Norland College Graduates Include Nannies for Boris Johnson and Prince George

BATH, ENGLAND — Classes begin at 9:30 sharp.

From the foot of the driveway, past the arched gates bearing the school’s name and through the main building’s north–Looking out of the windows one can see neat rows of students, settling in for long days filled with practicals and lectures. Their hair is brushed back with the same militaristic precision.

The nannies-in training at Norland College are a striking sight in modern times. They wear tweed blazers with white gloves and brown pinafores.

Even in its 130th year, Norland’s students remain highly sought after. “A big career with small people,” the prospectus promises, which seems about right: There are on average seven job offers for each graduating “Norlander.” Most, with only a few years in the field, can expect to fetch six-figure salaries, looking after the offspring of bankers, royals and celebrities, either working independently or joining a carousel of domestic staff — private tutors, housekeepers, chefs — that serve the globe-trotting elite.

While speculations abound about the destination of a newly-minted Norlander, we cannot know for certain as confidentiality is very strictly maintained. Mick Jagger and Roger Federer are among the many high-profile figures believed to have employed Norlanders — rumors the college would neither confirm nor deny (though there is no doubt that Boris Johnson was himself partly raised by one, thanks to a loving paeanRachel, Rachel’s sister at the Times of London

There are, however, occasional exceptions to such professional guardedness: “We were very lucky that the royal family let Prince George’s nanny wear the Norland uniform at a christening in 2015, as we would never have shared information about a client. But with that, they obviously advertised for us,” said Dr. Janet Rose, the principal of Norland College.

Norland was the subject of much interest after the uniform was spotted at a royal event. “We’ve been asked to open training colleges in China, in the United States,” Dr. Rose, 59, said. “But we’ve always said no.” Being so small — there are just 300 students at any one time — is part of the charm, she said. Their exclusivity is what keeps them in high demand.

Norland’s quaint get-up hides the myriad skills acquired in this high octane, four-year course: In addition to the core curriculum of diaper-changing, sewing, food prep and sleep schedules, Norlanders receive training in martial arts and evasive driving techniques. Former military intelligence officers teach cybersecurity techniques and how to protect themselves from potential kidnappers.

This might all seem a bit extreme — the British news media have a penchant for calling Norland nannies “Mary Poppins meets James Bond” — but the college insists these skills are necessary. “We’ve had a nanny who successfully used her personal defense training in London when someone tried to take the stroller from her. And it’s not an isolated incident,” said Dee Burn, the school’s head of marketing, during a tour of Norland’s campus at Oldfield Park, in a large Georgian house set on a steep hill.

“From the very beginning our graduates have been in high demand, and that hasn’t changed,” Ms. Burn spoke as she walked through an imitation playroom. She pointed out the unique features of the room, including a cabinet filled with virtual dolls, costumes, and small chairs that allow nannies practice at low heights. “It continued during the first world war, and it continued during Covid: Last year we had 10 jobs for every Norlander looking. So we always have to tell families that the chances of getting one of our graduates is very, very low.”

‘Organization, Patience and Emotional Intelligence’

Norland was founded in London in 1892 and established by Emily Ward, an educational pioneer. It was the first institution in Britain to offer formal training in child care. There were just five students, or “probationers,” as those who have not completed their training are known, in the initial cohort, which at Norland is known as a “set.” Each of those new probationers signed their names in the school’s black book at the end of their first week, a tradition that remains to this day.

The concept of school devoted to training nannies was innovative at the time, and it tapped into a need: “The idea was to up the status of nannying to make it more of a profession than just being a servant. They desired them to have a high education but not excessively so. Just enough that they would be able to help teach children reading skills and crafts,” said Dr. Katherine Holden, the author of “Nanny Knows Best: The History of the British Nanny.” “There were other training schools later, but Norland was much the best known.”

Students complete two courses over the four years: a three-year full-time Bachelor of Arts in “Early Years Development and Learning” completed alongside the prestigious Norland Diploma, followed by a year in placement, during which students are known as Newly Qualified Nannies, or NQNs. With annual fees of $17,000 (£15,000), it is more expensive than a typical university in Britain, which are usually capped at $11,000 (£9,000) per year.

The instructors are specialists in early childhood education. Dr. Rose is an example of a former teacher who also practices early childhood education. Vince McLeod (38) is a former kindergarten teacher and joined Norland as a Professor this Fall. He asked for responses about what nannies might recommend to their future employers in the event of financial trouble.

“What would you suggest if they suddenly lost their job?” A couple of hands shot up. Mr. McLeod chose a girl at the back. “You’d tell them to get on university credit,” she timidly replied, referring to Britain’s social welfare.

“Good answer!” Mr. McLeod said. “After all, most people in this country are only two months salary away from homelessness. Just think about that for a moment.” Then came a 10-minute break. Some students went outside for some fresh air, while others remained covered in their brown coats. From the classroom’s tall Georgian windows, one would be forgiven for mistaking the scene for a boarding school.

His tone had changed slightly when he resumed the lecture. “Now, we spent most of the first half of this lesson talking about money problems. The good news is, most of the families you will go on to work for won’t have this particular problem.”

While the program is surprisingly academic, the core training focuses on the teachings of Friedrich Fröbel, the 19th-century German educator known as the originator of the “kindergarten system,” which emphasizes engaging the “unique child” through play rather than instruction. In line with Fröbelian teaching, Norlanders keep a nanny kit on them, with pens and paper, snacks and toys, to occupy their young charges in case of being caught in a boring, uncomfortable or even potentially dangerous situation.

