In their uniform of jackets, white gloves, beige jumper and brown bowler hats, the nannies in training at Norland College, one of the oldest and most prestigious babysitting schools in the world, marked incongruous figures in the modern landscape.
Even in its 130th year, the Norland students continue to be in high demand. Each graduate receives an average of seven job offers. With only a few years in the field, most can also expect to earn salaries in excess of $100,000 a year, babysitting the children of bankers, royalty and celebrities.
The exact fate of a recent graduate can never really be known because confidentiality is taken very seriously. Mick Jagger and Roger Federer are among the many high-profile figures believed to have employed Norland graduates. The college neither confirmed nor denied the speculation. However, there are occasional exceptions to such professional caution.
“We were very lucky that the Royal Family allowed Prince George’s nanny to wear the Norland uniform to a christening in 2015, as we would never have shared information about a client,” said Janet Rose, Principal of Norland College. “But that was obviously publicity for us.”
After the uniform was seen at the actual event, interest in Norland skyrocketed. “They have asked us to open branches in China, in the United States,” said Rose, 59. “But we have always refused.”
Being so small is part of the charm, he said. The school enrolls only 300 students at a time, and their exclusivity keeps them in high demand.
Norland’s quaint uniform belies the myriad skills acquired in this four-year course: In addition to the basic curriculum of diapering, sewing, food preparation, and sleep schedules, students receive training in martial arts and evasive driving techniques. They also learn how to fend off potential kidnappers and protect strollers from paparazzi, while former military intelligence officers teach cybersecurity methods.
The British media have described the Norland nannies as “Mary Poppins crossed with James Bond”. This training may seem extreme, but the institution insists that the skills are necessary.
“We had a babysitter who successfully used her self-defense training in London when someone tried to take her from the stroller,” Dee Burn, the school’s director of marketing, said during a tour of the Norland campus. “And it’s not an isolated incident.”
Founded in London in 1892 by educational pioneer Emily Ward, Norland was the first educational establishment in Britain to offer formal training in childcare. The concept of a school dedicated to training nannies was innovative at the time and took advantage of a need. “The idea was to upgrade the status of the nanny to make it more of a profession than just being a servant,” said Katherine Holden, author of “Nanny Knows Best: The History of the British Nanny.”
With annual tuition fees of £15,000, or $17,000, it’s more expensive than Britain’s typical universities, which typically cap at £9,000.
Its instructors are experts in early childhood education. Rose is a former teacher and early childhood practitioner. While the program is surprisingly academic, the core centers on the teachings of Friedrich Fröbel, the 19th-century German known as the creator of the “kindergarten system,” which emphasizes reaching the “unique child” through play.
“I knew I wanted to work with kids since I was basically a kid,” said Sarah, 21, a freshman from Utah. (The university requested that the nannies be cited by first name only, to protect their identity.) “I thought the only way to do it was through education. So I went to college in another state to study child care.”
Sarah soon realized that large classrooms were not for her. “I love working one-on-one, in small groups, thinking about the whole child’s development, and not just educational achievement.”
After graduation, while looking for babysitting jobs, Sarah found Norland. “It was everything she needed,” she said.
SASKIA SOLOMON
THE NEW YORK TIMES
BBC-NEWS-SRC: http://www.nytsyn.com/subscribed/stories/6525431, IMPORTING DATE: 2023-01-10 19:40:07
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