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Inside the World of a Superyacht Nanny
- Ella
- Feb 20
- 3 min read
I’m Ella, a superyacht nanny with oodles (and years) of experience of taking care of little ones onboard.
I’m here to give you an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at life onboard – the magical moments, the fun-filled days, and the “wow-this-is-intense” realities. Let’s dive in!”
Getting Started
Firstly, to anyone considering working as a superyacht nanny, you need to know that it’s not all about cruising around the world and hanging out with the rich and famous. Yes, there are a host of good times to be had, but at all times your number one priority is the safety and wellbeing of your charges.
Often, personal time is non-existent. You are responsible for your charges around the clock, and often this means sharing a cabin with them (especially as space is limited on board), or if you are lucky enough to have your own space, having a monitor with you during the night.
Am I Treated Like a Guest or Crew?
Truthfully, the answer is sometimes yes and sometimes no. It really does vary from charter to charter.
At times I enjoy perks such as chef-prepared avocado toast on the sun deck before my charges awake. Other times I am very much part of the crew - eating in the crew mess, making (children’s) beds, helping to set the table and more. There are certainly pros and cons to both approaches and each experience brings its own benefits.
Land vs Sea
Working on superyachts with children makes for a very different work environment to caring for them at home. A yacht is a safety-critical environment and brings with it a host of safety challenges. A few notable elements are:
Many superyachts now have a no unaccompanied children policy. This means that someone must be monitoring/watching them at all times. Most children are not used to having such high level supervision, so how you do this without them feeling you are overbearing comes with practice and skill!
Many doors onboard are heavy fire doors, meaning children can get ‘trapped’ easily. Making sure they are able to get out of places such as the bathroom is important!
My Always Do’s and Never Do’s
I always ask before going into crew areas. Sometimes I come onboard, and it is very much I am part of the crew and am most welcome to eat in the crew mess, make my own toast etc. Other times I am very much treated as a guest and it is not appropriate for me to be in the crew’s onboard home as that is seen as crossing a line.
I always brief the crew on accompanying guests on any excursions – this doesn’t always need to be a formal briefing but as a lot of crew have spent most of their adult life onboard, they aren’t always familiar with best childcare practices.
I never do arts and crafts which include glitter – it makes so much mess onboard and stewardesses hate cleaning it up as it ends up everywhere
I never go down a slide with a child between my legs – it is a really easy way to hurt them as their leg can get caught under yours and it is a recipe for broken bones (the same goes for going down slides together on land!)
Superyacht Nanny Highlights
One of my most incredible work experiences happened on the Italian island of Capri. I took my charge (primary school-aged girl) jet skiing through the Faraglioni Rocks (famous rock formations) to admire the bats hanging down from caves. We were accompanied by our close protection and chatted about bat facts and how dinosaurs inhabited the island during the Jurassic period.
Another lasting memory is the time I sat on a beanbag on the helicopter pad with guests, with their youngest on my lap as we enjoyed a private firework display the crew had organised. The pyrotechnics we enjoyed were set off from a barge in the bay and incredibly, the last fireworks of the display spelt the guest’s surname initials.
And finally …
Whether you're a candidate looking for superyacht opportunities or a client in need of a nanny for your upcoming charter, reach out to Oceanside Staffing for support.
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