Superyacht Nanny: No, You Can’t Skip Life Jackets, But You Can Have Fireworks On The Helipad

Ever wondered what it’s really like to be a nanny on a superyacht?

It’s a topic that goes way beyond just travel. This is a high-stakes, specialized career that blends expert childcare with rigorous safety protocols, all while navigating close quarters and complex crew dynamics. In this episode of Adventure Nannies on Air, we’re sharing a recording from one of our live Summit Sessions to get a true insider's look at this fascinating world.

We are so excited to be joined by the ultimate guide, Ella Peters, known to many as the Superyacht Nanny. With over ten years of experience in yachting, Ella shares her incredible journey and the unvarnished truth about this career. She gets into the nitty-gritty of what the job actually entails, from 
her work on prestigious yachts to the unique challenges (and huge rewards!) of the role.

Ella offers so much practical advice for nannies who are curious about this specialized field. Tune in to learn all about:

The unique safety requirements and certifications you need (and the ones you don’t need) to get started.

The realities of crew dynamics, pay structure, and managing routines at sea.
The incredible benefits of cultural immersion for a child’s development.
Practical, real-world tips for everything from seasickness to networking in the yachting world.

Referenced Blog on Jetlag: https://superyachtnanny.co/blog/helping-children-cope-with-jet-lag-a-guide-for-nannies/ 

Find Out More:

Learn from Ella Peters: www.SuperyachtNanny.co
Follow Ella on Instagram: @superyachtnanny
Find Your Next Role: www.AdventureNannies.com/jobs
Find Us On Socials: @adventurenannies

• Have any questions? Reach out to us on Facebook, and Instagram, and check out the resources on our blog!
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Chapters

• 0:00 Live Summit Welcome & Setup
• 3:37 Meet Ella Peters: The Superyacht Nanny
• 6:47 Ella’s Path From Stewardess To Nanny
• 11:42 Roles Onboard: Stew, Stew-Nanny, Or Nanny
• 18:47 Safety Culture And Non-Negotiables
• 25:07 Gear, Monitors, And Unexpected Tech Hurdles
• 30:07 Water Supervision, Pools, And Seabobs
• 35:22 Pay, Tips, And Contracts For Nannies
• 41:37 Crew Dynamics When You’re Not Crew Or Guest
• 46:32 Vacations, Routines, And Jet Lag

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 1:27

Today's episode was recorded live during one of our summit sessions as a part of our free ongoing educational webinar series to support nannies and professional childcare providers to elevate their careers and enhance their skills. If you like what you hear, you can catch the full episode on our YouTube channel or register for our next summit session at adventurennies.com slash summit dash sessions. Welcome on in, everybody. I am so excited to have our wonderful guest here today. But before I get a chance to introduce her, I just want to take a second and welcome you all to today's or tonight's, depending on where you are joining us from. I know we're going to have a fun audience today for our summit session. Today we are going to get to set sail on a unique and high stakes and very niche corner of the nanny industry. And that is super yacht nannying. It's a topic that goes beyond just travel, but you know, it's a very unique job that is about creating safe, enriching, and totally unforgettable experiences. And today we're gonna explore the unique professional demands. And we are so, so incredibly fortunate to have the super yacht nanny, Ella Peters, here to join us. Ella has expertly carved out her brand from her wealth of expertise and love for this career with over 10 years of experience in yachting and seven years specifically as the super yacht nanny. Ella has literally just written the book and been the presence of this niche luxury onboard childcare. She's worked on some of the largest and most prestigious yachts in the world, carrying for charges while racing classic sailing super yachts, working with triplets, and handling ultra-high net worth nanny roles for childcare with learning difficulties. She's traveled six continents, worked on yachts that can cost over a half a million dollars to charter for a week. And she's been so well regarded that she's been featured in Business Insider, New York Post, and tons of other industry blogs, podcasts. But what really makes her unique, and the reason that I brought her here today is not only because she is just an absolute joy. And I got to meet her in London in the spring and just got to meet her in person and know that she's just an absolute joy to be around. And but she founded Super Yacht Nanny to help you all, to help more people and nannies get into the Yacht Nanny because it is such a unique world that not many people know about. So she has online guides and coaches other nannies who want to get into the industry. So we're gonna learn all these things from her and get just get to chat for a while.

SPEAKER_00: 4:12

So without further ado, welcome Ella. Oh my gosh, thank you so much. This was a really lovely and very thorough introduction. Thank you. Yeah, such a pleasure to be here and a real honor. I'm excited for the conversation. There's no such thing as a silly question. So if you have anything on your mind, like let's chat it through. I'm sorry I have a cold, so maybe my voice is not the best, but I'm yeah, really excited to dig into the chat. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01: 4:40

Well, for all of us US-based nannies over here, we just will listen to you talk. You just have like the perfect British accent. And it's just a joy to listen to you speak every time I speak to you.

SPEAKER_00: 4:49

So I have to say my accent is listed on my CV and it definitely does help secure walk.

SPEAKER_01: 4:55

Me. Oh, that is incredible. Okay, we'll have to dig into that a little bit more because that's amazing. But to kick us off, will you give us like the five minute or less version? Because I know sometimes it can be a full five minutes of like your nanny journey. How did you even get into super yacht nanning and nannying in general? And kind of what sparked your passion for childcare on super yachts.

