EXCLUSIVEI'm a nanny to the super rich and I travel the world on private jets - but the lavish lifestyle comes at a price

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A professional nanny to the super-rich has given an insight into her lavish lifestyle which sees her jet-setting to tropical destinations and receiving luxury gifts - all in the name of work. 

Kathryn Lord, 38, from Lancashire, first became a nanny to make some extra money while studying for an MA in education at Durham University - something that came naturally to her as the daughter of nursery owners.

After applying online with nanny agencies, she secured her first gig - with a billionaire who was taking his family and friends, including two minders for the children, on a cruise.

From there, Kathryn caught the 'nannying bug' and soon found herself on a vineyard in Italy - and the jobs with the rich and the famous kept coming.

Now boasting 18 years in the industry and a nomination for Nanny of the Year in 2022, she has travelled the world with super-privileged families, looking after the next generation of extremely wealthy people and enjoying the perks of some of the very best - but she has warned the lavish perks come at a price, with demanding parents and spoiled children to manage.

Looking after the world's most privileged children is a lucrative job, Kathryn says, and she admits she's 'paid well' for her services - though she declined to reveal her exact salary.

However, aside from the decent pay cheque, the 38-year-old enjoys extremely plush perks - including joining families on luxury holidays (flying first class, of course) and receiving 'bonuses and gifts from billionaires and millionaires'. 

'For my 33rd birthday, my boss let me borrow their penthouse in New York and they gave me front row tickets to Chicago,' said Kathryn.

Kathryn said that the first time she flew on a private jet, the family car drove straight onto the runway

'I've flown first class almost all over the world. It's been amazing,' the award-winning nanny said

Where she travels around the world, Kathryn will either join the families in first class or, in an even more exclusive mode of travel, she sometimes accompanies them on a private jet. 

'I've flown first class almost all over the world,' said Kathryn. 'It's been amazing.

'The first time I went on a private jet, the car drove straight onto the run way.

'I got out and tried to get my bags and they were like: "No, no, don't get your bags."

'So I just carried the child up the steps to the plane. That was a little bit crazy because I hadn't any idea.'

From a private island in the Maldives to a safari in South Africa, Kathryn has accompanied families to exclusive destinations - including some which have long been on her bucket list. 

'A couple of years ago on Easter Sunday, my bosses gave myself and the chef a gift of a guided tour up Table Mountain in Cape Town.

'It's actually been a childhood dream of mine after I saw Table Mountain on Don't Try This at Home.

'I can't believe I got to do that because I didn't think I would ever manage to get to Cape Town.

'So we got up at 4am and we hiked up there - but we both had to be back at work by midday.'

However, it's not all gifts and luxury for life as a nanny to the wealthy - as Kathryn warned families want their money's worth and can sometimes be extremely demanding. 

'Just because they are paying you the most, doesn't make it the best job,' she said.

'Some families think if they're paying you everything then they deserve all of you. The more down-to-earth families, the families that aren't paying you the highest rate, are actually nicer.'

Kathryn poses with a safari jeep while on holiday with a family in South Africa

Her bosses once gifted her a guided tour up Table Mountain in Cape Town

Kathryn and her nanny friends have had their fair share of run-ins with rich families, including one who was fired when the mother got jealous of her spending too much time with the children.

'My ethos, if you like, is that the parents and nanny should be a team,' said Kathryn. 

'Obviously the bond has to be really good with the parents to make sure that you're all on the same page so I think that helps me and the parents be on an even stead.'

When asked how she handles particularly spoilt children, Kathryn said: 'There's certain families that have all of the wealth but none of the emotional side. I have seen a lot of affluent neglect.'

Kathryn said she was once hired to be a weekend nanny for a child who also had a weekday nanny. Each of his siblings also had two nannies to supervise them throughout the week. 

She said: 'Children are amazing and they will follow whoever the main caregiver is teaching them. 

'If a parent drops their shoes and their coat and expects a housekeeper to come and clean it up, they cannot expect their children to put their shoes and coat away.

'Children are watching you and they are copying you.'

As well as nannying, Kathyn is the award-winning author of There's More to Books than Reading and founded the company More to Organising during lockdown.

Using her first job on the cruise ship as an example, Kathryn said that her billionaire boss gave her a credit card with the child's name on it.

'I was told I wasn't allowed to say no to him,' she said. 'Whatever he asked for, I was allowed to buy - but I didn't because that would be crazy.'

By the end of the cruise, Kathryn said that the little boy in her care was saying please and thank you. 

'I think you can support those children to have manners and not be spoiled,' she said.

As well as learning an important life lesson, Kathryn said that there was still time to have fun onboard the ship. 

'He was only four so he would ask for sweets and things like that,' she said. 'But then he asked for some walkie talkies from the onboard shop.

'They were about $80. They weren't cheap but he was grateful.

'We ended up playing a massive game of hide and seek on the ship using the walkie talkies.'

Reminiscing on her 18 years spent as a nanny for the super-rich, Kathryn said: 'My favourite part is when you're supporting a child to learn and then they just click.

Kathryn has published several books and is the founder of More to Organising

'I call it the light bulb moment when they've been trying to so something for ages, and then they just get it.

'There's nothing in the world that is better than when a child has figured something out for themselves.'

Kathyrn's advice to anyone considering becoming a professional nanny? 'Know your own worth' she said.

'You have to have the contract and be understanding of what you're willing to do and not do because some parents do push the boundaries because you become part of the furniture and forget that you're actually working.

'You'll need a DBS check, you'll need a first aid qualification but professionalism is the most important thing.

'I think nannying is a wonderful career. The children I work with make every day different and wonderful.'

As well as nannying, Kathryn is the award-winning author of There's More to Books than Reading and founded the company More to Organising during lockdown.

More to Organising promotes child development by bringing learning to life in the home and makes family life easier through organisation.