Ben, nanny in British Columbia

Hi there, my name is Ben. I have just moved to Canada on a two year visa and am looking for a full time nanny position.

My location: I am currently working at a residential summer camp for children with special needs in Kirkfield, ON. The contract finishes in late August so from September 2018 I will be looking for employment anywhere in Canada.

My skills:
I have worked with many different age groups in many different positions around the world. I am a fun loving, open-natured person who is easy to get along with. I passionate about working with children, and would like to have a career in childcare or education. I'm a responsible and patient role model who manages to strike the right balance between playfulness and structure. As the oldest of 17 cousins I have been around children my entire life. Ever since I was little I have enjoyed looking after my younger cousins and little sister who is now; 23. My parents Peter (Teacher) and Sue (Occupational Therapist) are wonderful and my role models when it comes to childcare methods. They taught me the importance of playing with children and active learning. We didn't have a TV growing up so a lot of emphasis was placed on outdoor activities, reading, and creative play rather than screentime. They also instilled in me the importance of family and doing things together.

Professionally I have worked with kids in a wide variety of settings. For the last five summers I have worked at a residential summer camp in Ontario for children aged 6-16 with special needs. I have had a variety of roles there....
Program Staff (1 summer) - Responsible for creating and leading safe and engaging activities for campers.
Counsellor (2 summers) - Responsible for the welfare of a cabin group of 6 campers from wake up til bed time for the entire time they are at camp.
Support Staff (2 summers) - Providing heightened support for cabin groups and campers with the highest needs. Also behind the scenes duties including driving.

I have worked and volunteered in schools as a Teaching Assistant where I helped the teacher plan lessons, manage the classroom and with paperwork such attendance and grading. I worked with groups of up to 12 kids and also 1-on-1 support for children with learning difficulties

Between Jan '16-Jun '16 and Sept '16 and Jun '17 I worked as an Au Pair for a family with two young boys aged 2 and 5 in Rolleston, NZ. I worked 50 hour weeks helping with a wide range of childcare and household chores. I was responsible for getting the kids up in the morning, preparing them for the day, school runs, after school activities, and getting them ready for bed. During the day I would clean the house, walk the dog, do laundry and prepare dinner. I love cooking and baking and cooked dinner for the whole family every night. I really enjoyed doing activities with the boys like crafts, making forts, baking, going on bike rides and playing outside in the garden or on trampoline.

From Sep-Dec '17 I worked as an Au Pair for a family with a 3 year old girl and a 14 month old boy. This was just a short placement with similar duties to my previous job. However I had a great impact on family life, relieving a lot of stress for both parents and bonding quickly with the children. This ability to hit the ground running in a new job is a skill I am proud of doing in every job.

Between March and Jun '18 I worked full time as a Nanny for a family in crisis in Wortley, England. One of the children was suffering from severe mental health and social issues and was not attending school because of them. I worked with the family to increase the child's work output and swell as to give the mum an extra pair of hands. We did a lot of school work and behavioural work, alongside working in outings and experiences to improve the child's behaviour. I also cooked and performed light housekeeping for the family.

During the same time I also worked as a personal carer for a family in Sheffield, England with 3 disabled teenage triplets. I assisted with feeding and moving the physically disabled girl swell as entertaining all three. I also helped the mum out on outings such as birthday parties, park visits and going to the theatre.

Working in a home environment alongside children for an extended period of time as a nanny is a true honour. Getting to see the children grow and mature is so much fun and the most rewarding role.

I'm not sure how references work on this platform but I am willing to provide them for any of the jobs I have listed. Thanks for your consideration.