Nanny Interview Questions?

[elnelson]

Hi all,

I'm about to begin interviewing nannies to watch DS and another baby (nanny share) when I go back to work in January. We've found a few potential nannies that sound great on craigslist but because they haven't been pre-screened by an agency I want to make sure I interview them very thoroughly. We also plan to do a full background check and references. I would love some input on questions you would ask in the same situation to ensure i've thought of everything.

Thanks in advance!

[jki]

I think the most important thing is for your child to be present when you interview the nanny. For example, during a few interviews, DS (who was about 12 months) tried to climb onto the couch. One nanny helped him up (after asking if it was ok if he went on the couch) and held her arm out in case he fell - this was perfect and reflected that she was aware of what a child his age was or wasn't capable of. Another nanny sat there and did nothing. We interviewed one nanny who said she was fluent in English. During the interview, DS brought her a book and tried to get her to read it - she refused. He loves reading and for her to act like that in an interview was weird. Another nanny followed DS when he opened a drawer - she held her hand over the corner of the drawer (which was very sharp) to ensure that he didn't hurt himself. There was one nanny DS instantly hated and wouldn't let her touch him. The nanny we ended up hiring was one that DS instantly loved.

If your baby is younger, you can also see how the nanny interacts with your child. I wanted a nanny who was extremely loving and attentive - this comes through easily. There was one nanny we interviewed who was very rough and awful - she told me that babies "needed to be held at least 3 times per day." I couldn't end her interview fast enough.

When in a share care situation, I think you also have to ask a lot of questions about how the nanny handles the situation if both kids are crying. How does she handle naps? What if she is sick? What if one of the kids is sick? I have 2 kids and one is always neglected in some way - I am sure the same is true in a nanny share situation.,

Some of our friends went on vacation and we had the opportunity to 'borrow' their nannies. That helped me a LOT. I couldn't decide between a grandmotherly type nanny or a young, fun nanny. It helped me give better directions, it helped me get a realistic view of what I expect the nanny to do, etc.

Also, even though you check references, be aware that some parents have NO IDEA what their nanny is doing all day long. There was a post here on CC where a mom sent her older child to her caregiver and discovered that her younger child was in the Exersaucer all day long. We were just at a children's museum and an employee was walking a child around, looking for his nanny. As a stay at home mom for the last 17 months, I have seen so so so so so many deplorable nannies. Nannies on cell phones, kids crying at the park because they can't find their nanny, etc. I've pushed kids on swings at the park because their nanny is too busy chatting with friends. I've seen nannies yell at kids and treat them in the meanest fashion. Not saying that ALL nannies are bad - but I can say I've witnessed a LOT of bad ones.

Anyhow, I would just ask a lot of open ended questions about the nanny's experience, how she disciplines, what she expects of YOU, logistics - hours, how she wants to be paid, vacations, sick days, etc.

[ShannonGH]

We've just started looking into hiring a babysitter 2 days/week to come to our home. This may be a dumb question but- How does one go about doing a background check/criminal record check on a potential childcare provider?

[allyray231]

ITA with jkl. For me-it was all about references and how she was with DS

[Teresita]

We've had a nanny for DD since she was around 4 months old (she is now 26 months). For [B]background checks[B], we've used Choice Trust:http://www.choicetrust.com/servlet/com.kx.cs.servlets.CsServlet?channel=home&product=bgcheck&subproduct=default&anchor=

We found our nannies via Craigslist. We used the following questionaire to weed people out and then did interviews with those that seemed promising and did a background check before they started. We've had good luck and have had an oustanding nanny for DD who has been with us now for almost a year. The ones we had prior to her were also good, but didn't stay as long since they were relatively young and in a pretty transitional stage of their lives (college students). Here are the questions we used to weed people out:

Child Care Application
Please fill out this form completely and then email this form to us at______________ with the subject line “Child Care Application”

Name: Street Address:

City: Cell Phone:

Social Security Number: Note, this will be used to obtain a background check


List times that you would be UNavailable for work:

List times in the next week that you would not be available for an interview:


Can you show proof that you are legally authorized to work in the U.S.?
___yes ___no

Highest educational level attained, when and where:


Are you CPR certified? No First Aid?

Can you make a 1 year commitment? ___yes ___no

How soon are you able to start?
___Immediately ___2-3 weeks ___3-6 weeks Other

How would you rate your overall health? ___Excellent ___Good ___Poor

Are you allergic to dogs? ___yes ___no

Do you have a valid driver license? ___yes ___no
Do you have a clean (no violations) DMV record? ___yes ___no
Do you own your own car? __ yes ___no

Please supply at least 3 un-related references.



Use as much space as you need to answer the following questions:

Briefly describe your work experience.

Describe your previous childcare experiences and why each ended.

How were you disciplined as a child? What would you do differently with your own children?

How do you handle a crying baby?

How do you think your closest friends would describe you and your personality?

What do you see as your primary responsibility to a ____ month old child?

What activities would you engage in with a ____ month old child?


When we did interviews, DD was always present, so we could see how the potential nanny interacted with her. Good luck!

[ShannonGH]

Thank you Teresita! Great info!

[helen22]

ITA with everything jkl and teresita said. A few other things I would add:

pay attention to YOUR relationship with the nanny too. when we first started looking, DD was 4 months old and loved everyone we interviewed - also at that age she didn't do much so it was hard to judge how the nanny would interact with her (I think most people can pull off holding a baby that age and having smiley interactions - but even my parents now don't live up to my standards all the time in terms of watching DD really carefully while she's pulling up/crawling/into everything - our nanny on the other hand watches her like a hawk and is down on the floor with her every second).

anyway that was a bit of a digression from my original point, which is that this is a person that you - and DH - need to feel comfortable with too. you need to hire someone that you can talk to and build a good relationship with. we came close to hiring another nanny who I realized I could not have a comfortable conversation with, and I'm so glad we didn't.

another good indicator of the fit for the nanny and your family is how you feel about the parents she used to work for. if you identify with and like them, that is a good sign. I felt like one woman I called was annoyed with being a reference - definite negative for me.

feel free to PM me for more information - it's a tough process!!

