Nanny

A nanny provides in-home childcare and early childhood education for one or more families' children, typically from infancy through school age. They create safe, stimulating home environments while managing daily routines, nutrition, hygiene, and early learning activities. Nannies work directly for families (not through institutional services) and are responsible for the physical, emotional, and developmental wellbeing of the children in their care.

Supervise children's play, meals, and rest periods in the family home to ensure safety and developmental appropriateness. Plan and deliver age-appropriate learning activities such as language development, sensory play, music, and pre-literacy activities aligned with Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) principles. Prepare and serve nutritionally balanced meals and snacks, accommodating dietary requirements, allergies, and food preferences communicated by parents. Manage children's personal hygiene routines including toileting, bathing, dressing, and grooming appropriate to their developmental stage. Maintain a clean, safe, and organised home environment with appropriate child-proofing, checking for hazards and maintaining hygiene standards. Respond promptly to children's behavioural issues using age-appropriate discipline strategies, positive reinforcement, and conflict resolution techniques. Document children's daily activities, behaviours, developmental milestones, and any incidents or concerns in written reports or logbooks for parent discussion. Administer basic first aid and respond to minor injuries or illness, knowing when to contact parents or seek emergency services (holding current First Aid certification).

The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate II or III (ABS skill level 4). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

You're solely responsible if something goes wrong. Many families expect you to do housework beyond childcare. Job security depends on one family's circumstances.

Practically, you'll find work in inner-city and wealthy outer suburbs rather than regional areas. Remote work does not apply. Most positions are found through word of mouth, Facebook groups, and nanny agencies rather than job boards.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 4211, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Active Listeningcore
• Adaptability and Flexibilitycore
• Attention to Detailcore
• Confidentiality and Privacy Compliancecore
• Cultural Awareness and Sensitivitycore
• Empathy and Emotional Intelligencecore
• Incident Reportingcore
• Multitaskingcore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Professional Boundaries Maintenancecore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracy
• Carry out wound care
• Clean rooms
• Conflict De-escalation
• Continuous Learning and Upskilling
• Goal Setting and Planning
• Inclusive Practice
• Policy and Procedure Adherence
• Stakeholder Communication
• Workload Self-Management
• Written Communication

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

What Nanny workers move into, from ten years of tax records.

Last updated: 30 October 2026