Millie

Interviewee: Millie

Interviewer: Aine Connell

Date of recording: 16/08/2022

Recording location: On-line [Google Meet]; interviewer in Manchester, interviewee in Sitges, Spain

Length of recording: 45:15

Subjects (key words): Nannying, Bath, babysitting, routine, placement, children, parents, Covid, Norland, retail, anti-social hours

Abstract:

Millie is training to be a nanny in Bath. She took on her first job at age twelve as a babysitter for her family. She has found that she has always had an interest working with children and has found many rewards and benefits to her job.

She is studying nannying to complete a degree and a diploma, she finds work in between Norland College and is currently working in Spain after being offered to go on holiday with the family she is working for.

People in her life (family, teachers, friends) have expressed doubts over her career ambitions but are overall supportive.

During her time taking A-levels she thought of pursuing a future career in film but changed her mind after thinking she may struggle with job opportunities. She feels the opportunities in nannying are extensive, especially due to her being a Norland nanny which gives her a good reputation.

She has tried working in retail before and has considered a future where she could be working in an office, but she finds that nannying is her most desired future career.

There are struggles in her work, for example she identifies that the unsociable hours have meant she has to turn down a few social offers from friends. However, she overall has a positive outlook towards her degree/work/future work opportunities.

Transcript Summary:

[0:00-3:00]: Introduction and discussion of first job babysitting for her younger siblings and moved on to babysitting for other families.

[3:00-7:19]: Talking of current job found through the nannying college, on a placement in Spain with the family currently. Has a 6-week placement with the family. Discussions of daily routine of job.

[7:19-13:30]: Discussions of taking on her degree and diploma in nannying. Talks of placement opportunities that were taken on for diploma, finding experience for the future.

[13:30-16:46]: Talking of inspiration for career found from mother and other forms of inspiration. Documentary found on Norland that drove her interest. Impact of corona on career

[16:46-20:03]: Has worked retail jobs for three years in past. Little interest in that job. Discussion about A-levels, possibility of doing film at university, feels there’s lack of jobs for women in film.

[20:03-24:06]: Description of what Norland is. Doubts from friends and family over her career choice. How family and how they may have impacted work.

[24:06-28:10]: Aims for where she wants to work in the future. Impact of job/university on social life, partly due to unsociable hours of nannying. Can find work on an app that is linked to Norland, can book work babysitting jobs on there.

[28:10: 38:12]: How uniform is regulated and how behaviour must be professional when wearing uniform outside of Norland. Favourite parts of job mentioned. Difficulties of nannying and developing her own nannying style.

[38:12]: Plans for future. Enjoys working with new-borns. Talks of high-profile work and what kind of people she works for.

[41:12-45:15]: Rewarding aspects of work and if she has ever felt feelings of doubt in her work.

Excerpt

[00:13:24]

INTERVIEWER:

What made you decide to kind of go into this work?

MILLIE:

And I've always liked loved being around children. Um, my mum, I think I get it from my mum, my mum trained as a nursery nurse and she was just like, she's literally amazing with children. And so we've always had children in and out of our house, even now like we've all, we're all grown up. Me and my brother my sister, but somehow, my mum has just always got children in the house. She doesn't work with little children but she always finds them. I’ve had a lot of experience there, and I thought about being a teacher, um, did work experience at school. Did not like it. Um, I didn't like how they didn't really have that nice bond. I thought about being a, um, maternity nurse for a bit - then watched One Born Every Minute and thought, Nah, I'm not going to do that. And then there was a documentary about Norland in 2014 it's called Britain's poshest nannies and I think it's on YouTube. So interesting, I watched that and I would have been 12 or 13, I remember. I literally remember watching going on my God, this looks amazing. The training is a little bit different now, like the uniform’s different as well. We've got another campus but it was like, so, interesting. I remember going to my room immediately after and like Googling it and being like, Oh, I really want to go here.

So then after that, I did some more babysitting, and then just before lockdown, I got some more nannying experience. So I started working for two families. Then we went into lockdown and I was like, oh great. And then during the lockdown, one of the families asked me back. So I started doing homeschooling with the girls and trying to take them to the park and try to keep them entertained in a pandemic, which was hard, but I managed it. And one of them now is going up to secondary school, which is just like really crazy because when I started she was only about nine so I'm like ‘Oh, it feels so weird. They're all growing up!’ But yeah, I'm definitely happy in like, the career that I've chosen, it definitely like suits me, I think.

[…] [00:42:12]

I have doubts so many times. It's like, you know, when I feel like I haven't done a good job and I’m like do I actually want to be a nanny? Or, you know, there are days where it's an isolating job. It's really lonely, I don't have any co-workers, you know, I don't have an adult conversation most days. So there are days where I'm just like, oh, I’d just love to be in an office right now. Chatting someone my own age. Um, but, you know, it all, like I do love my job. I think it just – but I feel like that happens to everyone. Like you just have some really rubbish days where you’re like, am I doing the right thing, but then something happens where you’re like, oh no, yes, I am in the right career. But I think it's completely normal to get doubts as well.