get questions about this from nannies from time to time, often from nannies we haven’t placed.   This might sound strange, but how you will end your job has a lot to do with how you started it. Did you feel a good connection with the family? Did you feel like you had a good and honest line of communication?   Ok, so let’s break it down.   You want to end a job. There are lots of reasons why people want to end a job. Let’s say you have decided that you want to take your career in a different direction and you want to look for a job that is a better fit for you.   Of course it could also be that you want to earn more money, that you want to work different hours and you want your tasks to be different.   Then maybe you don’t want to end the job bur rather renegotiate

Nanny podcast season 2 episode 6 “nanny as educator”   Welcome to this week’s episode of The Nanny Podcast, my name is Hanna Schaer from Riviera Nannies and I am your host. I am so happy you are here.   Today we are going to talk about the nanny as educator. I think that when a lot of families think about hiring a nanny or even hire a nanny they think about it as someone who is going to look after their kids and keep them safe. But you and I know that there are benefits way beyond keeping safe and looking after when it comes to what a nanny can do for your family and your child’s education.   As a nanny you have a huge responsibility, not only to keep your kids safe, but to set a good example and emotionally nurture the kids. And to teach them. We know that kids do what we do, not what we say, so setting a good example in your behavior is so important. That’s also why parents who are hiring a nanny should look for how a nanny carries herself, how she communicates and how she interacts, that is what will impri