SPEAKER_00: 5:19

Oh gosh. So it happened crazy organically. I grew up sailing since age 11. Like I've been on the water every week, sailing little boats, bigger boats, canoeing, kayaking, paddleboarding, you name it, I love it. And so, like a life at sea was kind of always on the cards for me. I've also spent quite a lot of time in the south of France for like family holidays and things. So had like an understanding of what the yachting industry looked like. And then although I did work, so sorry, we are going all the way back to the start here.

SPEAKER_01: 5:50

Oh, we love it. We want the background, we love it.

SPEAKER_00: 5:53

You get the whole shebang. Although I did work hospitality roles and you know, worked wedding uh wedding venues in local pubs and things. I was also always the friend that was like, oh, I can't go out tonight because I'm babysitting and I love kids and children and babies, and they come very naturally to me. It's always, you know, I is once in the very blue moon that a child takes a minute to warm up to me. They kind of just come under my wing and we go, and it's lovely and it's so natural. And so, yeah, I'd already done some pretty high-level VIP babysitting through high school and more college. I then joined yachting at 18 as a stewardess, loved it, learnt so much. The industry back then, what, so 10 years ago, looks very different to what it does now, I'd say. And I really flew by the seat of my pants, but I got there and I learned so much. And then my favourite charter, I worked private and charter yacht. So private is when it's just owned by one person family and it's only used by them. Charter is when it's rented out each week, more or less. And those typically charter is a lot more intense, and I loved it, and I love meeting all the new families and kind of making sure the children were having the best time. And I was always the one that was setting up a treasure ham talk, organizing a mocktail making workshop, or let's go to the galley and do some cupcake baking and decorating. And yeah, so it was very clear that this is where what blah, this is what made my heart sing. And so yeah, I did three seasons like this. I then went back to university, and the whole yacht nanny thing took off as yeah, I love children. Like these jobs are few and far between, but kind of once you get into it, yachting, although it is a big industry now, it is still very closely connected, and people know people, and personal recommendations are gold dust. And so, kind of word go around, oh, this is Ella, and she does yacht nannying, and kind of the word flew around. I basically didn't stop. And I worked with the same clients all over the world in different residences and different kind of dynamic situations, but the stakes are similar and the expectations are still there, and it's always exciting, it's always dynamic, it's always a million things going on. So, yeah, I've been doing that for seven years now. And then I started Super Yacht Nanny as a company three years ago, as basically I had all these people that was like a school friend's cousin's big sister's dog's auntie wanted to have some tips on how to get into I don't know, ultra-high net worth nanny. And they're like, oh, where to be stunk? We're looking at things like this. Can I take you to the pub and buy you a drink? And I was like, Well, don't actually like drinking that much. Can I help you properly? And I'll sit down and I'll organise all of my thoughts and everything I've learned because realistically, I have also made bumps along the road and we're like, oh, that's not the way to do this. This is a way smoother way, or aha, didn't see that curveball coming. But now these are the telltales of said curveball and how we're gonna smooth out the guest experience for everyone. So the crew are calmer, they haven't got any extra hassle and work. The family, the parents have got complete peace of mind that the children are happy, healthy, sake, and well, and the kids are laughing for me to it, fine for me to it. So it's kind of nanny coaching, and it's grown and evolved as people, as like needs change and yeah, life grows. Um now yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 9:31

That's amazing. So you started as a stewardess. So I'm gonna break this into kind of two parts. And if you want to tie them together, feel free. Can you tell us the difference, like a little bit about the dynamics of onboard crew? Like, what is the difference between like an actual like a yacht nanny and stewardess? Like, what was the difference? Were you just kind of acting like a nanny as a stewardess, and then that transitioned into actually being a yacht nanny? Or is it a combined position? And like, what does the dynamics look like when working? And like who are you working with even on the ship? Who are you working under? Who do you report? Like there are many questions. I know that's what I'm like. I feel like it's not, but like you you just mentioned stewardess setting up things, and so I'm just curious about the different roles of like what you can do as childcare on a ship, and just a little bit about that.

SPEAKER_00: 10:17

Absolutely, because first thing I think that's important to say is each charter, each boat, each family dynamic is so unique. Yes, there are massive, like overarching themes, but everyone does things very differently. And so as a stewardess, childcare is not your job, but guest experience is your job. So where's the line with not sitting at the table helping a little one eat, but you are setting at the table and serving the food and bringing the ketchup, and you don't have time to be like sitting with them. But there's a it is a blurry line, and some guests will try and push to blur that line further. Oh, we all know about job creep, right? Exactly. It's like, oh well, you're already here and you're already, you know, we'll just get you to babysit and get you to help with this and things. But actually, realistically, a lot of crew have been on board their most of their adult lives and they've just not had exposure to children. And consequently, they do really weird things. Really weird things that you can guarantee they will try and play the game I'm telling you off, and it's not actually something to tell someone off about. But that's not a fun game to most children. It also isn't a very good game in terms of we are crew that you should respect what we're saying because we are telling you potentially life-saving information. That's not a game. That's uh you need to go to the swimming pool on the main deck, you know, like that's in an emergency because that is the place you need to meet. That kind of information shouldn't be blurred with a oh no, you shouldn't do that game because it's also not very fun. Yeah, that's a classic one.

SPEAKER_01: 12:01

There's no understanding of child development at all.

