Who is a nanny or nursery nurse and what do they do? The nanny looks after children in their own home, when the parents go out or are engaged with other activities. The nursery nurse may be a nanny, but may also work with children of the same age in children’s nurseries or creches. The two will have the same or similar qualifications.
What are the activities of the nanny or nursery nurse job? Helping the children during the day to prepare their clothes, to dress themselves and to eat; taking children to school and taking them back home afterwards; accompanying the children in their spare time (in parks and public gardens, watching films etc.).
Where is it done and under what conditions? In the children’s homes or wherever else they are, according to whatever activity is being undertaken. Some nannies may live in with the family, or go on holiday with them, and become part of the family, others may work only during the day when the parents are out at paid work. Hours can be long and often outside normal office hours, including weekends.
What tools/equipment do they use? Books and magazines for reading, videocassettes for cartoons, toys, games, dishes, plates and cutlery.
What do you need to succeed? You need an occupational training course (in the practice and theory of the job), which can be at least 6 months, probably a year, long. At the end of the training course, depending on the regulations of the country concerned, you can get a certificate of registration and a recommendation regarding the your moral character. In some countries – e.g. the UK – this would involve a routine check of police files and clearance from the police to ensure that no one who has abused children in the past can take a job like this.