Best Places to Work as a Nanny or Au Pair

If you are serious about making a living as a nanny, and are looking for the highest paying nanny or au pair jobs, it is important to consider location, and whether or not you are willing to relocate for the right position. In some instances, specifically for live-in nannies, a family will offer to pay your relocation expenses if you turn out to be the perfect fit for their needs. In others, you might want to move to a city where you have a greater chance of finding the perfect nanny job.

Where are the Best Nanny Jobs?

If you are looking to relocate for your nanny career, New York and Los Angeles are great places to start. With a high concentration of wealthy, working families (as well as celebrity families) in these cities, there are many opportunities for higher-paying, higher-profile nanny jobs. However, more families looking for nannies often leads to more nannies themselves, so competition will be tough. Before making to move to a big city, find out if you know anyone there already who might need a nanny, or even a part-time babysitter which can be your springboard in becoming a nanny for the rich and famous.

There are many other major cities that have a high demand for nannies. To determine where the hotspots are, check in with some of the national agencies and databases listed on the Nanny Agencies page of this section. As you browse through the listings, take notice of where there seem to be many openings (cities like Boston, Chicago and Seattle often have a plethora of nanny job opportunities). Another option is to think of cities that you’d like to live in, and search for nanny jobs through Craigslist to see what is available.

Alternatives to Big Cities

If you are willing to take a short-term placement, or would prefer to work with a family for a few months, vacation destinations like Martha’s Vineyard, the Hamptons and Palm Springs can be great places to look for a nanny job.

In some cases, families will bring their full-time of live-in nannies with them on vacation, but for families who may not need full-time support throughout the year while the children are in school, a temporary summer nanny is the perfect answer to too much free time.
Looking in the local paper or chamber of commerce for popular vacation destinations is a great start to helping you land a summer nanny job.

If you’re interested in a more permanent vacation setting, consider becoming a concierge nanny at a hotel or resort or work on a cruise ship. Many large hotels employ full-time nanny help to be on call around the clock, or to run children’s activities with small groups of kids who are taking a breaking from family-time. Often, these jobs don’t have the high hourly salary that many full-time nanny jobs have, but the benefits (free room and board, access to hotel amenities) and tips serve to supplement a more modest income.