This September, the world-famous Norland College in Bath welcomed Gregory Ridley, Connor Beckles, Nathaniel Fabien and Jordon Murray onto its BA in Early Years Development and Learning. This was Norland’s largest intake to date, and the nanny training college has never taken as many as four male undergraduates in its 125-year history. In fact, only seven men have graduated from Norland College previously, with the first male trainee arriving in 2012.
As we have said many times before, male nannies are on the rise and we’re seeing a real spike in enquiries for male nannies here at Nannies of St James. But what’s behind this unprecedented surge in demand?
Mandy Donaldson, Norland’s vice principal, says it’s all part of a wider cultural shift, with men taking on domestic jobs and vocational roles that they would not have considered ten or twenty years ago:
‘We have male nurses, male midwives and male nursery teachers,’ she says. ‘One of the main issues for men to date has been the salary: childcare is seen as underpaid and undervalued. But we’re trying to turn that on its head.’
Gregory Ridley is one of the four undergrads and explains that the excellent salary a top-end nanny can command was one of his reasons for applying to Norland College:
‘When my mates found out that I was coming to Norland at first they were really unimpressed. But then I told them about the salary and they said ‘Can I come? Where do I sign up?”
Thanks to increasing gender equality, gender stereotypes in the workplace are gradually being redressed. Girls are now actively encouraged to consider careers in typically male industries like engineering, and finally boys are being encouraged to look to traditionally female vocations for themselves.
Male nannies are often credited with being more outdoor-led and adventurous, thus forming the role of companion for charges in many families. One single mother of two boys from North-West London, says:
‘The boys love being around male role models like Jonny, our nanny. My younger son plays a lot of football with him. My older son enjoys conversations, walks and technology. I trust him to be a positive male figure for my sons. They like hanging out with him, and I can juggle my responsibilities with greater ease.’
Are you a newly-qualified male nanny looking for your first role in a private household? Or an experienced male nanny looking to make a move to pastures new? Give us a call today – we would love to hear from you.