Nanny to Boris Johnson, the Royals and Roger Federer?

They are as British as Mary Poppins and James Bond and a worldwide success story. It is no coincidence that the elite, celebrities and nobility have entrusted their offspring to the “Norlanders” for over a hundred years.

There is a good chance of meeting a Norland nanny in Hyde Park.

Patrick Ward/Getty

The group of travelers getting off the train at London’s King’s Cross station stands out even in the hustle and bustle of the English capital: young women in neat uniforms – simple light brown dress, brown bowler hat, white gloves. Are they flight attendants? Coffee bar workers? Salvation Army women soldiers? They are used to such questions, the students at Norland College, based in Bath in western England.

They are prospective nannies and they will take care of the offspring of the highest circles, because Norland is the most exclusive institute for the training of child care specialists. George, Charlotte and Louis, the children of the couple heir to the English throne, are looked after by a Norland nanny, and celebrities and wealthy families around the world rely on her services. The Norlanders rarely do this publicly; in the case of Roger Federer, for example, there is speculation in the press as to whether the nannies of the family are Norlanders or not. In any case, the assumption is reasonable.

Respectable people put their children’s education in the hands of a Norland nanny, and with good reason: to call Norlanders a nanny would be an understatement – ​​they are elite, true super nannies. But who are these nannies and why are they considered the best in the world?

Institution with university status

Her story goes back to a governess in Victorian England, Emily Ward. It was horrifying to her that small children were left to the servants to keep, as was customary in the upper circles at the time. Ward was interested in pedagogy and wanted to provide child care. In 1892 she offered courses for professional nannies in London for the first time. Right from the start, this included wearing one’s own costume to make the nanny visually distinguishable from ordinary service personnel. These courses grew into an institution that today has university status.

Anyone who applies to college today, and there are several hundred applicants for 45 places each year, must have a university entrance qualification and certain minimum grades. The candidates are selected in a complex and strict process. In addition to individual interviews, this also includes checking for a possible criminal or problematic background. For a number of years, the course has also been open to men – jokingly called “Mannies”.

Fees of just over £15,000 per academic year are due. The training consists of three years of study with regular practical assignments and one year of practical service as a “Newly Qualified Nanny” with a family. Norland graduates graduate with a bachelor’s degree and the exclusive Norland certificate.

The latter can be withdrawn from the nannies at any time during their professional life should they violate the Norland ethos. One can assume that this was the case with Sally Arnold. She worked as a nanny for Mick and Bianca Jagger’s daughter, then became the Rolling Stones’ tour manager and has published a biography about it. The corresponding details of rock ‘n’ roll life would be difficult to reconcile with the profile of a Norland nanny.

A flawless appearance adorns everything

Not only discretion is part of the ethos of a Norland nanny, but also a very practical code of conduct for the students: if they wear the obligatory Norland uniform, they are forbidden from buying alcohol, consuming fast food or crossing a street at a red light. Coffee-to-go is just as taboo as wearing perfume or loose hair. These rules and many more are laid down in a small black booklet that a Norlander carries with her throughout her life.

The uniform – modernized three times in 130 years, still made exclusively from British materials and locally manufactured – is compulsory during the course. At work, the Norland nannies usually work in civilian clothes so as not to attract unnecessary attention. Employers generally don’t appreciate them.

After all, anyone who affords and can afford a Norland nanny – beginners receive £26,000, wages for experienced staff range between £40,000 and over £100,000 – are often among the exposed members of society: celebrities who are exposed to paparazzi observation are; Politicians and economic giants who at best have to fear assassinations and kidnappings. It is known that the parents of British ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson hired a Norland nanny for their four children. Boris, the firstborn, was past the typical age for nanny care at the age of ten. Decades later, she remembers a cheeky boy in an interview. During the enlightenment (this is also done by the nanny), he put her under pressure with the question of whether the fetus or the embryo came first.

Heir to the English throne George is accompanied by nanny and granny.

Heir to the English throne George is accompanied by nanny and granny.

Chris Jackson/Getty

Between Mary Poppins and James Bond

The Norlanders cater to such families, and working for the elite is reflected in their exclusive and high-quality education: courses in cyber security are mandatory, as is intensive martial arts and driving and skid training. Because it is important to defend the protégés against kidnapping and attacks of all kinds and to be able to escape unwanted pursuers. Skills such as tailoring (to be able to sew costumes for the future protégés), basic medical knowledge or cooking at a professional level, such as preparing sushi suitable for babies, are also part of the course. Because it is also important to be able to meet the culinary demands of an international employer.

Training with a massive, classic pram, the Pram Silver Cross, has remained unchanged through the ages, something like the Rolls-Royce of prams. In this country you know him from the colorful press, because Duchess Kate and Prince William use him for their offspring – and in their service Maria Borrallo, a Norland nanny. It would be outrageous if she drove the royal offspring in a foldable sports buggy.

It goes without saying that the Norland nannies are not only trained theoretically at the highest pedagogical level. In addition to regular practical assignments in learning families, the students each get their own baby for all-round care: a lifelike doll. Controlled by a chip, she does everything an infant does – cry, scream, starve, thirst, digest. This happens in a live simulation, 24 hours a day. How the supervisor treats her ward is recorded electronically. In addition, she must keep an accurate manual diary of how she cared for her protégé.

Anything goes with love

Above all is Norland College’s motto, which the nannies also wear as a metal badge: “Love never faileth”. It can be paraphrased as “loving consistency” and stands for the concept that the adult always bears the responsibility for a successful upbringing. This also includes the strict renunciation of violence of any kind. At the time of Norland’s founding, when corporal punishment was common, it was downright revolutionary.

The attractiveness of Norland nannies is unbroken to this day. The mixture of an iron adherence to tradition on the one hand and modernity on the other is in demand: At present, for every graduate of the college, seven to ten families from all over the world apply for her. Expanding and opening global offices is not an issue for Norland. You stay traditional, and that means British.

source site-111