What Is A Governess? Difference Between Nanny and Governess

Rohan Mathew

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Difference Between Nanny and Governess

What is a Governess? You must have come across this word whenever many parents talk about taking care of their children. When parents think of taking care of their children they think of hiring a nanny but what is a governess and what is the difference between them. What are their duties of the Governess? Let us know everything about what is a governess today.

What Is A Governess?

A Governess is a female employee that is hired by parents for their children. A Governess mainly concentrates on teaching children. Governess of hired for school-age children instead of babies.

Before the First World War governess was very common in European families especially when in the countryside the schools were either not suitable or they did not exist nearby. Parents preferred that their children could get educated at home instead of sending them to boarding schools. Common the governess were hired for girls and young boys and as soon as the boy gets older he could go for a tutor for education.

A modern-day governess is now only in large and wealthy families, for example, royal families like Saudi Royal Families or remote regions like outback Australia.

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Role Of A Governess

Below are some roles that a Governess had

  • Traditionally a governess was responsible for teaching the three “R” that is Reading writing and aRithmetics to young children.
  • They help with all school work and acts like tutors for children
  • They also taught activities to middle class to young ladies, for example, they tough French to these ladies.
  • They also taught musical instruments and paintings.

Difference Between Governess and Nanny

Below are the different roles that a Nanny and Governess has which are the main differences between them

Nanny

  • To look after the baby example feeding, bathing, and dress, etc.
  • Taking care of the children’s needs and supplies
  • Keeping the children area neat and tidy
  • Playing with infants
  • Taking care of children laundry
  • Preparing meals for children
  • Toilet training for children
  • Planning a child’s daily activities like walks and playing time
  • Taking appointments for doctors and nursery meetings etc

Governess

  • Ensure that the children follow a proper routine for homework and education
  • Teach special subjects like history or music etc
  • Teach children manners and adequate
  • Take care that the timetable is proper for the day to run all activities smoothly
  • Communicate with the school or educator as required
  • To communicate with parents
  • Prepare children for exams
  • Help children for assessments
  • Help and encourage children to studies

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FAQ

Are There Still Governesses?

Below are some roles that a Governess had

  • Traditionally a governess was responsible for teaching the three “R” that is Reading writing and aRithmetics to young children.
  • They help with all school work and acts like tutors for children
  • They also taught activities to middle class to young ladies, for example, they tough French to these ladies.
  • They also taught musical instruments and paintings.

What Is The Role Of A Governess?

Depending on the age of the child a governess teaches teaching the three “R” that is Reading writing and aRithmetics and also gives coaching to older girls in French, history, and much more

What Social Class Is A Governess?

The women that become governess were ladies of the upper or middle class that have upbringing themselves that have fallen on hard times.

Are There Still Governesses?

Although governess sounds from the 19th century they still exist today. They are specialist nannies who mainly focus on the educational development of children.

What Qualifications Do You Need To Be A Governess?

Qualifications and training

To be classed as a Governess you will usually hold a qualification and/or alternatively some special skill or experience in working as a Governess. Most Governesses hold a teacher qualification in primary or secondary, and/or may be a ESL teacher.

What’s The Difference Between A Governess And A Nanny?

A nanny is more likely to work with babies, toddlers, and young children, focusing on their basic care needs and supporting their developmental milestones. However, a governess is more focused on education, and as such they usually work with children who are at school, from around age 6 upwards.

What Do You Need To Be A Governess?

To be classed as a Governess you will usually hold a qualification and/or alternatively some special skill or experience in working as a Governess. Most Governesses hold a teacher qualification in primary or secondary, and/or may be a ESL teacher.

Could A Governess Marry?

Governesses, by professional necessity, were not married. They lived in their employer’s homes and therefore had an intimate knowledge of a family regardless of whether their actual relationships with the individual members were warm or not.

Conclusion

Although you will find it very rare to hear about a governess they still exist. The governess is specially hired to take care of the education of the children. They are different from nannies as they both play different roles. Nannies mainly focus on taking care of children like feeding, dressing bathing, and all basic needs. In the article, we hope you have got all the information about what is a governess? And the duties