These elite nannies are trained in combat and high-class cooking to become the world's most exclusive caretakers

These elite nannies graduate from Norland College — hence why they're called Norland nannies — with bachelor's degrees in early childhood education and care.

The four-year program in Bath, England, includes three years of training and one year of placement with a family. At $21,000 a year, Norland is among the most expensive colleges in the UK — more expensive than Oxford and Cambridge University. 

"Within a year, they're actually averaging £40,000 a year," Norland Principal Dr. Janet Rose told Insider. "So that's a young person in their early twenties probably earning more money than an up-and-coming accountant or lawyer. So, in that respect, they really are able to pay back those student loans."

With a Norland degree, these nannies typically go on to work for high-profile clients, like Britain's royal family. And they can make as much as $170,000 a year — four times the average nanny salary in the UK. 

The caliber of Norland nannies' clientele means they're expected to handle paparazzi and other threats like cyber attacks. On its website, Norland College says former military intelligence officers teach lessons on cyber security and how to evaluate potential risks online. 

Because of their elite clientele, Norland nannies are trained to protect themselves and the children in their care from potential attackers or kidnappers. 

At the beginning of their schooling, students take a 3-hour course in self-defense, taught by a 7th-degree Tae Kwon-Do Black Belt, according to Norland's website.

Students revisit their self-defense training in their last year, with an additional focus on how to fight off an attacker while protecting children in a stroller or on foot. 

"Unfortunately, I have had an experience where a man tried to take the little girl that I used to look after," said Alice, a Norland graduate. "But thankfully we were so well trained with our self-defense I always remembered to never let go of the buggy where her baby brother was, so I was able to use the skills that I had learned at Norland to prepare me, unfortunately, for that situation."

Alice now earns a six-figure salary as a nanny in London.

For the exclusive families who hire Norland nannies, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese won't cut it. Students at Norland learn to cook a wide variety of world-class foods, including sushi for kids. 

"When I was on my residential placement, the family had such a varied diet," one Norland student told Insider. "They were really into like satay chicken, and we had lemongrass chicken a lot." 

Norland teaches students a variety of hand and machine sewing skills, everything from repairing buttons to embroidering designs to creating projects from scratch with the children they care for. 

All Norland nannies use an old-fashioned "pram," or stroller, both in school and in the workplace.

They learn how to secure a child in the pram, how to properly tuck in the blanket, when to use the pram's "apron," and how to keep the pram neat and tidy. 

Norland nannies-in-training take a skid pan driving course, where they learn how to handle a car even in extreme weather. 

The course also teaches students how to manage distracting children while driving, and avoid potential hazards, according to Norland's website.

Norland College has been training nannies since 1892, when Emily Ward first opened the school.

A pioneer in early childhood education, Ward wanted to encourage a "better and more educated class of women to enter the ranks of domestic service."

Though their uniforms have changed quite a bit since 1892, Norland nannies are still expected to wear modest uniforms.

That includes a beige dress with white collar and sleeves, a brown bowler hat with an embroidered "N," short white gloves, and brown lace-up brogue shoes. 

Nannies are expected to look presentable at all times, and keep their uniforms in immaculate condition. 

"I definitely found the uniform really appealing," third-year student Freja told Insider. "I think there's something about wearing this uniform, I mean you represent 125 plus years of heritage and this uniform means a lot. It means we're highly trained and we're really passionate about doing what we do."