What it's really like to be a Norland Nanny: Student at school where royal childcare experts train reveals hers day-to-day including tiny bedrooms, defence lessons and incredible perks

Daily Mail​

23-04-2025

A trainee at the elite school where royals and millionaires hire their nannies has revealed behind the doors look at her day-to-day.
Lydia, who posts as @thenannylifewithlyd, is currently training to be a Norland Nanny at their college in Bath.
Graduates from the school often pick up jobs with prestigious families, most notably, the Prince and Princess of Wales hired Maria Borrallo to look after their children Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six.
Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger also employs a Norlander, while Princess Beatrice is thought to have hired a £1000-a-week Norland nanny for the birth of her first daughter Sienna in 2021.
Newly qualified nannies can earn up to £47,600 at the start of their career, while some earn up to £120,000 after a few years' experience - plus perks including designer handbags, trips abroad and luxurious living quarters.
Lydia has now shared a picture of her tiny room inside the dormitory-style accommodation.
The nanny-in-training, who is also undertaking a BA (Hons) in Early Years Development and Learning alongside her Norland Diploma moved to Bath also revealed she has learned how to correctly swaddle and change a baby as well as cook nutritious meals such as Pan seared pork chop and drop scones.
Modules at the college include Safeguarding and Child Protection, Promoting Health and Wellbeing, Making Sense of Children's Behaviour and Working with Families and Communities as well as Communication in Practice, Food and Nutrition, Health and Wellbeing, Play and Learning, and Sewing.
And since starting at the school, Lydia revealed she has learned to sew, completing a children's apron and a string of bunting despite never having sewn before.
She also revealed that students get their hands on a 'Norland goody bag' complete with a large Norland-branded binder.
The student also explained that they have normal university experiences, such as a Freshers Week which included a treasure hunt and fresher's fair and moving in to halls with the other trainee nannies.
Easily identifiable by their brown dresses and matching hats, brown shoes and white gloves, Norland nannies are trained in their specialist college in Bath and can sometimes be spotted walking around the historic city in their famous uniforms.
The course costs £15,000 per year and can be applied for through UCAS with prospective students needing to have at least three Cs at A-Level, or equivalent.
The unique degree programme includes psychology, child health, philosophy, social sciences, literature and education.
The trainee also revealed she has learned paediatric first aid including the recovery position and CPR.
She has also undergone anti-terrorism training, alongside classic course like how to correctly feed a newborn.
To ease the trainee nannies in to their new roles, they are also given new born simulation to look after and Lydia shared a snap of herself dressed in casual clothes pushing a pram with 'baby Freddie' in.
Fellow nanny Sophie (@nanny_amara) has also taken to social media to give an insight in to her training.
Taking to Instagram, the trainee has shared snapshots of the elite school's kitchen where she has been 'cooking up a storm'.
And Principal Dr Janet Rose, previously explained that they try to balance the skills of a high level member of staff with those of a caring nanny, adding that it's the combination that makes the graduates so unique.
She told The i Paper earlier this year: 'We get a lot of people comparing us to secret agents, but our lessons in self-defence and security are balanced against knowing how to use an aga or creating meals for a child with allergies.'
And according to Elspeth Pitman, head of graduates and placements, there are said to be 14 job openings for every Norlander, with requests from 'surgeons, lawyers and business people who work long hours'.
Those who are accepted on the programme must wear the £1,000 Norland uniform - and while wearing this clothing, students and nannies are reportedly banned from eating at fast-food restaurants, wearing headphones and chewing gum.
They must also never cross the road without waiting for the green light to show while wearing the traditional uniform.
Moreover, hair must be worn in a bun, nails are to be cut short, the word 'kid' is prohibited and engagement rings should not be worn when working with children.
Ahead of a nanny being placed with a family, there is a formal interview, followed by a trial run for 24 hours, or longer in some cases.
Nannies can expect to live in some of the world's most exclusive locations and holiday with families to high-end resorts around the world.
However being a nanny is also extremely demanding: Norlanders must be willing to put the family first and 'never share' any private information they might have heard, 'even if it seems trivial', explained Elspeth.