SPEAKER_00: 12:04

Or like, I've seen create pick children pick like a two-year-old but up by their arms and fling them into a tender. And I'm like, oh, I'm quite cool with undislocated shoulders. Oh no. And it's like, wow, or oh, you know, but we're only going on a short trip, so we don't need the life jackets. I'm like, no, the deal was life jackets every time. That means no matter how long or short, how bumpy, how calm, we're putting the life jacket on, we're doing crotch straps, we're doing it up properly, we're not cutting any corners here because yeah, we're just keeping alive.

SPEAKER_01: 12:35

So you're working with a lot of people who don't understand kids, right? Yeah, so then as the nanny, what does that rule look like? As like the yacht nanny, and how does it differ from nanny role, like traditional nanny roles? What's the real question I was planning on asking?

SPEAKER_00: 12:50

This is there are such roles as stewardess nanny. So ste nanny positions where you kind of are both, and I've done these roles, and I'm personally not a fan of them because how can you make a bed up while sitting down and doing meal time? You need to be making sure they're not choking and that they're all okay and that they're having any help they might require, but also the cabins need to get done and you physically can't be in two places at once. So these rules are quite tricky, they're basically just stew rolls when there's no guests on board, they mostly exist on private yachts, and then dynamic changes when the guests are on board. When you come on board as a freelanced nanny, which is like the capacity icon on board, as you don't have, you don't, you almost never need to have qualifications such as an STCW or an ENG one. The STCW is your you have to have it to be working on board as crew and it's like basic firefighting, life-saving, um, things like that.

SPEAKER_01: 13:43

And then you're not considered a crew member then, right?

SPEAKER_00: 13:46

No. You're mostly on a guest, it gets quite complicated and it's not that interesting. But and then an ENG one is your C Fair as medical, which is probably still quite handy because meets you're spit to work. So then when you're on board as a nanny, you're much more in a guest capacity. Yes, you may be showing a crew cabin, or maybe you've got a cabin with a little one, maybe your own guest cabin, but you're not going to be helping, like you're not gonna do any laundry, you're not gonna do any uh meal proud because there's a galley with chefs in there. You're literally there to keep the children happy, healthy, safe, and well. And you're with them the whole time. A lot of yachts now have no unaccompanied children policies, which I think is fantastic because yes, it is a seriously safety critical environment. Gosh, sorry, I was talking fast. And we need to know where they are at all times. There's also weird things that come up, such as a lot of the doors are fire doors, and so consequently, little ones are just not strong enough to open them. So they get like trapped in the bathroom quite easily. Obviously, that's not what we want.

SPEAKER_01: 14:44

Okay. So you've mentioned you mentioned like a little bit of safety things, but like how does this high pressure safety critical environment really shape the way you approach childcare? Because like, you know, risky play and taking risks and everything like that, and I've, you know, but like this is a different environment, right? This is where, you know, it's water safety and things like that. So how does it change the way you approach childcare in general in this high-risk environment?

SPEAKER_00: 15:11

Yeah, safety has to be number one at all times, and the boundaries need to be clearly communicated. So it's it is like having a conversation with the parents and then with the crew to, you know, pass on whatever information needs to be shared and to be really consistent with it. There isn't any ifs, buts, or maybe there's like this is what we're doing, and we're gonna do it the entire time. And safety just comes first. Yeah, it comes first in everything that I do. I am not, I am a fun nanny. I like to think I'm a fun nanny, and I'm not at all against taking safe risks or appropriate risks. But for example, running, what running on board, not a good idea. Running on board on a boat that's moving and there's unexpected waves because it's big, so you can't actually see the sea, so you don't know when a wave's gonna come. A terrible idea. Having wet feet on a marble floor, a terrible idea. These are things you can like really easily don't run and dry your dry yourself off properly before you go inside. They're really easy things you can do, take three seconds longer, and it makes it all okay. And it's just kind of the appreciation that everything on board does take longer, nothing is quick or easy, but that is what makes it beautiful. Yeah, there's weird things that you don't expect to be a thing, such as baby monitors on like Bluetooth baby monitors don't work well on touching German-built boats because I mean it it seems yeah, it this is a crazy niche situation, but it comes, it comes up.

SPEAKER_01: 16:35

This is what we this is what we're here for. This we want the we want this weird stuff. This is a lot of things.

SPEAKER_00: 16:39

It comes up for me at least once a summer in the they haven't considered it or I haven't had contact to be able to be like, oh, you know, just to let you know, this is lightly like let's flag this. And engineers have told me it's because there's so much more steel in these built boats, because these are typically like the best built boats in the world. But it's also I've also heard it's interesting because that German and Dutch built boats are so popular because the Earth's magnetic field is really like the closest to zero there. This is a little bit above my understanding of situations, but I do believe what these people are telling me because they're very highly calibrated and everything like that.

SPEAKER_01: 17:18

Whatever.

SPEAKER_00: 17:18

And so I would always opt for an based monitor in such situations. Okay, if you've got a nanit at home, it's not too tricky to bring that with you, but you wouldn't know to bring it with you if this wasn't kind of discussed about.

SPEAKER_01: 17:30

Right. You're gonna bring the cheap monitor that's just a little bit.

SPEAKER_00: 17:33

You would just say, Oh, through just provision one and have it on board ready, all set up, which is also fine, but if it's not gonna work, it is a problem. And if you'd like me to be doing nights, also again, not a problem, but I need to be able to hear them. And then maybe there's not like a sleeping area for either sleep that's nearby, and then it you're then in, I don't know, some Greek island, and there is definitely not a baby monitor shop there, and Amazon Prime doesn't exist in that kind of way.

