How to become a £50,000 Norland Nanny: The college – set to become a university – where students learn Taekwondo and how to escape paparazzi
University might evoke memories of heavy drinking sessions out on the town and attending lectures bleary-eyed the following day.
However, a typical day at the latest institution to seek university status, Norland College, which trains nannies, including Maria Borrallo, who works for the Prince and Princess of Wales, is much different.
And life after graduation is also unique because while many graduates are forced to return home and scrape a living as a waiter or bartender, Norland nannies are guaranteed a job with a £50,000 starting salary.
If its application is approved, Norland College in Bath, Somerset, could become a university as early as September.
But life at the elite institution, which costs £17,000 a year, is far from typical; students learn skills more often associated with James Bond than with Mary Poppins, including getaway driving and martial arts.
They must also bid farewell to their wardrobe in favour of the college’s famous brown uniform, which includes a beige, crested dress and matching felt hat for women, and a tweed blazer with chinos for men.
The uniform, which is to be worn to lectures, costs £1,000, and it strictly mandates down to their tights (brown, 70 denier).
A quick glimpse on TikTok reveals that university life could soon look very different if Norland College receives the green light. Deputy Head of Students Lillie, who goes by @nanny_lillie on TikTok, has shared snippets of her life there, including an orientation day which involved taking a stuffed bear around London.
Orientation day for Norland College’s Deputy Head of Students, @nanny_lillie (pictured left), included carrying a stuffed bear around London
When she asked other students what Norland College is to them in one word, she was met with responses like ‘stability’, ‘committed’, ‘inspiring’ and ‘passion’.
Come exam season, and the students are met with typical demands, though, and Lille explained that they each complete a dissertation and placements while developing their CV and portfolio.
Elsewhere, third-year Norland student Liv shared a clip explaining why her school is ‘different from others’, showing snippets of her fellow student reading to a toy baby, carrying it in a pram, and holding up puppets to the toy.
Alumni are guaranteed a job through the college’s recruitment agency, which has five vacancies for every graduate.
Norland College, founded in 1892, is expected to soon find out if its application to become a university has been approved.
Elspeth Pitman, head of graduates at Norland, told The Times: ‘As long as there are children around, the likelihood of nannying jobs staying around is quite high.’
And while salaries in finance and banking for new graduates are, on average, £45,500 this year, Norland nannies start on an average of £50,000 a year for jobs in Britain and overseas, or £46,500 for the UK only, according to the college.
If its university bid is approved, it would be one of the smallest in England with only 400 students.
Third year student Liv Stanley (pictured centre) posed with fellow students in their £1,000 uniform
Imogen, a 2024 graduate of Norland College, started her first job two weeks after leaving. It was initially based in London but has taken her overseas to Dubai, commanding a salary just below £50,000.
She told the Times: ‘One of the reasons I joined Norland in the first place was because they always talked about how they have a 100 per cent success rate at getting Norlanders jobs.
‘Friends [not at Norland] have had to take part-time jobs in restaurants and stuff like that just to make some money while they are trying to find a full-time job in their particular profession. I do feel for them.’
Last year, Norland received 230 applications for 100 places. Five years ago, around 155 applied.
Alongside a BA (Hons) in Early Years Development and Learning, graduates receive the prestigious Norland diploma and spend a year working before officially graduating.
The Norland course draws on approaches from various disciplines, including psychology, child health, philosophy, social sciences, literature and education.
Modules include Safeguarding and Child Protection, Promoting Health and Wellbeing, Making Sense of Children’s Behaviour and Working with Families and Communities.
Students learn additional professional skills required to work with children, including good timekeeping, teamwork skills, excellent communication skills and respect for and love of children.
Around 50 per cent of their time (a minimum of 1,216 placement hours) at Norland is spent on placement in early years settings, including nurseries, schools, and hospitals.
Subjects include: Self-defence classes, Security and Cyber-security training, Emotion Coaching, Sleep and Behaviour, Skid Pan driving, Baby Massage, Drama at The Egg Theatre, and many more.
