Norland English College has been preparing the real Mary Poppins for over a century.
Royal nannies are more than nannies. They are capable of raising a child from any family as a prince. Such specialists are trained at Norland College. Of course in the UK. Graduates of this college fly all over the world. A nanny from there deals with the children of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Her colleague takes care of Mick Jagger’s kids. They are paid not just a lot, but a lot: the earnings of Norlandic nannies reach 75 thousand pounds sterling a year. In terms of our money – more than six million rubles. For comparison: a Russian teacher earns about 480 thousand rubles a year. And yet the demand for nannies from Norland is very high: six offers per graduate. Why are royal nannies paid that kind of money?
And there is a reason. Firstly, this is an exemplary nanny, very similar to Mary Poppins from our films with Natalya Andreichenko: she is always neatly dressed in a uniform dress, with brown boots of a certain pattern on her feet. In addition, in her wardrobe there is a uniform brown coat of a classic cut and a round hat; for every day – a jumper, navy blue trousers, a blue polo shirt and a jacket. The nanny’s hair is always tied up in a neat bun: no lush curls, just smooth hairstyles. There are modest stud earrings in the ears, no flashy jewelry and bijouterie, wristwatches are also prohibited. Bright makeup? In no case, a minimum of cosmetics. Manicure only without varnish and even without a polishing coating. It’s better not to even talk about piercings and tattoos. Gloves and tights – they are worn all year round. But this is only the “cover”.
When a nanny is in uniform, that is, at work, she has no right to even come close to kiosks or cafes selling fast food. She shouldn’t chew gum, listen to music with headphones, talk on the phone while walking, and buy alcohol.
During three years of study in Norland, the nanny receives all the necessary knowledge about the social and psycho-emotional development of the child. After all, it is her responsibility to establish contact with the baby. She knows everything about the early development of a baby, and not only in theory. And, of course, he knows how to entertain him without any cartoons: games, puzzles, active activities. The college provides its female students (and students) with all the necessary practice – no situation can unsettle her. Moreover, practice can be far from only in kindergarten: a future nanny can be sent to a children’s hospital or to a school for children with special needs.
Swaddling, bottle feeding or caring for a breastfed baby, changing diapers, bathing, noticing the first, earliest signs of possible diseases – all this is in the arsenal of knowledge and skills of the royal nanny.
The nanny, of course, knows how to cook. And not just scrambled eggs or porridge, but wholesome, balanced and healthy food, and even according to the age of the child. They know all about food allergies and how cultural differences in different countries affect the diet. This is important, because families from the UAE, for example, are queuing up for nannies from Norland. Very wealthy families. In addition, they know that a child should not eat if he has any health problems.
Moreover, the nanny is quite capable of organizing a children’s party: from preparing treats to decorating a room.
The royal nanny must be able to sew. She can. But the most amazing thing is that she also has the skills of a super agent. The nanny is an excellent car driver, even in difficult weather conditions. She is able to hide children from annoying paparazzi – to stealthily lead them into the car or elude surveillance. The nanny is able to fight back possible kidnappers – a physical rebuff. She knows everything about cybersecurity, and a child, even in the digital world, is protected from any misfortune. Of course, the supernanny’s pupil will have the knowledge of how to behave with strangers and what to do in an extreme situation.
“There are no two identical children and two identical families. Therefore, our graduates do not work according to any one template, but develop a special strategy for each family, – Vice President of the Mandy Donaldson School. – And we are always in touch, always ready to help. Our pupils can call at any time and ask anything: from the time of making an apple pie to a way to relieve a child’s stress in the event of a difficult event in the family. “
And one more requirement for royal nannies. True, no one can teach this, not even the teachers of Norland. A nanny should love children, sincerely worry about her pupils.
“Being a nanny is not only about singing lullabies and swinging babies on the arms. This is really hard work that can drain your nerves. Being responsible for a little creature is difficult. Our nannies must be ready for this so that reality does not shock them, ”says Mandy Donaldson.