Top Checklist Questions Mandatory For Nanny Interview

May 1, 2019

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If you plan to keep a nanny for your little one, you must thoroughly assure that she is the right one to be appointed to take care of your child. But how do you identify that? We will help you with a list of important nanny interview questions and by listening to answers, it will help you with a clear perspective of the nanny and if she will be worthy of the job.

You might have already short-listed the applicants and scheduled interviews but what next? Draft the different questions to ask nanny while interviewing so that you find the best one for your family. Experience and training makes a man better and so should be the same case with nannies too.

Questions to Ask When Interviewing a Nanny:

Read below the list of definite questions to ask when hiring a nanny during an interview – and what you should never ask.

1. Start With Basics About The Nanny:

The best conversations starter and an important question to ask is “Tell me about yourself”. It is good to start an interview by getting to know the candidate. You would expect the conversation to flow naturally from here and it as well gives you sufficient answers you might want to know. Mono syllabic answers do not make any sense but also remember that you do not have to know every detail of her entire life story.

Focus on getting relevant pointers, her experience, skills, interests and strengths. Gather as much information possible about the nanny so that you can make your further questions relevant.

How long have you been taking care of children?
What age group have you been caring for?
What is your comfortable and favorite age to care for? And why?
Do you have any other experience associated with that helps you as a nanny?

Expect a fairly straight forward answer to these questions as the nanny answers to it.

2. Educational Background and Training:

Nannies are highly qualified, and that is the best part about having a nanny. They are the child care providers who dive into what makes them best-suited for the job. Also, other than the formal qualification, look for the success stories and experiences in childcare. Try to now more on their interest in child care and development. Ask questions like:

Are you trained in first aid? Like CPR?
Have you had training in child care? What are the important things you learnt?
Are you willing to take training if necessary?
What is your educational qualification?
Which other language are you fluent in other than English?

Ask about the relevant medical condition queries if you have for the child etc.

3. Some Background Check:

Checking the background is very important part of the interview questions for a nanny, to be sure they are clean and if there are hidden things that you might want to be aware of. Assure them; it does not count negatively on them to come up and speak the truth or any mistakes they might have done as a learning process.

Ask them if they find this job rewarding and fun? Why did they ever want to pick this as their profession? This gives a brief idea of the state of mind and mentality that person holds. You can ask questions like:

Why did you choose to become a nanny?
What was your most recent position and was there a gap in what was expected of you?
How long did you stay in your last job?
Why did you quit the last job?
What were the best things that you learnt from your last job?
Have you ever been in a state where you were forced to resigned? Why?
What was your worst employer you had to deal with ever in your career?
Have you dealt with an emergency child care situation? What was it?
What is your experience with children who have/ who need/ who are (insert the appropriate situation according to you)?
What is the time-frame you are looking to continue your next job for?
What were the typical routine of the family in your last job and yours?

If you think she is serious about this job, expect her to answer the majority of the questions with the appropriate experience and expectations.

4. Ask Appropriate Questions About The Offer:

Now that you know a lot about the nanny and consider them to be a potential finalist, you must get into the real thing by asking about the requirement and speaking about your expectations. Like the hourly schedule, day offs, salary, benefits etc.

This should give you a picture of whether her expectations meet your requirements and vice versa. Ask questions like:

Are you flexible with your timings? Will you be available if we need you to be early or late occasionally?
Are you willing to do some simple household chores like cooking/ taking care of the pets/ etc. (insert your questions here.) What is your salary requirement in such case, does it increase?
Do you have interest in other activities like playing an instrument/ outdoor games/hobbies etc. (insert your questions here)?
In case of family visiting or more children at home due to some occasion, are you willing to take care of more kids?
Any specific activity or responsibility that you won’t do? Any specific reason?
What makes you different from the other nannies?
When will you be available to start if given an opportunity?
How do you deal with the stressful environment?
Can you provide me with documents to prove you can legally work in the USA(R)?
Are you okay to take it as a contractual job for (fill in your required number of years) years?

5. It is Good to Tell Your Story Now:

Even though you might have already described your job and spoken to the nanny about your “wants”, but it is still good to speak to them clearly with your expectations one more time so that the nanny can hear about them again and tell their views about it face-to-face. You can discuss what works well for you and the nanny as well and a very clear sense of what you want. You can clarify about the pre-employment tests that you expect from her like driving license or physical health report and exam.

Make the best of this time to open up and be as honest as possible to talk about every aspect of the expectation with the nanny. Give both the positive and the challenging ones so that you know that the caretaker is on the same page as you. Be open to ask her about her likes and dislikes to know if she is the right match for this job.

You can indulge in discussions which are personal to your family practice like:

Diet – vegetarian, food allergies etc.
Religious aspect or cultural practices.
Family belief and tradition.
Medical needs like – insulin, inhalers, autism etc.
Family or professional situation like – divorced, single parent, crazy work schedules etc.

If you think they are not willing to meet your requirement, it is okay to end the conversation politely and close the interview.

6. Know about The Care Giving Style:

If the candidate is doing well and meets your requirement until here, this is the most important bit of interview. It can be a good time to introduce her to the kids and ask the below queries:

What do you like best about being a nanny?
What do you think works best for kids who do not listen?
How do you deal with children with medical conditions?
What should be a nanny’s role in disciplining a child?

There is no right or wrong to these answers but how much you think fits the best for your kid matters here and if you like her approach. You must know how to interview a nanny as this becomes the most integral part of your kid’s upbringing too.

Should Children be Present During Hiring the Nanny?

No, this is not a compulsion; children may or may not be involved in the interview. Kids might be a distraction majorly. And for this interview, you might want your time to speak and connect with the nanny. It is not right to use this interview to assess how they are with your child, but you must have a separate trial for this instead of combining it with the interview time to see how the nanny interacts with your children.