Interview with Agnès: Our nanny on top
Agnès does her job with the energy and passion of a ‘second mother’! When asked where her vocation as a nanny comes from, her first response is to say that ‘it’s in her blood’, but this professional with over 25 years’ experience has been able to follow training courses throughout her career to master all the facets of her job as an after-school nanny in Geneva. Let’s find out more about this NANNY ON TOP, with whom, as children, we would all have loved to share a playtime, a car journey or a homework session!
(BeeBoo) Hello Agnès! What led you to become a nanny?
First of all, I’m the mother of two grown-up children: Grégory, who will soon be 27, and Johanna, who is 23. Before becoming a Nanny, my first passion was them! My love of children runs deep, because after a career change I spent over 25 years in teaching, a period when I was constantly in contact with them. Even as a parent, when the passion is there, there is an innate dimension to the way you deal with children, although some specific situations may sometimes require training, such as those involving autistic children, whom I had the opportunity to look after for three years in primary schools.
(BeeBoo) You’re currently working as an after-school nanny. Can you describe your typical day or end of day as a nanny specialising in after-school activities?
First of all, at the moment I’m working as a Nanny and looking after a SUPER family! I look after the activities of two little girls: Livia, aged 8, and Elisa, aged 5.
My days are busy and varied, as follows:
Two mornings a week, I start early because I’m getting the girls ready for school, with breakfast and snacks ready in advance. We live very close to the school, so we walk there. Then I go home to tidy up a bit and prepare supper. At 11am, I head off to the primary schools where I work with the GIAP (Groupement Intercommunal pour l’Animation Parascolaire) in Geneva as a School Animator during the lunch break, with pupils from 4p to 8p. I then return to their families to pick them up from school and take them to their extra-curricular activities, or simply bring them home to do their homework while they wait for their parents to return!
(BeeBoo) What do you see as your added value in this job?
My dynamism (because I’m constantly on the move pretty much all day…!), my personal vitality that I cultivate (especially thanks to sport, I feel like Asterix with his magic potion)… all this is reflected in my long working days, sometimes even up to 15 hours a day! On top of that, there’s my loyalty and passion to stay eternally young, in the manner of our dear Peter Pan 😉.
(BeeBoo) An after-school nanny anecdote?
It was at the very beginning of my work with a family: with three children with whom we had already established a few bonds, even in less than a week… One evening, the parents came home, delighted to find their little ones. However, the children weren’t of the same opinion… They snuggled up to me and refused to let me go, preferring to stay with me rather than with their own parents!
I had to use cunning and invent a little game of ‘Hide and Seek’ to finally be able to discreetly withdraw and go home!!!! 😂
(BeeBoo) What do you think of the opening of the POP.PINS ACADEMY? How is this good news for childcare professionals?
Find out more about the POP.PINS ACADEMY’s NOUNOU A DOMICILE training programme
As far as the launch of the POP.PINS Academy is concerned, I think it’s a great idea and good news for childcare professionals. As I mentioned in my first reply, it could be necessary and valuable to follow one or more specialised training courses. Even in my case, as a mother, I’ve taken a whole series of training courses over the last three years with the French Education Nationale. I was particularly involved in looking after children with disabilities, and more specifically autistic children.
I greatly appreciated the opportunity to follow these training courses, and what they brought in terms of deepening my knowledge of such a sensitive and specific subject. For young nannies who are not yet mothers, I think that these courses could be not only interesting but also vital.
(Beeboo)What advice would you give to families looking for an after-school nanny in Geneva?
The advice I would share with families looking for a nanny willing to take on a few hours a week of after-school activities for their children would be to assess the candidates during an interview as well as through a trial period of a few hours, in order to perceive whether the person is motivated and willing to undertake certain activities, before making a decision and hiring someone to work alongside their children as a second Mum!
(BeeBoo) Thank you very much Agnès !
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