Thanks to Katie Vaughn, founder, for her great input on this! It’s a pretty important topic in Hollywood it seems. There are so many babies with nannies, we thought it would be great to hear their side of the story a little bit!
The life of a celebrity nanny may look glamorous from the outside, but the reality is that it’s a tough job and requires a true labor of love. Celebrity nanny agency, Westside Nannies, based in Beverly Hills and San Francisco, opens up about the less-than-ideal circumstances celebrity nannies face on a daily basis.
Sacrificing Your Personal Life
While most families understand that their nannies’ have lives outside of work, a celebrity nanny is often ‘on-call’ 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. So while she may be given a couple days off on a regular basis, a last minute photo shoot or appearance for her employer means she must be willing to take on extra hours, even if it means cancelling plans with her friends of significant other. While having to push your personal life aside to work on your day off may sound awful, the perks of being a celebrity nanny often outweigh this!
Working An Unusual Schedule
Unlike most parents, celebrity parents don’t work ‘normal’ schedules, which means that their nanny must be willing and able to work odd days and hours. Being a celebrity nanny requires extreme flexibility, which often entails working nights and weekends, frequent travel, and sometimes being asked to work for 7+ days in a row without time off. The upside? Making a plush salary and reaping the benefits of free travel, meals, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences!
Losing Your Ego
Celebrity households are busy – numerous employees, clients, and guests are always coming through the door. So at the end of the day, when everything has been said and done, most families like to spend time alone. Working as a celebrity nanny means being completely comfortable with the fact that you are not asked to join for dinner, attend family functions, or visit certain rooms of the house. Acelebrity nanny understands that this is not a personal reflection on her or her childcare abilities, but a professional boundary set in place in order to maintain a healthy working environment.
Juggling It ALL!
While a nanny’s primary duties are to provide comprehensive childcare, many celebrity homes are run like boutique hotels: there is always something to be done. The ability to “wear every hat” is an essential qualification for a celebrity nanny. Being a celebrity nanny means providing excellent service at all times, whether that means preparing a simple meal, booking appointments and activities, taking the trash out, tending to the family pets, or changing a dirty diaper. Finally, a celebrity nanny must always remember that she is never ‘above’ a certain task, and has to be willing to get her hands dirty if necessary!
