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Why Nannying is the Best College Summer Job

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Wisconsin chapter.

Where are you supposed to work when you live in two different places at different times of the year? 

The summer before college was a struggle to find a full-time job because no business wanted to hire me for only three months. I currently worked at a local elementary school so in the summer they wouldn’t need staff. I needed a full-time job because I was to be leaving, and during my first semester of college, I wasn’t planning on working which meant no income as well. I knew I needed a well-paying job so that I could have the luxury of supporting myself without income for five months. My friend, who was a nanny, suggested that I sign up for a Care.com account because so many families are in need of summer care. If you think about the price of daycare compared to paying one person every week, you’re saving an immense amount of money. The situation is a win-win for everyone.  

When I set up my account, I started to look for jobs near me that seemed like they would be a good fit. I set up about five interviews within the first day and set out to prepare for the interviews. I printed out resumes and decided to pick up cookies for the kids so that I would make a lasting impression. I had printed out plenty of resumes because I had so many interviews set up, only to find the perfect fit after my first interview and take the job. 

Throughout the summer I got to spend time with the two sweetest little boys. We went everywhere from the county fair to the community pool. It was not only fun for them but also for me. I love doing things like riding carnival rides and swimming in the summertime but, as I grew up, I did them much less frequently. My favorite memory from this past summer would have to be packing up the car and driving to Green Bay to go to Bay Beach. We rode almost every single ride but we also packed a picnic and were able to enjoy it on the grass together. I genuinely think nannying is the most engaging summer job because you get to plan out activities that you would’ve enjoyed doing as a kid and get paid for it! Another perk of being a nanny is that, since I was outside with the boys so much, my tan was better than ever! I also thoroughly enjoyed the teaching aspect of having the boys. We would sit down and read books together or work on math problems they received from summer school, as well as teach the boys how to swim and watch their progress. Those things fulfilled my inner teacher’s dreams as well. 

I genuinely just love spending time with kids and these boys made my summer amazing, I just hope they can say that I did the same for theirs. I cannot wait to go on more adventures with them this summer. If you’re thinking about nannying anytime in the future, I highly recommend it!

Kylie Carriveau

Wisconsin '25

UW Madison '25 Studying Psychology