SPEAKER_01: 18:02

Um that changes everything, right? Yeah, no 24-hour delivery to a yet.

SPEAKER_00: 18:07

Amazon Prime is just not an option. Um, so yeah. Some very niche things that come up, and this is what comes like with experience or with coaching because you don't know they're gonna be a thing. And a lot of the things are not massive, but it takes the guests' experience from like, oh, a good trip, good fun. Or to like, wow, like this was faultless. This was absolutely perfect, and that's what I'm here for to make it that level of incredible for everyone, to keep make sure everyone is safe at all times. Or like you sorry, you said about water safety, a huge thing is having a designated water watcher on larger yachts, like on a on board, there will always be someone supervising when guests are in the water in the sea. But yeah, if on a larger yacht they kind of rotate around, or one person needs to go and help with something else, and to be really, like, really clearly stating this is the person who's the water watcher means that everyone knows who's in the water, who's gone to take a shower, who's who we need to really take care about. And then other yacht other times like there is jelly pools, so it's like basically putting a swimming pool into the sea, don't touch you.

SPEAKER_01: 19:20

That sounds like my way to experience the sea. Man, that's what I hate about the ocean. Wow. Okay, so I just noted.

SPEAKER_00: 19:29

I'm noted, okay. But a lot of people don't like them. But it's again another really nice safety thing that they're then in an enclosed space, you know, okay, they're what in like a three by I don't know, eight-meter section. There's they can't go drifting away with the tide or the current, they're in this one spot. And then when they're smaller, just pop them in the jacuzzi and change the temperature and turn the bubbles off. And then they work quite well because like then it doesn't need to have a cream under there, it's fine if it's just me and two children to manage much easier.

SPEAKER_01: 20:02

Then you're the dedicated water watcher, then yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 20:05

Because like I obviously I'm a water watcher, but I'm in the water with them, so it would never happen. There needs to be someone as well watching you. Exactly. And sea bobs are like seabob what is it? Sea bob is like a you hold on to it. Do you know what a seabob is? No, no, it's like a handheld jet ski. Oh gosh, it's four hands quick. Oh my goodness. Wow. It's like a handheld jet ski thing, and it's really fun, and you can dive down underwater with them. Oh, okay, okay.

SPEAKER_01: 20:34

Yes, okay. Yeah, I wouldn't know it was called a seabob, but I've seen those, yes.

SPEAKER_00: 20:38

Yeah, they're really good fun and children love them, but then they make it makes them so much faster. And it's like, oh, have they gone around the bow or where are they? Or are they in trouble, or are they just quite deep and they're about to jump, come bouncing up? And so then you really have to have people who are a thousand percent paying attention because obviously things can change really quickly.

SPEAKER_01: 20:57

Absolutely. Those are definitely water safety things that we don't think about, and you don't think about if you haven't been on a on this type of thing.

SPEAKER_00: 21:05

Yeah, um, I love it. Like they're often very exciting moments that everyone's like, oh wow, this is I'm having the best time. This is super fun. And it's right, actually, we need to step back and calm down. Be like, we are at work, and we do need to really like it's great that we're having a great time, but are we actually as safe as we could be right now?

SPEAKER_01: 21:25

Yeah, that that makes a lot of sense, and so it's a super safety-minded position.

SPEAKER_00: 21:31

Yeah, and then sorry, one last thing about water safety jet skis, because jet skiing is a very normal part of my workday, but and it's lovely, but what I find all the time is the deck crew will go out as well, like either I'll have the child and they'll accompany us, or they'll take the child and I'll accompany them. But often deck crew get really like they're having a great time and it's really exciting, and they're like, oh, the children are loving it, and it's lots of giggles and laughter and like screams of happiness, and then when they're with them, they don't get the moment of oh, we're about to put go over their level of comfort. Like they've been having a great time and pushing the boundaries, but here's where the line is, and that wave was just a bit too much, or that kind of corner was just too much, and the tears come and it gets trickier quite quickly, and like, whoa, I didn't see it coming. I thought, well, yeah. They've we've like been notching up enough, and it's actually as the nanny he needs to be the ones like actually this is great, but no faster, or no more crazy, or no closer to each other, or whatever. Really being that one that takes a step back and checks in with the situation is really important.

SPEAKER_01: 22:42

Yeah, that's I say that can be hard, yeah. The and even growing. You can just get carried away. Yeah, everyone just is having fun. Yeah, and you're not thinking about it. And you know, you know, especially for these charter ones and for, you know, it's they're on vacation, so they're just trying to have fun with, you know, even the other adults just trying to have fun with their friends. We have a really awesome question related to the crew, the you know, the crew relationship. So question one, appropriate pay when staying on board, which might be a bigger conversation, too. So if you can touch a little bit on like what, you know, appropriate pay when you're staying on a super yacht as a nanny, but also how to navigate the relationship between the crew and the family when you're neither a crew or a formal guest, and like that dynamic of because you know, I'm sure I think I'm reading correctly, like you're not a part of the crew, so you're not quite in there, but you're also not a guest, but you're also still kind of creepy, you know, I'm sure it's a really tricky dynamic. So just kind of if you can give any tips about handling that dynamic.

