Forget second languages: wealthy New Yorkers now want their kids' nannies to do their hair, drive Zambonis, and give them massages
- New Yorkers are no longer satisfied with their nannies teaching their kids Mandarin.
- Now, some wealthy parents want their nannies to do their hair, give them massages, teach family yoga classes, and even drive Zambonis on their private ice-skating rinks.
- These families often pay an extra $10 an hour on top of the typical $20 hourly rate for these services - but some New York City nannies earn up to $185,000 a year.
Not long ago, wealthy parents sought nannies who could teach their children Mandarin and properly cook quinoa.
But now, they're paying extra for their nannies to go above and beyond foreign languages - for the parents as well as the children.
Wealthy New York parents want their nannies to perform a whole range of tasks that include giving them massages, styling their hair, teaching the whole family yoga, and even driving Zambonis, according to The New York Post.
"Wealthy families have a certain way of looking at things," Seth Norman Greenberg, vice president of the Pavillion Agency, a domestic staffing company in Manhattan, told the Post. "They realize when interviewing people that they might be able to get a lot more than what their basic needs are."
A Manhattan father told the Post that he gets a 90-minute massage from his children's nanny twice a week.
A mother of four in Greenwich, Connecticut, has two separate nannies for her two sons and her two daughters, and she has her daughters' nanny blow out her hair each day in addition to caring for her daughters and doing their hair.
These families often pay an extra $10 an hour on top of the typical $20 hourly rate for these additional services, according to Erin Maloney-Winder, head of household staffing company Abigail Madison in Manhattan. But nannies for wealthy families in New York City can make much more than that, with some earning up to $185,000 a year, according to David Youdovin, CEO of Hire Society, a recruitment firm that helps high-net-worth individuals and families in New York City, the Hamptons, and Palm Beach, staff their homes and businesses.
Sometimes the services families ask for go far beyond typical domestic tasks.
Greenberg found a nanny who could drive a Zamboni for a New Jersey family that wanted help maintaining their private ice-skating rink.
Another family who lived in the Midwest wanted him to find a nanny who would use a gun to fire blank cartridges to scare off bears - but that proved to be too steep a request for a New York nanny.
The rise of these so-called "super nannies" points to the fact that people are willing to pay more for a little bit of extra time, luxury, or privacy.
At a New York City napping lounge, people pay up to $250 a month to nap in dark, private pods at any time of day. A company called MIRROR is selling a $1,500 interactive mirror that streams live workout classes straight into your living room.
And people who only like camping in theory will spend up to $700 a night to go "glamping" in luxury tents with 1,500-thread count linens, electricity, and Wi-Fi.