Female nannies are far more prevalent than their male counterparts, however, a rising number of men are providing home-based child care in Australia. Offering nanny-style services with a male dynamic, 'mannies' are both a practical and enriching option for many families.
To get a sense of what a male nanny does and why parents choose this type of child care, we spoke with Michael, a manny from White Glove Services.
What led you to become a male nanny, Michael?
I have always had an interest in taking care of children. I come from a large family that was busy and loud growing up, so working with children felt natural for me. Career-wise, I've worked in both centre-based care and as a manny in private homes.
As with nannies, mannies can provide full-time, part-time, live-in and live-out child care. What is your current working arrangement?
I am a part-time, live-out manny and tutor, working for two different families. My morning shift involves caring for three children who are aged two, six and seven years. And my afternoon family has two school kids aged nine and eleven.
What are your main duties for these families?
Mornings are always busy and fun. I arrive at 7am, prepare breakfast, ensure teeth are brushed and hair is done (yes – I can even do hair!) and generally get the children ready for school and kindergarten. Then we walk to school at 8:15am and I drop the little one off at kindergarten. I return to the home for light housework (laundry, bed-making, general tidying) and finish at 11:30am.
At 2:30pm, I begin with my second family, tutoring two boys who need assistance with Math and Science. We also prepare for exams as required. I collect the boys from school, do afternoon tea, homework, 30 minutes of Math and 30 minutes of Science. Then the boys and I cook their evening meal together, prior to leaving for their extra-curricular activities (tennis and music lessons).
What would you say are the main benefits of hiring a male nanny?
In my morning role, there's no difference between the duties I do and what a female nanny would do for the family. With my afternoon role, the father travels a lot for work, so the family specifically wanted a manny to ensure that the boys have a consistent male role model.
Over the time you've been mannying, has there been a particular type of family you've often worked for?
In my own experience, most families that are specifically seeking a manny have a father who works away or travels frequently, so the parents are looking for a consistent male role model in their children's lives.
What do you love most about mannying?
I love the fact that I make a positive contribution to families on a daily basis. Not only do I assist the children, but I also assist the parents in the smooth running of their personal life.
I cook, clean, drive, tutor, walk the dogs – anything they need. Everything I do takes pressure off the parents and helps. I walk away at the end of each day feeling like I have made a difference in someone's life.
I especially love the tutoring aspect of my role, I enjoy the fact that I begin with a family whose children are 'sound' achievers, and within a term or two they are 'high achievers.' That’s a direct reflection of my work and I can see the children I work with improving.
It sounds like you have an excellent rapport with the five children you care for. How do they describe you?
I asked the children this question and here are the answers I received:
- "Your jokes are funny!"
- "You make pretty good spaghetti."
- "Your pancakes are good too."
- "Sometimes you beep the horn in the car."
- "You like the sun and not the winter."
- "My dog likes you too."
- "My mum said if she was Batman, you would be Robin – by the way, who's Robin?"
- "You always make me brush my teeth in the morning when you know I hate it!"
- "You don’t sing very well, but you can do the Floss pretty good!"
- "You play soccer."
- "You help me if someone is being mean to me at the park and won’t let me have a turn on the swing. You make us have five minutes each and time us."
- "You make me laugh."
That's great to hear and thanks so much for your time, Michael.
Are you interested in employing a manny?
Agencies like White Glove Services can connect you with a high quality male nanny; and for more information read our article Finding and Employing a Male Nanny.