SPEAKER_00: 23:49

Absolutely. First one is pay, which is a good one because everyone wants to know. And so I mostly work in the Mediterranean, and since I'm aware pay sales in the US are very different. There are like supernight jobs from the out of Fort Audible or in the Caribbean and things, but they are a bit different. So I would prefer to talk for like more med-based rates, and then so yeah. Typically you're looking at between three to four hundred euros per 24 hours. And I think a lot of you are gonna go, wow, that's terrible. Because yeah, it in reality is not a great hourly rate for nannying in a lot of in a lot of cases, but it's also not bad. It does jump up, it can kind of go up to 500. I've seen 550 for a mattentier on board, but it's not insane. And they are basically most of them are 24-hour roles, and even if it says 12 hours, you're a you're an anchor or something. So there's no way you're going for a walk, or there's no way you're gonna actually make a phone call with decent internet and have serious privacy without it sounding like you're in a hurricane because it's really windy on the fore deck, which is the only area that's realistically possible to take a phone call with some kind of privacy. Having so like three to four hundred euros per tweet for hours is industry standard compared to a freelance stewardess, she would be, they would be on 150 to kind of maxing out at 180 at the minute, unless they're a chief stewardess or yeah, similar. And so in yachting, they're really well-paid roles, but in the nanny industry as a whole, they aren't like there's other higher paid roles, I think. However, it is very standard to be tipped, and this is an interesting bone of contention, which segues nicely into the next question. As so when you charter a yacht, you pay you'll see like the advertised price. This price excludes APA, advanced provisioning allowance, which covers food, fuel, anchor, mooring fees, anything. And so that is about 20% of the charter price, and whatever's left from that typically becomes the crew tip. Crew can then get a bit funky with you that you are a threat to their tip pot. You are not actually a threat to their tip pot in my experience, 100% of cases, let's say 99 to be safe, because nannies are tipped independently from the from APA. And so for a week's charter, you're looking at so from what I just explained about the whole APA thing, you can under you can calculate what kind of tips that boat is working on based on you know how many crew there are, and you know what 20% of the charter prices. So for a week's charter, you're looking at a low four-figure sum uh cash. And so that does change like what your day rate would be. And then date travel days are charged, like I would always charge a travel day at half rate with less than four hours of childcare, and that seems to be setting the bar quite well. Yeah. Does that answer? Oh, and then because these are freelance jobs, I'd like I'd always recommend you take a 50% deposit to confirm the booking because if it's just you and them, how are you going to get your money back in case they didn't want to pay you? So at least that gives you some.

SPEAKER_01: 27:06

Is there any nuance if it's because like I know Grace's question specifically was is her family owns the yacht that she works for full-time. Is there any nuance to like if it is you're going on a yacht trip with your full-time family? Then I think or would you just get your regular rate or like what would you?

SPEAKER_00: 27:25

I would get your regular rate if it's just in a different situation. Like I potentially there's room for negotiating things as well.

SPEAKER_01: 27:34

It's overwriting it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 27:35

Yeah, and like inconvenience fees or like away from home fees or overnight fees or something. But otherwise, every nanny I know that goes on board with a full-time family earns their standard salary.

SPEAKER_01: 27:49

Essentially, if you were asking to be paid as a freelance nanny on a yacht, you would be asking to pay less be paid less than your standard rate, probably. That's what it sounds like if you're or maybe not with a tip as it goes over, as you just as kind of it like really balances out with the tip. Yeah, so what I said is like when you're working freelance and then you so I assume you wouldn't get yeah, you wouldn't get a tip if you were working as a standard nanny. So yeah, you would I would treat it just as like a standard travel contract rather than a yeah specific yacht.

SPEAKER_00: 28:21

Contract they put it into the contract, like how the expectations need to look on board and what's important to you that you need to get writing because Yeah, and if there's any additional safety courses or anything they expect you to have or additional certifications, make sure that gets covered and your time for that is paid and that you are able to, you know, because if you're it's within the scope of your job, I would say.

SPEAKER_01: 28:45

Exactly. But yeah, it definitely sounds like it's more. What about, and I know you talked a little bit about the pay. Is there any other kind of dynamics in terms of, you know, to navigate that are tricky in terms of like how you even communicate with the crew or how you navigate, you know, requesting things from the crew if you're not the actual guest and things like that?

