7 nannies who work for the rich and powerful share one thing they wish their bosses knew - but would never tell them

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7 nannies who work for the rich and powerful share one thing they wish their bosses knew - but would never tell them

nanny with kids

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"79% of the little details they think matter when it comes to taking care of the kids absolutely don't," one elite nanny told Business Insider.

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  • Elite nannies often know the households of the rich and powerful better than the parents themselves.
  • Business Insider asked nannies what they wish their bosses knew - and they had feedback about everything from household security to their job responsibilities.
  • One nanny was concerned about the pressure the parents' high expectations put on the kids.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

When you hire people to run your household, it's possible that they just might get to know how it works better than you do.

Business Insider interviewed seven elite nannies to find out what they learned about the households of the rich and powerful - but were afraid to tell to their bosses. The nannies had feedback on everything from household security to their job responsibilities.

Keep reading to learn more about what the households of the rich and powerful are really like.

Note: Business Insider was able to verify each nanny's identity, but we refrained from publishing some of their full names to protect their privacy.

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Do you nanny for a wealthy family and have a story to share? Contact the reporter via encrypted messaging app Signal at +1 (646) 768-4725 using a non-work phone, email at trogers@businessinsider.com, or Twitter DM at @TaylorNRogers. (PR pitches by email only, please.)

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1. "The pay, benefits and perks are amazing; but they can come with a cost to your own personal life."

1. "The pay, benefits and perks are amazing; but they can come with a cost to your own personal life."

Elite nannies can make up to $150,000 with full benefits, according to Katie Provinziano, the managing director of Los Angeles staffing agency Westside Nannies — but the costs are steep, too.

Many elite nannies regularly work late into the night and travel with families for weeks on end. As a result, many elite nannies change careers after three to five years, Provinziano told Business Insider.

2. "79% of the little details they think matter when it comes to taking care of the kids absolutely don't."

2. "79% of the little details they think matter when it comes to taking care of the kids absolutely don't."

"Oftentimes nannies know there's the parents' way of doing things, and there's the nanny way of doing things, since we're actually 'boots on the ground' 24/7," one nanny told Business Insider. "A lot of things set in place and a lot of things that fill stackable nanny employee binders are all great in theory but many times they just have no idea."

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3. "They are paying me to be their friend and drinking buddy."

3. "They are paying me to be their friend and drinking buddy."

One nanny said that the mother asked her to return to the family's hotel suite after dropping the son off for school to pick out the mother's outfit and keep her company.

4. "Your kids clearly wanted to impress you and were trying their best. You did not have to put so much pressure on them with schoolwork and being the best at everything all the time."

4. "Your kids clearly wanted to impress you and were trying their best. You did not have to put so much pressure on them with schoolwork and being the best at everything all the time."

"The oldest was in middle school and the other two in elementary school," another nanny told Business Insider. "I get that you want them to go to an Ivy League school and stay in this circle of extreme wealth, but both the parents and the kids seemed unhappy. There is more to life than money, wealth, and status."

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5. "Raise your own kids!"

5. "Raise your own kids!"

"Literally just cook and clean yourself," one nanny told Business Insider. "It's not that hard."

6. "I make it look easy, but it's not."

6. "I make it look easy, but it's not."

The nanny said they dealt with multiple health emergencies such as tooth eruptions and asthma attacks.

They were also once asked to clean out a rats' nest by themselves, Business Insider previously reported.

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7. "They are way too lax with security."

7. "They are way too lax with security."

One nanny told Business Insider that the family they worked for never locked the doors to their house or set their alarm, would leave cash and credit cards out, and left their luxury cars unlocked with the keys in the initiation.

"It's almost scary," the nanny said.

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