Super nannies on super wages: high-end nannies taking home over £100,000 a year

• Highest recorded wage for a UK live-in nanny is £104,000 - more than four times the national average salary
• No easy job: some employers ask for a minimum three to five years’ experience, a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) enhanced check and a minimum Level 3 childcare qualification
• Lavish benefits can include: own flat/house, expenses paid holidays, car allowances, cash bonuses, gym memberships and private health insurance
• Obscure recruitment criteria include ski instructor qualifications, being willing to feed carrots to the pet donkey once a day, and bringing your other half to work along with you
   

New research¹ from Direct Line’s SELECT Premier Insurance reveals high-end nannies and au-pairs can take home wages as high as £104,000, more than four times the national median annual salary of £23,4742. In addition to generous wages, some nannies can also expect to see extravagant benefits including their own flat/house, holidays, car allowances, cash bonuses, free gym memberships, private health insurance, and travel expenses.

The wages of high-end nannies are often counterbalanced by their hours of work, with their demanding schedules often exceeding the median 37-hour working week².  Nannies can be expected to work as much as 84 hours a week and some employers expect them to be on call 24/7. Nannies can earn the highest wages by working internationally in the Middle East, Asia and Russia, where British nannies are in high demand.  

Some nanny positions were found to have more obscure criteria to secure the hire. These included possessing ski instructor qualifications, agreeing to feed the pet donkey and working alongside your other half on the job. One agency even reported parents demanding more than just couples, requesting pairs that spoke specific languages, such as Russian. One of the families interviewed in the research commissioned by Select Premier Insurance, would only recruit a British nanny that could cook vegan meals and speak fluent Mandarin. Some family requests were more aesthetically focused, asking for “ugly nannies only”, and others asking for “size six nannies only”.

Besides the exceptional salary, generous employers sometimes reward their staff with highly costly and unexpected items as gifts alongside their other perks. One nanny interviewed by the insurer described how she was given a home by a family after spending ten years looking after their children. Another childminder was given a Rolex watch with the children’s names engraved on it for her 40th birthday.
 

Nick Brabham, head of SELECT Premier Insurance, says: “Making sure that your children have the best possible care is a top priority for all parents. As a result, families are spending more and more to ensure that their child is safe and looked after by someone that is reliable, responsible and a good role model. Whilst ensuring that a nanny can provide the best level of care for your children, and will be able to meet their needs and demands, parents should also ensure they can trust the nanny being in their home unsupervised. Householders with a live-in childminder should always remember to protect both their own and their nanny’s belongings by registering them both on their insurance policy.”

To become a high-end nanny you are expected to have at least three to five years of previous experience, which rises to over ten years’ experience for those who want to become a governess (a nanny who also has teaching qualifications). Additionally, a governess is also required to have a full DBS enhanced check and at least a Level 3 childcare qualification.

SELECT Premier Insurance offers unlimited contents insurance that covers the contents belonging to domestic staff who permanently reside in the home and to invited guests while they are on the premises of any home named on the schedule of insurance. The maximum paid out for loss or damage to jewellery or money by them or that is covered by other insurance is £1,000.

For more information on this please visit: 
 

ENDS
 

Notes to editor

¹  Telephone research conducted by Select Premier Insurance from Direct Line amongst 20 recruitment agencies that place high-end nannies, governesses and au-pairs between the 24th October and the 4th of November.

²  Median average annual salary and paid hours worked (all workers) taken from Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) – Office of National Statistics (2017)
 

For further information please contact:

Claire Foster

Direct Line

claire.foster@directlinegroup.co.uk

0165 183 1672

Nick Andrews

Citigate Dewe Rogerson

nick.andrews@citigatedewerogerson.com

020 7282 1050
 

About SELECT Premier Insurance

Direct Line offers SELECT Premier Insurance to cover homes, cars and valuables of high worth, as well as breakdown cover, pet and travel insurance, all covered under just one policy. When taking out SELECT Premier Insurance, Direct Line will even pay your cancellation charges from your previous policy, making it even easier and affordable to have all your policies under one roof, with one payment plan and one renewal date.

At SELECT Premier Insurance we help you stay in control by offering you a truly personal service. To begin with, one of our accredited insurance advisors will carry out a complimentary individual telephone review with you. Then they’ll give you tailored advice, based on your unique needs, for example, specialist cover for valuables such as fine art and jewellery (without needing to list individual items worth less than £10,000) or for your property portfolio, to ensure you get exactly the right level of cover.

To find out more about what Direct Line SELECT Premier can offer, go to  or go straight through to an expert, not a machine, on 0800 206 2849
 

Direct Line

Started in 1985, Direct Line became the first UK insurance company to use the telephone as its main channel of communication. It provides motor, home, travel and pet insurance cover direct to customers by phone or on-line.

Direct Line general insurance policies are underwritten by U K Insurance Limited, Registered office: The Wharf, Neville Street, Leeds LS1 4AZ. Registered in England and Wales No 1179980. U K Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

Direct Line and UK Insurance limited are both part of Direct Line Insurance Group plc.
 

Customers can find out more about Direct Line products or get a quote by calling 0345 300 7838 or visiting