All good things come to an end, as the saying goes, and even if you love a job, there will probably come a time when you are ready to move on.
When that happens, it is both courteous and professional to write a resignation letter.
As a nanny, this can be particularly tough to write because you have probably formed a bond with the family you are working for—unless, of course, they are the reason you are resigning in the first place!
This post will explain how you can write a gracious resignation letter when it is time to leave your nanny position, what you should include, and—perhaps most importantly—what you should leave out.
What should you put in a nanny resignation letter?
If you love the job and are sorry to leave it but have a good reason for why you are moving on, the letter practically writes itself—but don’t worry, we’ll still explain to you exactly how to write it below.
You should absolutely include all of that in the letter if it is true.
On the other hand, if you disliked the job, disliked the children and are moving on because you’ve found something far better or even just because you don’t think you can bear another second in the presence of this family, diplomacy is the name of the game.
You shouldn’t lie in a nanny resignation letter, but you should remain professional and tactful throughout.
You may need a reference from the family that you are working for even if you did not enjoy your time with them.
Furthermore, there is nothing to be gained from either being effusive about how much you loved the job when both of you probably know this wasn’t the case or from saying what you really think as you leave.
Doing either of these things could backfire on you later, particularly the latter.
Word can get around among parents, and even good employers might balk at hiring someone who let their negative emotions get the better of them in a resignation letter.
Essentially, what you need to do in this type of letter is say that you are leaving, say why you are leaving and express gratitude for the job.
Or, as this article on how to write a voluntary resignation letter explains it, you should explain, elaborate, express and end.
Even if you have already spoken to your employer about leaving the job, it is a good idea to write this letter.
This is both courteous and leaves no room for doubt about such details as when your last day will be.
Starting a nanny resignation letter
Even though you may have a personal relationship with the people you are working for, you should structure this like a business letter.
This means having either your address at the top or using letterhead with your address and putting your employer’s address under it.
Unlike a situation such as when you are writing a cover letter for a summer job, you know exactly who you are writing to when you resign your nanny position.
You can simply address your employer in the same way that you do normally, whether you call them by their first or last name.
As for your introductory paragraph, get right to the point. In the first sentence, say that this is a resignation letter and give the date that will be your last day on the job, even if you have already worked this out verbally with your employer.
If you are sad about leaving the position, you can absolutely say so.
If you are not, don’t pretend you are. Just move on to the body of the letter.
What to put in the body of a nanny resignation letter
The most important thing to include in the body of the letter is the reason that you are leaving.
Examples might be moving away or getting another job.
It is generally polite to expand on this a little bit. For example, you might write something like “As you know, I needed a position that was closer to my home.”
Any time that you write a formal business letter, whether it is a cover letter for a bank job with no experience, a cover letter for a poetry submission or something else, you should make an effort to stay concise.
However, there are a couple of differences with the nanny resignation letter.
First, unlike the two above examples, you are not writing this letter to someone who needs to be able to skim it quickly and get the relevant information because they are sifting through dozens of similar letters.
Secondly, you are writing to someone that you already have a personal and professional relationship with.
Therefore, while you shouldn’t go on for pages and pages, you have a little more flexibility here. If you want to add a paragraph about your good memories from the job or how fond you are of their children, feel free to do so.
If you didn’t enjoy the position and are eager to be moving on, you can simply keep things short.
What to put in the conclusion of a nanny resignation letter
The closing of a business letter is all about thanking the person in some way, sometimes just for reading the letter.
In a nanny resignation letter, you would basically thank your employer for the opportunity.
Again, you can be more effusive here if you wish depending on your experience with the job.
Your sign off should be professional although this can vary as well depending on how you feel about the family you are leaving.
There’s nothing wrong with a “Sincerely” or “Best,” followed by your name, but you can always use something slightly more unconventional but still appropriate, such as “Warmly,” if you have a more personal relationship with the family and it fits your style.
Example of a nanny resignation letter by someone who is sorry to be leaving the job
As we discussed on Friday, March 3 will be my last day as your family’s nanny. Career-wise, it is time for me to move on, and I am sure that the skills I have developed working with your family will serve me well in my first year of full-time teaching.
This was a difficult decision for me to make. I have loved working with you, your husband and your children over the past five years, and I almost feel like a member of the family myself. I have enjoyed watching Cate and Justin grow from toddlers into elementary school students, and it has truly been a privilege to have been such a big part of their lives. I’m sure that much of what I learned working with them will carry over into my new job.
I wish you all the absolute best, and I hope that our relationship will continue albeit in a different form. In the meantime, I am happy to do what I can to train my replacement.
Warmly,
Alice
Example of a nanny resignation letter by someone who is happy to be leaving the job
A letter of this nature calls for some tact. Notice how the writer remains polite but avoids saying anything that she doesn’t mean.
Please accept this formal two week’s notice of my resignation as your nanny. I have been offered another position that is a better fit for my schedule and is better suited to my long-term career plans. My last day will be on May 5.
I have appreciated the opportunity to work with your family and that you hired me despite the fact that I had little child care experience. I feel as though I have learned a great deal thanks to that opportunity, and I hope Caleb will be happy with my replacement.
Please let me know what I can do to help your family with the transition to a new nanny.
Sincerely,
Maria
Hey fellow Linguaholics! It’s me, Marcel. I am the proud owner of linguaholic.com. Languages have always been my passion and I have studied Linguistics, Computational Linguistics and Sinology at the University of Zurich. It is my utmost pleasure to share with all of you guys what I know about languages and linguistics in general.