[jki]

How does one go about doing a background check/criminal record check on a potential childcare provider?
I think it's easiest to use a company. In California, we have Trustline. (http://www.trustline.org/) Is there something similar where you live? If your childcare provider is going to be driving your child, also be sure to check their driving record.


I felt like one woman I called was annoyed with being a reference - definite negative for me.
ITA! It definitely says something about the person if a former employer is not absolutely THRILLED to give the reference!

[jki]

I came across this blog, I saw your nanny, (http://isawyournanny.blogspot.com/) and thought it might be helpful to anyone with a nanny or searching for one.

[TerpsFan]

Bumping this thread up to see if anyone has any fresh ideas... I will be returning to work when DD is 6 months old. I work full time from home so I will be looking for someone to come to my house to watch her while I am working (M-F 8am-4pm). Anyone in this situation? I don't see it being any different than if I wasn't home. Do you think any nanny candidates would view the situation differently? It's not like I would be watching them every second..but my presence would be there in the home office. I would love to see any more interview questions or the process anyone went through if you have it. Thanks!

[chloechloe]

Coming from someone whos babysitter stole from her....please get a police check and ask if charges are out there that they haven't went to court for...

[Heather719]

TerpsFan- I work full time in my home as well and have had a nanny since DS was 15 weeks old. It has been the ideal situation- I cannot say enough good things about it!

First- I based my interview questions off of this info (http://www.babycenter.com/0_nanny-interview-sheet_1450905.bc)from BabyCenter.com. I had to modify it slighty, but it worked out well.

We did roughly 15 phone interviews and ended up interviewing two women in person. Both were equally qualified, so we hired our nanny simply based on her personality. She is a great fit to have at home with me and she's fantastic with my son. She and I can talk away when my work day is light and I'm making lunch, but she also takes no offense if I zip in, grab food and go without saying a word. It did take some getting used for me to relinquish control- not to run out of my office the minute DS cried, but I got there. ;) Now I only really check on them if 1) I'm bored or 2) DS has hurt himself and needs some mommy time. It does get tricky on days the nanny is sick- we don't have a backup, but thankfully that doesn't happen often.

The nannies I interviewed has no problem with me working from home, but I have heard from two coworkers who have the same set up that some of the people they interview did. To me that is a HUGE red flag, and I simply wouldn't hire that person.

And, I second all the ladies who said to get a background check done. It's worth every penny!

Best of luck- feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

[TerpsFan]

Heather719- Thanks for the info! I will definitely keep you in mind as I am going through this process as a good sounding board. I've seen a few of your posts around here about your working situation and I think you and I have very similar arrangements. All of my co-workers (who are also all remote) either are grandmothers, CF-ers, or have older kids in school. I don't know who else to go to for questions! Thanks!

[Lila55]

I also work from home and just hired a nanny. My son will be 12 weeks when the nanny starts. The questions posted are great. I also used the BabyCenter questions are a guide. I required that the nanny had been a nanny for an infant. I also asked to describe a typical day with an infant. The question listed "How do you handle a crying infant" is also a great way to find out how they will handle your baby. I also felt a red flag were the applicants who bounced around very frequently.

I also first interviewed by phone and then arranged for in person interviews. I am currently transitioning the nanny in before I go back to work in 1.5 weeks. She babysat for three hours last week. I was really happy with her.

Good luck with your search!

[carrie9142]

I am currently working as a nanny for 2 families who are 'sharing' me.

First-keep in mind that if you guys are sharing the cost, that the babies are also sharing one person. Two babies is a lot of work for one person, especially when it all goes wrong at once. The babies are going to cry. They are going to get fed late b/c one is crying. They are going to have to spend time on the floor alone. This is just a fact of sharing one person for two babies.

I am working for 2 friends who I know through church. Since I moved to a new state, and I couldn't find a job in my field, I agreed to help them out. So it wasn't exactly a stringent hiring process.

I met with both of the moms together and hung with their kids. I then split a day b/t the two and went through a 'cycle' with each girl-sleep, eat, wake. That way I saw how they make their bottles, where everything is kept, how they go to sleep, what they like, etc. We then had a trial run with a half day to make sure it wasn't pure craziness. We discussed the kids' schedules at length. It was important to all of us that the girls maintain a certain schedule and not get all crazy on nanny days. I keep a log of when everyone sleeps/eats/poops and how much.

Honestly, with babies it is mostly crisis management! When I first started watching them they were almost 4 months. At that time I could leave one in a room to go change the other or fix a bottle and they would be ok. Now...not so much. They are both getting much more clued into people and NOT wanting to be left even for a second.

Something that is very important is to be on the same page parenting as the other family. Both of mine do Babywise , so they have a similar schedule. And really, by day's end...things just go to hell fast. One girl just gets really cranky from her last nap. Every single damn day. So I spend the last hour or two walking her around so she doesn't SCREAM. So the other one isn't getting held at that point. Now the other one has decided she absolutely will NOT be napping. So I spend an hour trying to get her to sleep for 20 mins. Luckily the other baby goes right to sleep. But, if both babies need to be held constantly or take an hour to eat or go to bed...they are going to be unhappy and so is your nanny! Just keep in mind that you are splitting someone's time which means someone is getting shortchanged. Both my girls want 100% of my attention 100% of the time-and that is just not a possibility.

[tandt]

Bumping up.....