SPEAKER_00: 29:08

Definitely, because it's such a funny line to toe. As sometimes you come on board and they're like, welcome to the family. You know, the so the crew mess is where they eat and where they relax and things, and it's normally got like a fridge and a little kitchen area, but the chef will still cook for them. And sometimes it's like, yeah, come to the crew mess, eat with us, all very friendly, easy going. Other times, it absolutely nowhere. This is our home, you are not welcome here. That's for us, that's where we like not that they're really unwinding because they're really busy, they might be in their not formal uniform, they're just in like their they have off-charter uniform as well. Maybe they're just in that or they're like they haven't quite got makeup back on since their nap, since their break. And then that's like their home. I completely get that and respect it. So doing simple things such as asking, oh, you know, am I can I go into the cream mess? And sometimes they'll just show you around and be like, yep, this is where we are. If you need anything, go and talk to a stewardess and they will help you. But other times it's like, yeah, absolutely, come on down. And neither is better than the other. It's just different dynamics, and it's just good to like show respect and not presume that you're welcome there. Because sometimes the nanny will eat down there, but other times she'll eat only with the family, with the kids. And then it's about really showing that you're on the same team as them because in the end you have the exact same goal. You want the charter to go well for everyone. And so, like, past normally, like the parents could be getting ready and you're kind of doing bath and bedtime. If the parents are chatting and they've like, they're like, Oh, tomorrow, you know, that reservation's really kind of an inconvenient time. I was hoping to actually get a massage in before lunch or a facial, whatever, I don't know. That's really useful information you could respectfully pass on to the chief stewardess and say, like, oh, I've overheard, I've heard about this. Is there potential, any potential that this could get arranged for them? Because I I think they might appreciate it. And it's not about talking behind their back and things, but it's about doing those little things that can really improve the guest experience and helping them out where you can. Excuse me, that doesn't mean doing their job for them because realistically you've more of a hassle than a help because they know how everything goes, they know exactly where it all goes, and the cupboards are open weirdly, or they want it done in a very specific way. And so it's not that you need to be doing that job for them, it's also not your job. But to be that helping hand and to be like showing that you are on side and you are happy to like be a part of the team masses massively. And yeah, just do things that make your bed nicely. It's not that it needs to have really fancy hospital corners, but make it nicely. Don't face loss in foundation because that's just really uncool and hard to get out. And little things like that make a massive difference. Yeah. I think it's just more about being a good person and everyone appreciates that. That'd be my tips.

SPEAKER_01: 32:01

That is amazing. Does that answer your question, Grace? I see something amazing. We have another awesome question in the chat, and this one is about keeping any semblance of schedules, routines, such as normal bedtimes, when on board. I realize the family's on vacation, so the tendency tends towards free-for-all, but the children thrive when they're rested and have that structure. So do you have any tips or antidotes around this? And we talked a little bit about the jet skis and you know, parents, you know, kind of forgetting and even safety rules, but what about routines?

SPEAKER_00: 32:35

It's a tough one because yeah, they love throwing routines out the window. Like come on board and we're not gonna do, you know, nap time. Let's do it an hour before bedtime. Or eating sugar for breakfast, yeah, winner idea. Or right before bed is again it's brilliant. Or just, you know, being out in the sun without any sun cream. Apparently not cool. And it's like, well, okay, these are really rogue things because I know you don't do this at home. And so normally what I tend to do that works well is let them free-for-all for a day or two, and then it's like, okay, this doesn't work. And they've also kind of done the free-for-all, and things will get a little bit wound back in. And it's not that maybe not everything needs to be announced, it's just like, oh, how do you feel about me kind of taking, I don't know, Lola down for a nap now? And they're like, oh yeah, good idea, because they're having a lovely time at a beach club, and actually they can, it's not a hassle for them, and it works really well for you. So it's I think it's like the delivery of things matter massively and how you're making their life smoother, and you know, the children are then gonna be calmer, well-rested. Because yeah, we all know routines really work for a reason, and so how you can kind of slide things back in a little bit smoothly, but yeah, again, I think it's one of those things that's really family specific. But yeah, I do fully agree that routines are really great. It also gets trickier when there's a lot of jet lag happening and well, I had one thing I wanted to say. Okay, I'll think about that because I had another tip. I was gonna say, um Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 34:17

I love that like routine is basically stepping back though and like really letting the parents have a choice of how they want to spend their vacation and really but then being right there to step in and say, hey, it you know, would you like me to implement this? Would you like me to do it? And I feel like it can also, I'm sure it's a conversation that you have beforehand too, over w how much they want you stepping in and how much they want to be with the kids and a little bit of like what they want the vacation to look like ahead of time.

SPEAKER_00: 34:45

Yeah. And um yes, but also no, because a lot of these folks like don't want to discuss about it, they just want to get on and have fun. And so it's really like having the emotional intelligence to read the room to be like, oh, okay, I'm just gonna get on and do this, or I'm quite sure this is the best course for this situation. I'm gonna give it a go and kind of hope for the best. And then if there's any feedback, you can readjust. But normally there isn't, and it's like, okay, perfect, bam, we're going. Because they don't want to be overwhelmed by it with questions, they don't want to be hassled, they want to be really relaxing and taking it easy. So yeah. I just saw another question come in about adjusting to time zones. So Tonya from Newborn Care Solutions wrote this piece for me on jet lag for children. So we can link the blog because it's really good. But oh sorry, I hope that's okay.

SPEAKER_01: 35:35

Oh no, we love Tanya.

SPEAKER_00: 35:37

Oh my gosh, absolutely. She referenced this paper and it's about the important how impactful children like actually being barefoot on either the beach or on grass is in balancing them in terms of like yeah, balancing them for jet lag. And I've tried it myself and it works a job.

SPEAKER_01: 35:58

Really? But that I mean it doesn't shock me because I know a lot about just like barefootness in general and grounding, and like I'm all the nature, get outside and climb trees and all that. That's my kind of niche. But that's incredible. So I'm trying to find this blog right now.

