What is the difference between a governess and a nanny?
The childcare continuum comprises different professionals who work towards supporting a child’s growth and development. Both a governess and a nanny play a critical role in providing proper care for children. However, there are distinct differences between the two professionals.
Who is a Nanny?
A nanny is an individual who is employed by a child’s family to take care of the child’s basic needs and development. Typically, a nanny is inclined toward supporting young children to arrive at their developmental milestones right from birth to their school years.
Who is a Governess?
A governess is a senior professional who is hired by a child’s family, especially a child of school age, to help him or her with their educational needs.
Hiring a governess is the same as hiring a private tutor who can support your child’s formal and informal education. However, the role of a governess extends to supporting a child’s social capabilities such as etiquette, resilience, and confidence.
In addition, a governess provides full-time educational and social support while a private tutor is hired to offer supplementary education often on an hourly basis. A governess can also work collaboratively with a private teacher or tutor to ensure that the child receives maximum educational support.
How do their Duties Compare?
Both professionals work either part-time or full-time and operate within the child’s home surroundings.
Basically, a nanny typically cares for infants, toddlers, and young children whereas a governess is responsible for children of their school age.
The role of a nanny tends to be taking care of children’s basic needs while also supporting the achievement of their developmental milestones. On the other hand, a governess’s role extends to supporting a child’s educational and social development needs.
A summary of their differences
- A nanny works with younger children compared to a governess.
- A nanny takes care of a child’s basic and developmental milestones while a governess is focused on both the developmental and educational needs of a child.
- A governess has to have undergone educational training as opposed to a nanny. Notably, all our governesses in Dubai are well trained and have vast experience working as private teachers and/or early childhood professionals.
The main factors to take into consideration when choosing the right professional for your child are their age and their needs.
Contact us for a Governess Dubai, UAE, and the Middle East and provide your child with an opportunity to work with an experienced professional to support his or her educational and social development needs.
Reference:
Nanny vs. governess: What’s the difference? Staffing at Tiffanie’s. (2021). Retrieved from: https://www.staffingattiffanies.com/2021/09/24/nanny-vs-governess/