Interviewing Your Nanny or Babysitter
Author: Heather Slee
It is crucial that you find someone you trust to take care of your child. And it can be nerve-wracking interviewing potential caregivers. Here's a list of questions you may find helpful when speaking with possible nannies and babysitters.
Basic Questions:
- What experience do you have?
- What hours are you available?
- Is your schedule flexible?
- Do you have reliable transportation? Do you require transportation?
- Are you looking for live-in accommodations?
- Do you have a clean driving record? (If she/he will be driving your kid(s) around)
- What salary range are you expecting?
- Would you be willing to perform other duties? (cleaning, cooking, etc.)
- When can you start?
- How long do you plan on working in this position? What are your future plans?
- Do you have references?
- Have you ever taken a CPR class?
- Can I run a background check on you?
Child care questions:
- What is your child rearing philosophy?
- Are you willing to follow my direction in caring for my child?
- How do you handle discipline?
- What got you interested in this line of work?
- What is your ideal day spent taking care of children like?
- Do you have any special talents?
- What are you favorite activities to do with children?
- How do you cope with frustrations?
- What would you do in this scenario? (Come up with a couple scenarios, such as the child seems ill, or an injury occurred, or it's raining and the kids are bored, etc.)
You may have more questions than this, and that's great. You'll probably have questions that are specific to your lifestyle and schedule. For example, you may need care on an occasional weekend or overnight. Or perhaps you're looking for a bilingual nanny or babysitter. Add your questions to the list so it reflects your needs.
Finally, have the potential care giver meet your child or children. Watch the interaction between them. And most of all, trust your gut. If you have an odd or bad feeling, trust it. You may not be able to provide any real evidence that supports that feeling, but your intuition picked up on something, and it's better to be safe than sorry. Once you've done a thorough job screening potential care givers, you'll feel comfortable and confident, and your children will benefit from all your diligence!