This resourcefulness became a reality during the pandemic. Classes became remote and adopted a almost warlike attitude. In the Food and Nutrition class, for instance, students learned to recreate popular dishes without certain key ingredients, such as flour, in the face of food shortages, an approach that echoes Britain’s second world war mantra “Keep Calm and Carry On.”

“Even now, we’re still fighting the same challenges in terms of how early years practitioners are seen,” Ms. Burn stated. “They’re not respected. There’s no qualification needed to be a nanny — it isn’t properly regulated. There’s no criminal background check.”

“People are often under the impression that nannying is easy,” added Dr. Rose, who decried the common dismissal of nannying as a “soft” job, undertaken when there are few career options. Instead, she argued, nannying requires high levels of “organization, patience and, above all, emotional intelligence,” that are hard to come by.

Like many institutions, Norland has itself heeded the call of modernity: The uniform — originally pale blue, designed to distinguish Norlanders from household staff, switched to brown due to the shortage of certain dyes during the first world war — now has a gender neutral alternative, and since 2017 young men can also apply to the program, though they are still in the minority. The net has been widened further this year: Norland is open to students from the E.U. Since its inception, Norland has welcomed international students for many decades.

“I knew I wanted to work with children ever since I was basically a child myself,” said Sarah, 21, a first-year international student from Utah. (The college accepted the article under the condition that nannies be referred to only by their first names to protect their identities. She is friendly, polite, and enthusiastic. She is polite and enthusiastic, even though she knows that the Norland P.R. team is within earshot.

“I thought the only way of doing that was through education. So I went to university in another state to study child care.” She soon realized big classroom settings weren’t for her. “I love working one on one, in small groups, thinking about the full development of the child, and not just educational attainment. I wanted to see how children developed emotionally and socially, but I wasn’t really getting that from my teachers in college.” After graduation, while researching nanny jobs, Sarah found Norland. “It was everything I needed.”

She was enthusiastic about the uniform, even though it might be a turn off. “I feel like I’m a respected, trusted person. My parents are both in the military, so I’m used to the idea of a uniform as a professional requirement.”

Although the uniform is compulsory for the duration, Norlanders are not required to wear it once they graduate. They prefer civilian clothes for their practicality and elegance, but that decision is ultimately up to the family.

“We encourage our nannies not to wear a uniform, because it makes them identifiable — and that’s a risk,” Ms. Burn stated. “But we leave that as a professional conversation between the nanny and the family.”

Not all Norlanders are nannys. Some go on to become kindergarten teachers or start their own businesses. Ella Trigwell, 25, a Bath native, graduated from Norland in 2019. She took her uniform off both literally and metaphorically. She started her own company after plans to be a nanny in London for a family fell apart during the pandemic. Marvellous Babysitting — an app that permits users to hire Norland nannies for flexible hours at a fixed hourly rate, created for those who can’t commit to a full-time nanny but occasionally need child care on evenings or weekends. The app operates exclusively in Bath and London for the time being, but Ms. Trigwell said they’re looking to expand.

“The app has been incredibly busy,” Ms. Trigwell said. “I initially thought I would be able to take on more nannying jobs than I have, but I haven’t had the time.” She knows that returning to the profession full-time is always an option. “That’s the great thing about being a Norlander is that you always have access to the Norland agency, so you always have access to work as and when, so if you do take a break, you can get back into it very easily.”

Strong connections are important for a Norlander to foster, be it with the agency or the prospective family — something the school oversees with great care. “It’s very much about finding the right match,” Ms. Burn stated. “The family will usually talk about the interests of their children, their ages, the special plans they might have, and we try to match them with a nanny of the right experience and expertise.”

The nannies not only look after the child, but also the child’s family. Nannies often assist with household chores such as laundry, shopping and managing the social calendar. Families might need someone who has experience with working with people with disabilities, or can coach their children in music and sports.

Joe, a 21-year-old male student from East London, stated that he hopes to be able to use his tennis and soccer skills as a nanny. He had always wanted to be a soccer coach and had taught children in the past.

“They’ve been really supportive,” he said of his family. “My parents are both teachers, and I had a cousin who had trained at Norland. I shadowed the lovely Wimbledon family for a few days while she worked. I realized then that I loved the job, and became really interested in becoming a nanny myself.” He has given talks in local schools, in the hopes of encouraging other young men to consider the profession.

Prior to placing a graduate, the school considers compatibility with future employers. “We support the process on both sides,” Ms. Burn stated. “There’s an interview, then they spend some time with the children. To get an in-depth understanding of how the family operates, they may stay with the children for 24 hours. What we don’t want is a nanny going into a family where it doesn’t work, and three months later they leave because that would be unfair to the children.”

Students are prohibited from using their phones, drinking alcohol, eating fast food, or wearing uniforms in public. The team also monitors their social media. A nanny’s Norlander status can be revoked at any time in their professional careers if their conduct is deemed unsatisfactory.

Students live off campus in their own apartments, which are a popular sighting for great intrigue. Norland has no boarding.

Although visibility can be a problem, the Norlanders have learned to be ready for anything. The stroller incident: The Norlander was able to scare off the kidnapper without resorting to force thanks to their training.

“They’re probably not expecting a nanny to be able to respond like that,” Ms. Burn agreed. “But our nannies know exactly how to react in a way that deters the aggressor and keeps the child calm. Anyone would generally run away as a result.”