Students must also sign up to the Norland Code of Professional Responsibilities which sets out the professional standards they might up hold, including respecting the family's right to 'privacy and confidentiality', so no tell-all books about famous employers.
They must prioritise children and their families and respect the role of parents, which can be a difficult dynamic for any childminder to navigate. But the nannies are well compensated for their work.
A Norland nanny with more than ten years experience working overseas can command a salary of £130,000.
But even for those just starting out they are well paid, taking home more than teachers, doctors and lawyers.
For those working in London and coming in daily they can take home £49,500 and after five years their rate increases to £66,500.
Norland College now accepts international students and had its first male graduate in 2019.
Speaking to FEMAIL in 2022, Principal Dr Janet Rose and Mandy Edmond, Vice Principal, Head of Quality and Standards and Registrar, revealed how in order to be accepted, students have to be 'creative, resilient and practical' - and be capable of keeping their employer's secrets.
Dr Janet continued: 'Amongst many traits, Norland Nannies need to be loving, kind, honest, creative, practical, responsible, organised and willing to continually learn and improve in order to do the very best for the families and young children with whom they work.
'We aren't looking for an in-depth knowledge of babies and young children because we will teach them this.
'Instead we're looking for what we can't teach – an absolute commitment to being the person that changes the world through shaping the life of the children they work with.'
Students must also sign up to the Norland Code of Professional Responsibilities which sets out the professional standards they might up hold, including respecting the family's right to 'privacy and confidentiality', so no tell-all books about famous employers.
They must also prioritise children and their families and respect the role of parents, which can be a difficult dynamic for any childminder to navigate.
'We interview all applicants that are predicted to meet our entry requirements and candidates also take part in a task designed to assess their communication skills and enthusiasm for working with babies and young children,' Dr Janet said.
'Students that are fully committed to developing both their theoretical knowledge and their practical skills over the course of Norland's four-year full-time degree and integrated practical diploma training will stand out,' Dr Janet explained.
'Norlanders, or Norland Nannies as they are known, are famed worldwide for their exceptional training, flexible approach and professionalism.
'They undergo intensive full-time training over four years that uniquely blends theory and practice with a wealth of hands-on real-world experience to earn two distinct qualifications – the Norland BA (Hons) early years degree and the prestigious Norland diploma, a unique qualification which teaches all of the practical skills required to care for babies and young children.
'While at Norland, students spend almost 50 per cent of their time (at least 1,216 placement hours) on placement in a variety of early years settings - including nursery, school, hospital, special needs school settings and as a daily and live-in nanny.
'They gain additional skills and experience for their toolkit through Norland's value-added curriculum, which includes self-defence classes, security and cyber-security training, emotion coaching, sleep and behaviour, skid pan driving, baby massage and many more.
'Another unique aspect of our delivery includes a specialist programme of employment preparation which incorporates interview skills, CV preparation and sessions on financial planning, including pension and tax.'
NORLAND NANNIES: A HISTORY
Norland College, founded in 1892 by Emily Ward, is a leading provider of childcare training.
Emily Ward introduced a uniform so Norland graduates would be recognised as professionals and not mistaken for housemaids and it is still a strong part of the college's tradition.
The founder focused her training on the principles of Friedrich Froebel, the German educationalist who developed the 'kindergarten system'.
Its Early Childhood Studies course concentrates on numerous aspects of childhood.
Students study elements of social science, psychology, child health, history, literature and education.
It also trains its students - known as 'Norlanders' when they graduate - how to work with families, develop a child's math skills and become a whizz in the kitchen and teach a child not only how to cook, but how to cook healthy meals.
Along with the traditional skills of cooking, sewing and first aid, new subjects on the curriculum include Taekwondo, self defence, skidpan driving - and escaping from paparazzi.