b"F I N D I N G Y O U R N I C H EBECOMING ANORLANDNANNYhannah - head of set 42I am in my third year of study at Norland and I am Head of Students. (Each year group at Norland is known as a set; I am actually a member of the142nd student cohort because Norland used to take more than one cohort a year). While taking a year's break from my psychology degreestudies, I was fortunate to work in a wonderful nanny position in London where I quickly realized the magic of working with children and theimportance of inspiring the next generation. I wanted to pursue this career, but I also wanted to gain the highest qualifications possible so that Icould provide the utmost care and support to all my charges. On my first open day visit to Norland, I was hugely inspired by the passion,enthusiasm, and determination of all the students and staff to be the best early years practitioners possible, and I was thrilled to be accepted ayear later! Studying at Norland is a wonderfully special experience and it is a pleasure to study alongside so many inspirational individuals. The degree,diploma, and placements are diverse, and no day is ever the same! Before You LeaveOn a normal day, I wake up at 7 a.m. and have breakfast with my cyber-securitytrainingfrommilitaryintelligenceofficers,self-housemates. I iron my Norland uniform and get everything ready for defense from black belt martial arts experts, and etiquette trainingmy day, packing my laptop, relevant books, and lunch! We walk to from Debrettsand I am very much looking forward to this! Norland together and then have a quick coffee in the common roomwith our friends before lectures start. Occasionally, I work as a proxy WhileatNorland,weareluckyenoughtohaveopportunitiestoparent,whichmeansprovidingtemporary24-hourwrap-around experiencemultipleplacements,eachofwhichtypicallylastfourcare to children in their home as sole-carer. In this instance, I get the weeks.Theseincludeworkingwithfamilies,nurseryschools,babychildren up and dressed, we have breakfast together, and then I do room,pre-school,primaryschools,forestschool,andonlocalthe nursery/school run before driving to Norland for a day of studies.hospital pediatric and maternity wards. I have truly loved every singleplacement opportunity, including a fantastic family placement withWhile You are There twin girls and a newborn. I formed an incredible relationship with theOn a typical academic degree day, our first lecture starts at 9 a.m., family and supported the girls through potty training and weaning! with a break at around 10:30 a.m. and lunch at 12:15 p.m. We thenstart our afternoon lectures at 1:15 p.m. and finish at 4:30 p.m. with a What You Do Afterbreak halfway through. Our lectures are a wonderful mix of teaching, After college, students often go to work and support families aroundgroupwork,independentlearning,andsharingofpersonal Bath in the UK, with nannying, babysitting, and proxy parenting. Weexperiences. We cover a hugely diverse range of topics, including arehugelyluckytohavesomanyjobopportunitiesaroundourearlyliteracyandnumeracy,andcutting-edgeresearch,suchas studies! But we also recognize the importance of having fun, andbrain development in the early years. Norlandhasawonderfulselectionofextra-curricularactivitiesincludingtheNorlandChoir,SigningChoir,RunningClub,theIn contrast, on a practical diploma day, we have food and nutrition Christian Union, Makaton, and Spanish. lectures and sewing lectures, each lasting two hours. We learn aboutnutrition,allergies,religiousrequirements,andhowtocaterto Iamfortunatetohavealreadyhadsomewonderfulworkdifferent needs. These are accompanied by masterclasses that teach opportunities, and my Norland training will continue to provide meusthepracticalitiesofworkingwithchildren,includingnappy with the knowledge and skillset to complete every job to the highestchanging,feeding,sterilizing,makingupcarriageprams,andso standard. Having traveled for work, I would really like to continue amuchmore!Often,wearefortunateenoughtohearfromguest career as a travel nanny, but I also have a dream of opening up myspeakers who share the latest knowledge on their specific subject ownnurseryandchildrensproductbusiness.Norlandtrainingnotareas.Attheendofourthirdyear,wefocusonpreparingfor only qualifies you as a Norland Nanny but also opens the doors toemployment, which includes insights into contracts, pension and tax many opportunities in the childcare field. I am very excited to seematters, skid pan training from driving experts, personal security andwhere it takes me! 8WINTER 2020|NannyMag.com"