“I want to be able to provide families and children with the best possible care and Norland will enable me to do this” – Matilda’s story
Matilda chose to study at Norland because of its high quality theoretical and practical training, enabling her to provide the very best support to families and children.
In her My Norland Story, third-year student Matilda shares how she knew nannying was the right path for her, her highlights from the course so far, and how commuting supports her to balance studying at Norland with her outdoor lifestyle.
“My name is Matilda and I’m in Set 46. I am from the Mendip Hills in Somerset. Before starting at Norland, I completed a Level 3 Extended Diploma in Children’s Play, Learning and Development at college, where I was very fortunate to have tutors who believed in me and encouraged me to apply to Norland.
“I first came across Norland when I watched the Britain’s Poshest Nannies documentary. However, although I wanted to work with children, I had not considered nannying as a career until just before I started my Level 3 diploma. I spent a week working with an eight-month-old and three-year-old twins: a family who I still often see! I enjoyed it so much that I then did significantly more research into studying at Norland and exploring nannying as a future career.
“I chose to study at Norland due to the high level of theoretical learning and practical training I would receive. I wanted to be able to use this wealth of knowledge to support the families I will work with in the future.
“I have really enjoyed my time at Norland so far. One of the highlights has been the four days I spent on a hospital maternity ward, working alongside the team to support new families. I gained so much hands-on experience caring for such young babies from this placement. While on the ward, I supported a first-time dad with changing his first-ever nappy, talking him through the steps and watching his confidence grow. I also supported families to learn how to pass their baby to each other and to dress their baby. These experiences have reinforced to me just how passionate I am about becoming a maternity nurse after I have completed my time at Norland and the additional training required.
“Another highlight has been my residential placement. This involved living with a family with a two-year-old boy and twins who were only 8 days old when I started. This was a huge highlight of my time at Norland and the experiences I had in this placement will definitely impact my future practice.
“I look forward to being able to pass on my knowledge, experience and skills to new families and support them through the tricky but incredible transition of becoming a parent”
“I chose to commute to Norland and stay living at home as I prefer living in the countryside to the city. Although it is a long commute – taking between one-and-a-half to two hours each way depending on which building I am studying in and if the buses are running on time – I find I really enjoy my commute. It is my downtime to get ready for the day ahead or process the day before I get home.
“To ensure I have a good work-life balance, I do not complete any academic work outside of Norland. While this sometimes means long days at Norland, it does mean the evenings and weekends are mine.
“One massive benefit I have found with commuting is it means I can afford to have my van, which I often go away in to different mountain ranges, new places to go swimming or going away on caving trips. This means that, at various points, I can fully escape from thinking about Norland work and have a complete break, making me much more prepared for the following week. For me, I know commuting is what works best for my wellbeing and work/life balance.
“To fund my studies, I have a lot of support from my close family. I also rely on student loans and the money I saved from a young age. I have always preferred to save than spend birthday or Christmas money, so it has slowly collected over time. I also work for families during the holidays. However, I don’t do evening work during term time as, due to my commute, I often get home late and have an early start again the next day.
“Overall, I believe the high level of education I am receiving through my degree and diploma training and therefore the high level of care I will be able to provide to the children and families I work with is worth the hard work and time I put into studying at Norland. I want to be able to provide families and children with the best possible care and support and my education at Norland will enable me to do this.
“I am looking forward to continuing to make lots of memories during my remaining time at Norland, both with friends, in lectures and on placement supporting different families.
“In the future, I would like to become a Maternity Practitioner after I complete the specialist training course that Norland offers as part of its Continuing Professional Development programme for Norlanders. I look forward to being able to pass on my knowledge, experience and skills to new families and support them through the tricky but incredible transition of becoming a parent. I would also like to use what I learn to help social services to support the most vulnerable of families and communities to learn to meet their new babies’ needs and adapt to becoming parents.”
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