In the Chicago Tribune, Vikki Ortiz Healy reported online today that unemployed teachers are finding jobs as nannies.

This is no surprise to me as last year I needed help driving my older charges to activities that overlapped, while I cared for a newborn. Although my employer and I met through a high end nanny placement agency, the mother hired a high school teacher with a Master’s Degree to help drive kids to activities after school easily online. But, she hired a working teacher! The teacher was employed! Even with a Master’s Degree and a job, the high school teacher needed more money! And this treasured teacher (and part-time nanny) and my employer found one another easily on sittercity.com.

The Chicago Tribune article explains, “As job prospects across the state and nation remain bleak for new and laid-off teachers — more than 8,800 Illinois teachers received pink slips in 2010, according to officials — many are finding welcome work as nannies and baby sitters.”

The article continues, “Nannies increasingly say they have found that parents jump at the chance to leave their children with someone with a teaching background, offering generous incentives such as signing bonuses and extra time off. The popularity has inspired the creation of one local website — sitterworks.com, which plans to launch soon — specifically for unemployed teachers and nurses hoping to find work in child care.”

But, this is bleak for nannies! During the economic recession parents are losing jobs as well. There are less nanny jobs in total. Of course parents will hire the most experienced and educated nanny they can find for the same price.

Erin Krex of owner of First Class Care domestic placement agency in Chicago explains the problem with hiring teachers as nannies is that teachers may always want to be get back in the classroom. Parents are often concerned that if they bring on a nanny that is a teacher, it will be only a one-year-solution to their child care needs.

Meanwhile, qualified nannies with 20-years of experience are being overlooked.

Read the entire article here.

What do you think? Are there less nanny jobs available? Do you know teachers who are working as nannies?