SPEAKER_00: 36:16

It's on the website, but quite far down, I think. And then other things I would do is not constantly discuss it because the more you make it a thing, the more it is a thing. Especially how old your children are. Eat accordingly to the destination. Um, but also don't like if you're going a massive time difference, like I don't know, eight, nine hours, you need to go kind of like hour by hour a bit over the like start a few days before you go and then finish it off by like day three of the trip. But it's also tough. I know when it for some families, when it's not massive time differences, then they just exist on their home time, and that also kind of works. And then also to eat according to the destination. Like if it's if it means having a really early dinner, have a really early dinner. Don't make it into a oh my gosh, this is the earliest thing that we're ever gonna eat. Because then like, oh yeah, this is crazy. Because if you just like it is tricky and it is just not fun, but also especially when they're younger, it's not impossible. I've just come back from a trip with clients from the US and we were in UK Europe, and I smashed it out in a day. Uh so we had one funky nap, and then the rest, she was two. So and the rest was completely fine. We didn't talk about it anymore, and it all was really calm because it wasn't a thing. We were outside, look, we rolled around on the grass and ate at the right times, and yeah, took a one massive nap and done. So, but it doesn't always go that easily because that was really lovely.

SPEAKER_01: 37:51

That's amazing, and that is a great to my next question because I was thinking about you talk about, you know, we talk about structure and that being best for kids and you know what, but also adventure and these experiences are once in a lifetime, not once for I'm sure for many of these kids, it's more than once in a lifetime, but they're incredible experiences. What are the most significant ways that being at sea can contribute and enhance a child's like development and worldview and well-being? Like, are there things that you have seen that really actually, you know, I'm sure there's also should trade-offs in every way, but like what are some beneficial things from the child's perspective? What have you seen that the children get to learn? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 38:32

Like cultural immersion, language, learning local geography, learning local history, uh, wildly varying their food palettes. There is such a they become fantastic swimmers, they are so much more confident within themselves in communicating with different people that maybe not speak the same language. How children who travel a lot will just go into a playground and go and play, and they will make friends. It doesn't matter if they speak the same language or not, they will make it work and it's really fun and really lovely. And it's about creating this environment, like I'm I think of probably nanny quite similar to you, in that a calculated risk is completely cool. Like you can go and climb, you can go and play. I will tell you, like, oh, that's a bit skinny, that looks quite wobbly, but it's not that he keeps saying, be careful, be careful. That gives me stress. I don't want stress. Right? What was I saying? Yeah, and so like I will all like I will always learn facts about the area or about the geography, about the rock types, about why the coastlines formed, how it is, what dinosaurs used to live in the area, what fish we might find. Also understanding how a fish finger happens, because we can go fishing. Probably won't catch a fish because I've never caught a fish. But wow, with all the water experience, that's incredible. Yeah. I've nearly been hooked a few times by children, but that's the little bit scary. But like understanding how ecosystems work, and obviously it hugely varies on where they are academically and their age, but yeah, there is a million learning opportunities that doesn't need to be sit down at a table and do sheets of paper, sheets of work because yeah. I obviously they have their place, and if there's homework that needs to get done, we obviously need to do it, but we can throw in so much learning and fun facts that they don't know their learning, and it's really interesting, and yeah, everyone enjoys it.

SPEAKER_01: 40:24

I love that. Yes, I'm all about experiential learning, and like that would be, you know, if I was a millionaire, I would go live on a yacht and homeschool my kid and travel the world. Like that's you know, that's absolutely like incredible.

SPEAKER_00: 40:37

There's more families doing who own yachts doing world schooling programs. And yeah, it's really cool. I think it's amazing. I love it.

SPEAKER_01: 40:47

We have another really awesome question in the chat. Is it possible for people who deal with seasickness to deal with to live on yachts? It seems my or work on yachts, it seems my body eventually adjusts with dramamine, but I have to worry that I'll have to start fresh every time. Is it something that like you adapt to eventually? If like, you know, do you have you known people who used to get seasick and eventually adapt to it? Or is are you always gonna get seasick if you get seasick?

SPEAKER_00: 41:15

I think you're always gonna get seasick. I don't personally get seasick at all. If the weather's like crazy horrendous, but like I've been seasick once. But I do know crew who work on board who don't feel amazing and yeah, they will just their way through it, but it does it is quite relentless, I think. I'm really sorry to say because that's not what you wanted me to say. Yeah. Maybe bigger yacht is better suited because it's less bouncy, but yeah, I'm sorry. Yeah, really not a funny.

SPEAKER_01: 41:49

This is we're here for the hard truths, it's all good. So to wrap it up, and if we'll have a couple minutes for any other questions, but what is just your favorite memory, your most memorable moment working as a super yacht and what is kind of like the coolest thing that you've gotten to do or experience or see in your experience working on yachts?

SPEAKER_00: 42:10

I used to have a really hard time answering this, but then like a year or two ago, I had this charter that just blew everything out of the water, and it was incredible. So I had three children and I was working with a maternity nurse for a baby, and I took one of the girls, so it was me, her, she's school-aged, and the security officer in Capri. There is uh the Farraglooney rocks, the really famous rocks in Capri, and there's one that you can that kind of got a tunnel through it, so you can drive through it. And we drove through and we stopped underneath it, and we looked at all the bats, and I explained kind of a picture of bats and how they're connected with dinosaurs, and there's like cohesive evolution, how that happened and things, and it was just the most beautiful moment. And then we went jet skiing and it was really fun and fantastic, and was really amazing. That evening, we then had they set up beanbags on the helipad, and they had a barge come out and do a private fireworks display, and the last fireworks uh spelled out the family's initials. Oh my gosh. And I had then I had like a two-year-old on my lap, just like a little bit, whoa, this is quite loud, but in total awe. And I was like, wow, I really love what I do. This is cool.

