For many college students, working as a nanny is the only way they’ll consider spending their summer break. There are dozens of reasons why working as a nanny is the ideal way to make money over summer vacation; here are a few of them.
- Room and Board – For dorm dwellers that want to spend the summer in town but aren’t able to take summer classes, working as a live-in nanny can be a great option.
- Charges Are Typically Older – Frequently, parents that are looking for a summer nanny have school-aged children, creating a need for childcare that might not be an issue during the school year. For college students that might not be comfortable with infants, this can be a great way to make extra cash while enjoying the company of kids.
- Work Experience – Students with an education or childcare-related major can benefit greatly from this hands-on work experience during summer break. In addition to looking great on a resume, the experience can also boost a student’s confidence in their own abilities.
- Acquiring Household Management Skills – Often, college is the last stop before adulthood sets in. Working as a nanny can help students learn valuable skills that will serve them well when the time comes for running their own household.
- Job Stability – A great summer nanny can almost always count on resuming their post each summer that they’re in school, which can do wonders for relieving job-hunting stress. Also, parents are likely to call their student nanny for occasional evening babysitting jobs throughout the year, which can be a blessing for cash-strapped students.
- Fun and Games – While caring for children is an important job and should be treated as such, there’s still an element of fun involved. Since keeping kids occupied and happy is a big part of the job description, it creates the perfect opportunity to recapture the fun of childhood for a summer.
- Vacations – Summer nannies are often engaged specifically to accompany families on vacation. For students of limited means, this can be the best way to travel while earning money and having fun.
- Structure and Stability – In the hustle and bustle of college life, routines and stability usually go out the window. Because these things are so important in the lives of children, working as a nanny can be a great way of enjoying the structure of a schedule before the frantic pace of school restarts.
- Learning Crisis Management – Few thing prepare a person for dealing with emergencies like working with children. One of the quickest and most effective ways of learning to work under pressure is to take on the chaos that is caring for children.
- Staying in Shape – Students who’ve fallen victim to the Freshman Fifteen are likely to find themselves back in shape very soon after taking a nanny post. Chasing little ones and keeping up with their needs is a great way to get (and stay) in shape between school years.
Though there are many more reasons why students love to spend their summers working as a nanny, it’s certainly not for everyone. These positions require a genuine love of kids and a sincere desire to spend every day with them, which might not be a great fit for everyone. For those that do look forward to working with children, there are few summer jobs with the potential to be as rewarding as becoming a nanny.
