Child Care at Norland College

Emily Green, studying for a child care qualification at GMS, shares her dream of going to Norland College, a prestigious educational establishment for those wishing to work with children as a career.

Why do I want to be a Norland Nanny?

I always knew that I wanted to work with children, right from a young age. My mum stayed at home with my brother and I; she didn’t go back to work after she had us both. I think seeing her do that and the childhood that I had meant that I wanted to be able to do the same for children whether they are my own or someone else’s.

One day I said to my mum, “I’d like to be a nanny.”

She replied, “If you want to do that then let’s do it properly.” She told me about Norland College.

I researched it. I watched a documentary called Britain’s Poshest Nannies, which was on ITV. My passion for working with children grew from there. I wanted to have the opportunity to benefit the lives of many children in a positive way; there was no doubt, this was something that I definitely wanted to be a part of.

Part of the attraction, is the love I feel of being included in something so homely, it’s like being part of a big community or family that you believe will always be there. They say that it is a job for life, because after you have completed your 3 years studying and the NQN year, then you join the Norland Agency. This agency is so prestigious you are guaranteed employment, as people are always looking for qualified nannies. Norland offers many different job opportunities, because it gives you the platform to be able to go and do something else within childcare. For example, you could be a maternity nurse, a play therapist or own your own business offering childcare.

Lastly, I also love that Norland is very unique; it’s smaller than other universities and it seems like you have much support from the lecturers.

For Christmas, my aunt gave me a book called A Spoonful of Sugar by Brenda Ashford. It is a true story of life as a Norland Nanny in Wartime England. It was very interesting to read for it gave an insight into what life was like back then and how it compares to today. The author wrote that she never had children of her own but she was proud that she had nurtured 100 children as if they were her own. 

The book covers the time when Norland began, they only ever had one goal in mind and that was to benefit a child’s life regardless of what was unravelling around them, like war. A central aim of every Nanny is support children whatever the circumstances.

What were my impressions of Norland when I visited?

I’ve visited Norland twice now and I’m hoping to go again this year before I start writing my personal statement. The students and staff there are so lovely and very welcoming; they are all very keen to talk to visitors and are very honest and open about what life is like studying at Norland. The students talk about the uniform and how proud they are to wear it.

On the days I visited, they gave a presentation, where they told us all about Norland and what the course had to offer. The main thing that I took away from it was that they want to give every trainee Norlander the best training possible, so their graduates do the best job that they can. They also give students lots of support even when they are working on placements. If  a Norlander needs advice on anything, even if it is just help understanding how to remove a really bad stain out, advice is available.

Lastly, they talked about their prestigious reputation and how it is so important that all trainee Norlanders uphold their values. They continually look towards the future to see how they can improve on what they do.

It has been my dream for so long, I just hope that I am able to impress them when I apply, so I am offered a place.