What's the difference between "nanny" and "babysitter"? Does nanny a British expression, while a babysitter is an American English?
Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
The difference is found not in the country origin of the expression, but in the responsibilities of the job itself. A babysitter is usually someone who only watches children occasionally. For example, babysitters are often teenagers or students who babysit once or twice a week, for a few hours at a time. Meanwhile, being a nanny is a full-time job and includes responsibilities going beyond just childcare - it might include the child's education, activities, and even some simple housekeeping work. Nannies usually live at their place of employment. Ex: My parents usually worked late, so I had a babysitter take care of me after school. Ex: The parents were very busy with work, so they hired a nanny to take care of their children full-time.
