jobfacts

Nannies and au pairs

SOC 2020 6116

Nannies and au pairs care for and supervise babies and young children in the homes of the children's families.

Also calledNannyNannieChildren's nannyAu pairPrivate nanny
Typical full-time pay£38,4002025 Provisional
People in the job22,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month565↓ 21%on last year · 252nd of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time nannies and au pairs earn, 2025
£38,400 typical£24,60025%n/ptop 10%
n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less thanNot published
Lowest 20% earn less thanNot published
25%£24,600
Median£38,400
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £38,400
South East!£32,100
North EastNot published by ONS–
North WestNot published by ONS–
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
East MidlandsNot published by ONS–
West MidlandsNot published by ONS–
East of EnglandNot published by ONS–
LondonNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
ScotlandNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £38,400
South East£32,100 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
North WestNot published by ONS
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
East MidlandsNot published by ONS
West MidlandsNot published by ONS
East of EnglandNot published by ONS
LondonNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
ScotlandNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £31,500
  • 2024 £35,000
  • 2025 Provisional£38,400
↑ 22% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 565 jobs for nannies and au pairs are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as not high.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (2 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026642
Jul 2026506
Jun 2026Not published
May 2026528
Apr 2026577
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026563
Jan 2026732
Dec 2025262
Nov 2025636
Oct 2025524
Sept 2025676
Aug 2025626
Jul 2025722
Jun 2025755
May 2025725
Apr 2025729
Mar 2025848
Feb 2025725
Jan 2025964
Dec 2024503
Nov 2024653
Oct 2024722
Sept 2024767
Aug 2024747
Jul 2024800
Jun 2024705
May 2024790
Apr 2024748
Mar 2024766
Feb 2024759
Jan 2024909
Dec 2023513
Nov 2023832
Oct 2023817
Sept 20231,042
Aug 20231,295
Jul 20231,240
Jun 20231,766
May 20231,552
Apr 20231,114
Mar 20231,369
Feb 20231,438
Jan 20231,522
Dec 20221,338
Nov 20221,882
Oct 20221,122
Sept 20221,071
Aug 20221,129
Jul 20221,117
Jun 20221,215
May 20221,112
Apr 20221,118
Mar 20221,323
Feb 20221,058
Jan 20221,499
Dec 2021966
Nov 20211,193
Oct 20211,112
Sept 20211,191
Aug 2021896
Jul 20212,988
Jun 20211,027
May 20211,207
Apr 2021746
Mar 2021755
Feb 2021485
Jan 2021596
Dec 2020526
Nov 2020591
Oct 2020633
Sept 2020725
Aug 2020696
Jul 2020611
Jun 2020526
May 2020537
Apr 2020800
Mar 2020904
Feb 20201,143
Jan 20201,228
Dec 2019560
Nov 2019674
Oct 2019751
Sept 2019890
Aug 2019442
Jul 2019720
Jun 2019616
May 2019426
Apr 2019412
Mar 2019394
Feb 2019341
Jan 2019498
Dec 2018277
Nov 2018416
Oct 2018480
Sept 20181,289
Aug 2018748
Jul 20181,000
Jun 20181,078
May 20181,163
Apr 20181,161
Mar 20181,287
Feb 20181,072
Jan 20181,284
Dec 2017460
Nov 2017665
Oct 2017498
Sept 2017978
Aug 20171,465
Jul 20171,747
Jun 20171,925
May 20171,323
Apr 20171,414
Mar 20171,141
Feb 2017929
Jan 2017703
Is there a shortage of nannies and au pairs?
Not high

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment; in 2024 it was elevated.

  • Visas grantedUsual
  • Online job advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthUsual
  • Pay against similar jobsAbove usual
  • Hours workedUsual
Note: uncertain in multiple indicators: change in hourly wage, visa density.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
32%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for teaching and childcare support occupations, which includes nannies and au pairs. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London1,051
Elmbridge37
Buckinghamshire30
St Albans19
Windsor and Maidenhead16
Hertsmere14
North Yorkshire14
Sevenoaks13
Oxford12
Basingstoke and Deane11
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where nannies and au pairs are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. Fewer than 10 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of nannies and au pairs
37%!
n/p
14%!
17%!
25%!
7.1%!
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–2437% (small sample)
25–34Not published
35–4414% (small sample)
45–5417% (small sample)
55–6425% (small sample)
65+7.1% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent!28%
Higher education below degree!14%
A levels or equivalent!28%
GCSEs or equivalent!18%
Other qualifications!22%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent28% (small sample)
Higher education below degree14% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent28% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent18% (small sample)
Other qualifications22% (small sample)

Main employers: child day-care activities (65%), activities of households as employers of domestic personnel (11%), pre-primary education (4.6%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
28%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
None
none leads directly into this work

Routes in

You can get into this job through:

College

You may find it useful to do a course before looking for work as a nanny. Courses include:

  • introduction to health, social care and children's and young people's settings
  • awareness of safeguarding
  • children and young people's workforce certificate
  • preparing to work in home based childcare

Many courses include a work placement.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do an Early Years Practitioner Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship.

This can take around 1 year to complete and combines on-the-job training and time spent with a learning provider.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

Other ways in

Volunteering

It will help when looking for jobs if you have voluntary or paid experience of working with children, for example in an after school club or holiday play scheme.

Apply directly

You may be able to apply for jobs as a nanny without any qualifications, though employers and employment agencies will usually prefer you to have some training in playwork or childcare.

You will also need a paediatric first aid certificate for most jobs.

What you’ll need

  • pass enhanced background checks
  • be over 18 years of age

You could choose to register with Ofsted. This is voluntary for nannies but may help you to get more work.

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

Pay and conditions can vary, for example if you work as a live-in nanny, your accommodation and meals may form part of your salary. It's important to check details with any potential employer, so you're clear about what's included in the contract.

Further information

You can find out more about working in childcare from Coram PACEY.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for nanny. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • cares for children and babies and participates in their daily activities
  • assists children to wash and dress
  • changes babies’ nappies and clothes as necessary and makes up bottles for feeds
  • mends, washes and irons children’s clothes and tidies their rooms
  • organises activities and opportunities to socialise with other children
  • takes children to school and other appointments
  • helps develop child's learning, such as basic social skills

Skills

  • communicate with youth
  • supervise children
  • provide first aid
  • adhere to organisational guidelines
  • apply conflict management
  • assist in children's development of basic personal skills
  • assist passengers
  • attend to children's basic physical needs
  • cooperate with colleagues
  • handle chemical cleaning agents
  • maintain relations with children's parents
  • monitor student's behaviour
  • play with children
  • assess the development of youth

Knowledge

  • common children's diseases
  • health and safety measures in transportation
  • passenger transport regulations
  • workplace sanitation
  • baby care
  • babysitting
  • disability care
  • pedagogy

Suits people who like

  • Helping and caring for people
  • Organising and following procedures

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for caring personal service occupations, a group of 16 jobs that includes nannies and au pairs.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 20%about 466,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20351.9 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.