“I have surprised myself and achieved more than I thought I would” – Kia's Story

Third-year student Kia (Set 147) has always wanted to work in the early years and knew that he wanted to come to Norland from a young age. Now in his final year of early childhood degree study, Kia reflects on his experiences during his studies and his excitement for life as a qualified Norland Nanny.

“My name is Kia and I’m from Northamptonshire. I knew I wanted to come to Norland from around the time I was 14 and studied childcare at college with Norland in mind. I chose to study a CACHE Level 3 Diploma in Childcare and Education, which I have found set me up perfectly for Norland due to the mix of academic and practical learning on placements. My placements in nurseries, primary schools and a hospital helped me to feel confident and at ease with the practical side of our learning when I first joined Norland. I’m now in my third year of study, preparing to write my work-based project and looking forward to the future in my Newly Qualified Nanny (NQN) year and beyond.

“I first heard about Norland through watching the ITV documentary Britain’s Poshest Nannies. I immediately knew that Norland was where I wanted to study. As a nanny, we get to see a child develop at their own pace over time. Whereas other roles in the early years can be more ticking boxes to get a child to a milestone, as a nanny we really see the child as an individual and get to experience the impact we can make as a practitioner on their lives and development.

“One of my favourite elements of the course has been placements. I love the practical side of learning and even asked to specifically take a hospital placement during my college course as I knew this was something I would be doing at Norland. My favourite was my first residential placement in my second year, our six-week residential placement in London. For this placement I was living in Putney in south-west London and caring for six-month-old twins as well as a two-year-old. I loved getting my first proper taste of life as a nanny in this placement, and it really built my confidence, particularly after dealing with the challenge of six-month-old twins. I felt like I could handle anything after this and loved the experience.

“In the future, I’d love to open a nursery or a forest school when I have the experience. In the next few years, I’m excited to get stuck into my NQN role and experience life as a nanny for the first time. What I love about nannying is the personal connection I have with the families and children I get to work with and the opportunity to see the impact on the child’s development over time. After my NQN, I’d love to live in London and stay long term with a family so I can see the many development milestones of the children over a longer period.”