Would You Hire a Manny #manny #nanny

Would You Hire A Male Nanny (Manny)?

Being a nanny I am meeting and having playdates with nannies very often. It’s usually the highlight of the week to plan and be around a grown up doing the same job as you do. Someone who knows all the perks and bad sides of being a nanny.

However, very rarely I get to meet a manny, but when I do it makes perfect sense. Some people are just made to take care of children. They have that instinct, feeling and ability to recognize what children and families need even before families think of it. There is many things that make a qualified childcare provider, and gender of a person should not be one of the factors, so here I am – doing what I can to break the stigma and get you to see potential of hiring a male nanny.

dad and daughter

 

Mannies have a hard work in competing for jobs in our field. They have to work harder, have better education, experience and they are constantly observed in a way that female nanny is not.

Positive side of considering a male nanny is that they have different perspective.

They are kind, trustworthy and gentle just as a female nanny would be, but we all know how important it is for a child to be exposed to male influence as well.

If you have boys, having male nanny would mean your boys would play more sports, (different sports) and video games. Legos, feeding and chores would be differently taken care of, and I think mannies have lot to offer in a different way than a nanny would. They would be having male role model throughout a day that will show them how you can be cool, fun and have amazing time while still following rules and being respectful towards others.

I got a chance to talk to several mannies recently and I will feature one of them today.

I met Danny from Angeles Mannies and he shared with me how he started his nanny career and “Manny To Go” Nanny Agency.

Danny, how many years have you been working in childcare?

I think I can realistically say I have been in childcare since I was 7 so, 23 years! Growing up in England I am the eldest of 4, I have two younger brothers and one younger sister and so have always had the passion and ability to helps mums and dads!

 

What made you even consider being a male nanny?

Becoming a male nanny was basically the next logical step along the chain for me. Having babysat from such an early age and then helping with neighbors in England, I decided to travel to Los Angeles in 2007 and work at a summer camp as the Go-Kart specialist. Despite the fact that on day 1 I filled up all the tanks with oil and not gas and put them all out of commission for the next few days was irrelevant, I had an accent and could therefore do no wrong in their eyes. I replaced the go-karts and ran every one of them around the track on my back multiple times, problem solved! I began to babysit a family outside of the camp setting and went from there!

 

How do people perceive you and do you feel “looked down” for being a nanny?

To be honest I’m not entirely sure how I’m perceived doing what I’m doing, all I know is that I enjoy it and if you can get paid for doing something you enjoy, there really isn’t much else that matters. What is the most challenging thing for you working as nanny?

Ahem, “Manny”! I would say the most challenging part would have to be the parents! Moving from England as a babysitter and thrown into the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, it really is a different ballgame altogether. The quicker you can assimilate into the inner workings of the family and tune into the wavelength of the parents, the better!

 

What do you like to do the most with kids?

Swim time is by far the most enjoyable, which in LA can pretty much be everyday! I find myself turning up in swim shorts and being noticeably disappointed when the children prefer to build a fort or go hiking. And the more the merrier, my favorite game is to have as many children hang on as possible, and spin around in the pool until only one remains, they love it and I get a free workout.

 

Did you/will you take any courses related to childcare field, to make you more qualified many?

I have recently joined the International Nanny Association, both as a Manny and as a Agency, and am currently searching all the resources I now have at my disposal. Additionally, I also have a degree in Psychology and Forensic Science, with an emphasis on Child Development (the psychology part, not the forensic science!!)

 

Would You Hire a Manny #manny #nanny

How would you describe start of your Manny Life?

My story is pretty simple and I may have covered most of it above, as I’ve mentioned I have been around young children my whole life, and have always enjoyed facilitating their development, mental, physical and academic.

I came to America in 2007 initially to work at a summer camp, I signed up online, filled out an application, and the next step being to wait by the phone as different directors from across America check over your application and decide if they want you at their camp. We were advised this was the ‘boring wait’ part.

The next day I got a call from Mike (camp name, Otter!) who said he had a camp in Santa Clarita, California; I had heard of California, but not Santa Clarita,.