SPEAKER_01: 43:27

But yeah, that's some of those are the moments where you're like, oh, this is a different life that I live, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00: 43:33

That I don't think it's ever gonna happen again because this was just like an incredible family, but still in touch, and um yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 43:40

Isn't it great when those people are also like amazing people too?

SPEAKER_00: 43:43

I feel so lucky for the amazing people I work for because I know, yeah, they're incredible. But this was also a crew who on it a thousand percent. Like you come on board, sometimes it's like, oh, you knew there was kids, but there's like zero inkling of anything child raised. Like, yes, obviously I brought supplies and provisions, but normally you guys kind of I don't know, make things nice as well. And then other times it is just yeah, blow your socks off cool.

SPEAKER_01: 44:08

That is so, so cool. So I know that everyone here a big question you've answered a little bit, but what if you wanted to get in, besides getting in contact with you and sending you an email going to your website, which will make sure everything's linked and chatting with you? Like, how what are some actionable things or practical steps that if you wanted to get into yacht nanny, like where do you start today? Because obviously you gotta make the, you know, it sounds like you gotta like make connections, know people. It's a little bit of that. So sounds like if you're really serious about it, get in contact with Ella. But what's a practical step somebody could take today if they wanted to get into it?

SPEAKER_00: 44:47

Push for travel nannying, get experience in fully staffed households, work with older higher net worth clients. There is this is what we look for in hiring yacht nannies, that they know what they're doing. It's not that they've got a crazy number of courses, it's that they actually can be thrown into any situation and are going to handle it, be cool, calm, collected with the right energy, really strong people skills, really like can sell themselves, they're boundary, they're professional, they are can do people like yachting as a yes industry. It's not a oh no, actually, that's not an option. There's no prime. There is always, almost always a way to figure something out. And so, yeah, but getting the hands-on experience in like do wedding nannying, do I don't know, some weekend bits and pieces, get into some interesting things that set you apart because they're hyper competitive roles. And yeah. And if you want to do qualifications, do like water safety or lifeguarding or things like that. Don't go and pay for an SSCW without talking to me because realistically you don't need one. And I keep people seeing people do it, and they're like, oh I got it. Now I'm like, well, cool. You didn't need to do that. It was a thousand at least a thousand pounds, or I think it's like$1,800 actually in the US. Um, that you didn't need to spend. Yes, would be my top tips. And get written references from the current your current jobs because they're really important. And it seems that no one has like a lot of people are not asking for them anymore. Actually, they matter.

SPEAKER_01: 46:22

That is a great tip. And that is a tip even if you don't want to get into yacht-any any that you should take away because that is a great tip.

SPEAKER_00: 46:30

Don't burn bridges with your previous employees.

SPEAKER_01: 46:33

Absolutely. Thank you. We've got some folks heading out and saying thank you to Ella. Well, thank you for sending it for being here. If no one has any other questions, I know we asked many of our questions throughout the thing. Feel free to drop them in, but otherwise we're gonna get wrapped up. We uh did learn about Super Yacht Nanny today and how you know exciting of a career path it can be. If there's one thing that you want everyone to take away today, what would it be? And then let us know where we can find you.

SPEAKER_00: 47:04

Oh my gosh, I didn't prepare this part. Oh, it's okay. I away when it's a will, that's away. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01: 47:10

I'll give a I'll give a takeaway that I just that I really just like. It I think that my biggest takeaway from this is how unique the industry is. And it's like it truly is a creating a luxury experience. It's not the everyday nanny experience. And if you really love that, that creating that extra special experience and that those moments, then I think that this is your path and where you should go down. I think it's a really special, a special luxury, unique thing to do.

SPEAKER_00: 47:38

Yeah. I love it. I like that a lot. I've also got a niche one that everyone laughs at. So the sizzle, not the sausage, when you're pitching to jobs. Because everyone goes, oh my gosh, I know that's so inappropriate. No. Do you want to employ a childcarer, a nanny, or do you want to employ someone who is going to make sure your children are having the best time? They are like academically thriving, they're hitting every milestone if you're going for a full-time job. They are ensuring that safety's paranoid, that they are like socially, emotionally, physically, everything fulfilled. So that sizzle, not just I'm a nanny, because that is the energy to take into an interview to actually get the job.

SPEAKER_01: 48:16

That is amazing. I love it. Okay, where can everybody find you? Where can we connect? What's your website? What's your social media handles? All that fun stuff.

SPEAKER_00: 48:23

Oh, thank you very much. It's at superior nanny on Instagram. My Facebook group is superior nanny. The website is superiornanny.co not dot com. And then my email is the same, Ella at superyotnanny.co. Just search supernanny and you'll find me.

SPEAKER_01: 48:38

Amaz. I say yeah, it's pretty easy. So yeah, you just gotta make sure you put the nanny on there and she pops right up. And then I did link up in the chat the I did find that jet lag blog. So it's up in there in the chat, and we'll make sure that we put it in the show notes and everything. Thank you so much for being here, sharing all your things, everyone. That looks like everyone got a lot out of the session. And thank you to our audience for being here. We love being here. So please share your key learnings online, connect with Ella, and subscribe to Adventure Nannies on Air. These will be available to replay on our podcast. And don't miss our next session, too. We have got a couple more great sessions later, later this month or next month. This month's almost over. Oh my goodness. So thank you for participating. Until next time, everybody have a great.