Step 1) Babysitting, Step 2) ????? Step 3) PROFIT!

March 12, 2013 5:18 PM

Most of my income now comes from babysitting, but I'd like to look for non-childcare jobs when my current gig ends in a few months. How do I make the transition into office work?

I've been babysitting on a regular schedule for one family since January. I have a good relationship with the family and am sure I'll have a great reference from them. However, I know that my work will taper off or end entirely in June, when the kids go to camp all day and one of their parents has more time away from work. I will be looking for more families to sit for on a part-time basis, but I'd like to use this opportunity to look for a full-time job in a non-childcare field.

-How do you list sitting/nannying on a resume? Just list out the tasks performed, as you would with any other job? (Picked children up from school, prepared snacks, assisted with homework, etc.)
-Can the parents now count as professional references for non-sitting jobs? Will employers look oddly at that?
-If anyone here has made the jump from child care to another field, how did you do it? How do you tie the skills you use as a sitter/nanny into other jobs?
-Are there any unlikely officey jobs that a childcare background makes you especially well-suited for? I'm not so interested in working with kids in non-sitting contexts, but I am interested in positions that would consider a background of child-care work an asset.

posted by ActionPopulated to work & money (3 answers total)

If that's your main work experience, then yes they can count as references. Also they may be able to help you make that transition into an office job. Ask them now to put the word out for you. I actually got my first "real" job via the family I babysat for.
posted by radioamy at 6:32 PM on March 12

In looking for admin jobs, I have noticed that ads for secretaries/administrative assistants at schools, preschools, other private education establishments often specify that they want someone who has experience working with kids. I'd think that babysitting long term would count. Unfortunately, June may not be the best time for that kind of job search.
posted by snorkmaiden at 6:44 PM on March 12

How do you tie the skills you use as a sitter/nanny into other jobs?

Some skills that are directly transferable:
Dealing with difficult people
Negotiating
Staying on schedule/organized
Following guidelines and ensuring others' compliance

In your mind, turn the parents into a manager and the kids into customers or peers. Think about the regular stuff you did and the one-off incidents that you dealt with and how you would use that experience in a similar office situation.
posted by soelo at 8:51 PM on March 12 [1 favorite]