About My Big Buddy

We have always had the Nanny but now we have the ‘Manny’ – the male Nanny! The man has taken hold of a job traditionally held by the woman!

The ‘manny’ is fast becoming the latest ‘buzz word’ in Town and he is a highly sought after addition to the busy lives of London parents.

MY BIG BUDDY, London’s leading male nanny agency, was established in London in June 2006 by Annie and Susie, two young and vibrant Australian nannies who felt that some children would benefit from the encouragement, care and enthusiasm of an energetic male nanny. They now provide a successful ‘Big Buddy’ and ‘Manny’ service on either a full or part time basis, for party entertainment or just for the occasional few hours after school for fun and homework help.

Whilst the company was originally established to provide play mates and casual child care, the business has grown to answer the demand from the public for both full time and part time Mannies as well as Big Buddies. Not only was My Big Buddy London’s first registered agency we are still the only Manny agency who is female run. Our Mannies are trained and mentored by Founder and Director of the company, Annie Merrylees, who has over 12 years experience working for families and understands the high standards expected. Families can feel comfortable that they aren’t going to have to settle for a lower overall level of work in exchange for a male role model as My Big Buddy Mannies are trained in all aspects of the Manny role including setting routines, cooking, family organization and child care.

The difference between a ‘Big Buddy’ and a ‘Manny’

A Big Buddy is an energetic and enthusiastic male role model who will entertain and care for your children on a casual basis. Big Buddies may work for a number of different families and are not under contract. They are self employed and work as contractors through the agency. Our Big Buddies have many different talents. Their skills range from various sports, many of them being coaches, to music, drama, languages and tutoring. Assistance with homework is often popular amongst families as most of our boys have English as a first language and are well educated. Big Buddies are only available on a casual basis for one off or temporary bookings. Their responsibility and focus is the entertainment, tutoring, safety and care of the children in their charge.

A Manny is a male nanny. Mannies are employed by families on a permanent basis and are responsible for all child related and family duties. Mannies can be employed for either full or part time placements and will be required to make a long term commitment to the family employing them. Mannies are under contract to their families and responsible for the duties stipulated in these contracts.

All our Big Buddies and Mannies are extensively reference and CRB checked. Annie meets with each candidate personally to asses their suitability to this kind of work and conducts their induction. A minimum of two references are checked.