This Family Wants To Hire A Nanny Who Will Dress Up As A Disney Princess — Here's How To Apply

Dream job alert for any Disney-loving childcare providers out there: A family in Hertfordshire, UK is looking for a nanny to dress up as a Disney Princess while they watch the kids. Or, more accurately, to dress up as all the Disney Princesses — according to the job listing currently going viral, you’ll take on a new character each month. Time to dust off those tiaras and brush up on your improv skills!

Like a lot of the nannying job listings that have gone viral in recent years, this one was posted to Childcare.co.uk, a UK-based online community that connects parents and guardians with childcare providers, schools, tutors, and the like. However, unlike, say, the 2017 listing from the family looking for a literal supernanny with a degree in child psychology, at least 15 years of experience, governess skills, and training in self-defense, our current point of interest is refreshingly self-aware and down-to-earth — a quality that’s apparent right from the get-go: The parent begins, “I have a slightly unusual request that I’m hoping someone will be able to help me with!”

The details of that “slightly unusual request” are laid out clearly in the next paragraph: The family is in search of a part-time nanny to take care of their 5-year-old twins after school four days a week — except there’s a catch. “We want to hire someone to look after our children whilst in character as a different Disney Princess every month, such as Princess Anna, Moana, Rapunzel, and Princess Merida,” the parent writes.

But although part of the reason for this request is because, “like most 5-year-olds, our girls are obsessed with Disney,” there’s more to it than just entertainment and fun. Yes, the parents are absolutely aware that “this isn’t a normal request for nannies” — but they “feel this would be the best way to communicate some important values.” By interacting with “strong yet relatable female role models like Princess Tiana, Princess Anna, Belle, and Cinderella,” the hope is that the twins will learn valuable lessons about “things like determination, compassion, fearlessness, and ambition.”

I love everything about that. That is terrific. A-plus parenting, gang.

And there’s research that suggests it’ll be an effective teaching method, too. According to a 2017 study published in the journal Developmental Science, for example, kids learn lessons about good behavior taught in storybooks best when the characters are realistic: When kids between the ages of 4 and 6 were read a story about sharing featuring either human characters or anthropomorphic animals, then given a bunch of stickers to share with other kids, they were more likely to share more stickers if they had heard the story starring human characters. It’s true that Disney movies aren’t storybooks (although many are based on them) — but it doesn’t get more realistic than actually being able to speak, play, and interact with a human playing a Disney Princess, so it’s not a stretch to suppose that a similar phenomenon might occur for this lucky pair of twins.

The gig itself also sounds like a really fantastic job. Responsibilities include picking the kids up after school on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, “arranging a variety of Disney-related activities” — think art projects, music time, etc. — feeding the girls dinner, and occasionally putting them to bed if the parents have late nights at work. (Some flexibility might be required, too, though; the nanny will need to be “willing to work around our busy schedules.”) The right applicant should have “a real creative flare” and “a passion for all things Disney”; additionally, they’ll be able to “commit to a character and create a really fun atmosphere in our home, but also won’t be afraid to be a disciplinarian if the twins are naughty or act out.” Other requirements include a clean driver’s license, first aid training, and at least two years of relevant experience.

It’s also got terrific benefits, particularly for a part-time gig: It comes at a salary of £40,000 per year — equivalent to almost $53,000 — and with a generous time-off policy. Should you land the job, you’ll get 25 days off per year — plus bank holidays, which nets you an additional eight days off. You’ll also be entitled to the UK’s Statutory Sick Pay allocation, which means that if you’re off sick four or more days in a row — including non-working days — then you still get paid £92.05 per week. Statutory Sick Pay is valid for up to 28 weeks.

And perhaps most importantly, the nanny will not have to supply the costumes themself: Per the listing, the parents “will be covering the hire of each Disney Princess costume.” That’s major; nothing would take a job listing like this from being cute to WTF faster than the nanny having to pay for and acquire all those costumes on their own. Again, well done, parents.

You know who this job would be great for? An actor. I know a lot of actors who nanny, either between gigs or concurrently with them, as one of their sources of income — and a job like this is perfectly suited to someone with that skill set. It’s worth noting that the family does want a long-term nanny — the hope is “to keep the successful nanny in the girl’s lives for the foreseeable future” — so if you need something with a little more flexibility, then this job may not be quite right for you; however, if you have both acting chops and a love of caring for kids, then by all means, apply (as long as you’re based in Hertfordshire, of course.)

Check out more here — and throw your hat in the ring, if you’re feeling up to it. If you want to help make some magic for a pair of lucky kids, now’s your chance!