How to Present the Perfect Nanny CV

Your CV is often the first introduction a family or recruiter has to you, so it needs to give a clear and accurate picture of your experience.

For nanny and private household roles, families are usually looking for more than a list of previous jobs. They want to understand the ages of the children you have cared for, the type of positions you have held, how long you remained with each family, your responsibilities, qualifications and the skills you can bring to their household.

A well-written CV should make that information easy to find at a glance.

Please don't send us a cover letter!

We do not require a cover letter or separate introductory message with your application.

Your professional summary should sit at the top of your CV and give us a concise overview of your experience, the age groups you have worked with and the type of role you are looking for.

There is no need to include a lengthy personal history. While helping to care for younger siblings, cousins or family friends may have influenced your decision to work with children, it is not the same as professional, paid nanny experience.

A clear, relevant CV is all we need.

Keep it clear and professional

Your CV does not need any elaborate graphics, multiple colours or complicated layouts. In fact, simple is usually better.

Use a clean, professional font and make sure the document is easy to read. Headings should be consistent and there should be enough space between sections so that a family or recruiter can scan the information quickly.

There is no strict rule that a nanny CV must be limited to two pages. If you have many years of relevant experience, particularly as a rota nanny, governess or maternity or newborn carer, it may naturally be longer.What matters is that the information remains relevant and concise.

Avoid repeating the same duties under every role. Your most recent positions should usually contain the most detail, with older roles kept slightly shorter where appropriate.

Start with a strong profile

At the beginning of your CV, include a short professional profile.

This should summarise your experience and immediately tell the reader what type of nanny you are.

You may want to include:

• Your number of years' professional childcare experience
• The age groups you have worked with
• Whether your background is predominantly nannying, teaching, maternity, rota or governess work
• Any particular strengths or specialist experience
• The type of position you are now looking for

Keep this section concise. Families often read the opening profile before deciding whether to continue through the rest of the CV.

Avoid broad statements such as "I love children" or "I am hardworking". Instead, focus on information that demonstrates your professional experience.

Include your contact details

Your name should appear clearly at the top of the CV, followed by your current location and contact details.

Use a professional email address. Remember that your contact details may be shared with a client once a placement is confirmed, so avoid old, humorous or inappropriate email addresses that may not give the right impression.

You do not need to include private information such as your full home address, date of birth, passport number or National Insurance number on your CV.

Qualifications and additional skills

List your childcare qualifications and relevant training, beginning with the most recent.

This may include:

• Early Years or childcare qualifications
• Teaching qualifications
• Maternity or newborn qualifications
• Paediatric first aid
• Safeguarding training
• Sleep consultancy or additional newborn training
• SEN experience or qualifications
• Driving licence
• Additional languages, including CEFR level
• Passport(s) held and any existing right to work in the UK, EU, US or other countries, where relevant to international or travelling roles

If you speak another language, be accurate about your level of fluency. Where appropriate, using a recognised level such as the CEFR scale can be helpful.

For international and travelling positions, your passport and existing work rights can also be important, so include these where relevant. There is no need to include your passport number or a copy of your passport on your CV.

If you are currently studying towards a qualification, you can include it, but make it clear that it is still in progress.

Employment history

Your employment history is one of the most important parts of your CV.

Start with your most recent position and work backwards.

For each nanny role, we recommend including:

• Dates of employment, including month and year
• Location
• Whether the position was live-in, live-out or rota
• Days and hours worked
• Ages of the children when you started
• Whether the role was sole charge or shared care
• Your key responsibilities

For example:

January 2023 – Present
Full-Time Nanny | London
Children aged 2 and 5 at commencement
Monday to Friday, 8am–6pm | Sole charge

You can then briefly describe your responsibilities.

Rather than simply listing generic phrases such as "all nursery duties", give enough information to show the level of responsibility you held.

This may include planning age-appropriate activities, preparing children's meals, managing nursery and school routines, supporting developmental milestones, arranging playdates and appointments, helping with homework, managing children's wardrobes, packing for travel and liaising with schools or other professionals.

Where you have travelled extensively with a family, supported children through different developmental stages or taken on additional responsibilities over time, include this.

Show how you work with children

Families want to understand how your experience translates into the day-to-day care of their children.

If you are an experienced nanny, include examples of how you support children's development through play, routines, age-appropriate activities, everyday learning and, where relevant, an understanding of the EYFS.

For younger children, this may include sensory play, speech and language activities, outings, messy play, reading, music or supporting physical development.

For school-aged children, you may have experience with homework, educational activities, reading, school projects, extracurricular activities, encouraging independence or preparing children for entrance examinations such as the 7+ and 11+.

Your CV does not need to read like an Early Years textbook. A few well-chosen examples are more useful than lengthy descriptions.

Maternity and Newborn Carers

formerly commonly referred to as Maternity Nurses and Maternity Practitioners

Maternity and newborn carers often work with a large number of families, sometimes on relatively short bookings, so their CVs will naturally look different from those of a long-term nanny.

Rather than writing a lengthy description beneath every booking, we recommend including a clear summary of your newborn experience and specialist skills towards the beginning of your CV.

For example:

• Singletons and twins
• Premature babies
• Reflux and colic
• Tongue-tie
• Feeding support
• Establishing routines
• Sleep support
• Travel with newborns
• 24-hour maternity roles
• Rota maternity positions

You can then list your previous bookings clearly, including the dates, location, length of booking, age of the baby or babies at commencement and whether the position was days, nights, 24-hour or rota.

This allows families to quickly understand the depth of your newborn experience without making your CV unnecessarily long.

References

There is no need to publish previous employers' names, phone numbers or email addresses on your CV.

You may simply state:

References available upon request.

Always obtain permission before sharing a previous employer's contact details.

This is particularly important when you have worked for private or high-profile families.

When registering with an agency, you will normally be asked to provide separate reference details so your employment history can be verified.

Presentation matters

Keep the design understated.

We generally recommend:

• One clear, professional font
• Black or dark text
• Consistent headings
• Sensible spacing
• No unnecessary illustrations or graphics
• No charts or skill-rating graphs
• No heavily designed templates that make the information difficult to read

Your experience should be the focus.

Save your CV as either a Word document or PDF and make sure the formatting remains consistent when it is opened on another device.

Name the file clearly using your full name, for example Jane Smith CV, rather than something generic such as September CV or Updated CV. Generic file names can easily become lost among multiple applications once downloaded.

Common CV mistakes

Before sending your CV, check carefully for:

• Incorrect employment dates
• Unexplained gaps
• Inconsistent formatting
• Spelling mistakes
• Incorrect children's ages
• Incomplete job information
• Duties copied word-for-word under every position
• Qualifications listed as completed when they are still in progress
• Language ability being overstated
• Excessive personal information
• Private family details being included without permission

Employment dates are particularly important.

If a position ran from March 2022 until September 2023, state the month as well as the year. This gives families and agencies a much clearer understanding of your work history.

Finally

A strong nanny CV does not need to be complicated.

It should allow a family to quickly understand your professional background, the children you have cared for, the level of responsibility you have held and the experience you can bring to their household.

Keep it accurate, well structured and relevant.

Your experience is what should stand out — not the design of the document.