I knew being placed somewhere ‘cool’ was secondary to being placed anywhere at all, so I asked what was nearby and heard a barrage of familiar names ‘Hollywood, Universal Studios, Santa Monica, the 101’ and I was in and confirmed!

Long story short, I was at the camp in 2007, 2009 and parts of 2010/2011. I also began working with a family outside of the camp as few nights a week and weekends. When mom employer realized I needed more income to support myself in America she put me in touch with a friend of hers who used to work for a celebrity couple (Bruce Willis and Demi Moore) and she was able to find me work with a wealthy, low profile family in Beverly Hills. Still feeling like a tourist in my new Country, I was getting the ultimate lavish experience with two amazing kids and quickly realized I had to up my Manny skills to keep in the game. As time went on, I had the opportunity to work with more families in a wide variety of positions and unique situations from chaperoning Disneyland excursions with 10 12yr old boys to helping Harry Styles of One Direction clean poop off his pants (a Pomeranian got a little too excited to be sitting on his lap), my Manny experience is endless!

 

Now we are in 2015, the past few years have passed and I have constantly been asked how I got into Mannying and where they can find someone like me, and I found myself directing them to the agencies that I knew in the local area. It didn’t take me long to discover that the staffing agencies in Los Angeles are very female oriented, they rarely employ male employees and I find they tend not to sell the Male Nanny to their client and go with sending female staff because their talent pool is so much larger in this area.

It was because of this that I decided to start reaching out to Mannies like myself whenever a family would ask me if I knew of anybody, I would get an idea of what they were after, do my own research to find someone I thought would go well with their children and put them in touch with eachother. It took me a while (embarrassingly) to realize that this is essentially what an agency does and thus, Angeles Mannies was born.

I knew that I would be better suited to knowing what families were looking for in a Manny not only because I AM a Manny but because I am also.. Male! I am also well equipped to run exhaustive background checks, speak with references and meet up with the mannies in a social environment to get a feel for their general persona.

During my time in England I also worked as a recruiter so I am also familiar with the process from start to finish and the ongoing support for both parties in the relationship between Manny and Family.

 

Males have so much to offer as a caregiver and as I continue to do this, I can see that more and more families are coming to understand this, it is one of those strange taboos that never really made any sense to me I have taken it upon myself to not only demonstrate, but to actively promote male caregivers in the domestic environment.

 

 

Check out Danny and Angeles Mannies on Facebook and contact the Manny Agency located in Beverly Hills at (661) 666-1012 or info@angelesmannies.com

Have you ever hired a many? I challenge you to try it! Even for a babysitting gig to see the benefit of it. Share your experience, good or bad, in comment section and help us all connect, learn from each other and be the best childcare providers!

 

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14 thoughts on “Would You Hire A Male Nanny (Manny)?

  1. I was a nanny for over 10 years and so this is super interesting…I think men can make fabulous nannies…it’s just culturally something that parents have to let set in…

  2. Kids need good male role models in their life. Our weird gendered assumptions around men in childcare are putting our kids at a disadvantage.

  3. My husband is an elementary school teacher in a special ed classroom. He sometimes faces stigma because males are so uncommon in that field. I imagine male nannies face worse!

  4. Funny, I admire males in nurturing roles even more so, there’s no looking down on them! Thank you for this interesting profile!

  5. I really want to use this on my social media site, but there are so many syntax and grammar errors….

  6. Pedro, I can sense by your comment that you don’t seem for men who want to be a Mannie. Its simple, men like myself want a chance to work with children because there are so many fathers out there who don’t want anything to do with their children or any children. So many kids need a male role model and influence in their lives instead of just a mommy. Perhaps, children do have a mommy and a daddy but the daddy is so busy that he doesn’t have that “quality” time with his children. Never would I ever think of stepping in and assuming a “father” role but I would do all that I can to enjoy my time with the children and help them grow. I love children and playing games with them and to me if I can get paid to do something I really enjoy and watching the children I serve grow as a person and looking back to see all the positives I have given them, then to me that puts joy in my heart.

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