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Interview questions to ask a nanny

DunkinDecafDunkinDecaf member
in October 2018 Moms
Quick! I’m interviewing a nanny in a half hour. What have I forgotten to ask her?

Also, other general nanny-hiring advice/questions can go here
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Re: Interview questions to ask a nanny

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    hellopartyof5hellopartyof5 member
    Ugh I'm so jealous you're getting a nanny! 
    DS  12-1-2014
    DD 10-29-2016
    #3 due 10-13-2018
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    DunkinDecafDunkinDecaf member
    @hellopartyof5 just for part time, but yeah. I’m really, embarrassingly excited about it.
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    mamabearcjmamabearcj member
    How long they've been a nanny
    Why they decided to be a nanny
    First aid and baby/child cpr certified 
    How long they've been a nanny
    References
    How they handle stressful situations
     How they plan to entertain and play with your child(ren)
    Their methods of punishment when kids don't listen
    Their flexibility for scheduling if something comes up and you need them to come last minute or plans change and you're home sooner than planned 
    Are they prepared to be a long term nanny or is this for a short term for them
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    tinattt23tinattt23 member
    We have a part time nanny since DH and I work at home. A big thing for us was making sure she was comfortable working while we were around. Obvious stuff like background check, CPR cert, etc. What the policy would be for canceling/rescheduling if she calls out sick or your cancel a day. Kinds of activities she does during the day. If you plan on letting her drive kids anywhere, driving record and car seat arrangement. 
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    tinattt23tinattt23 member
    Sorry...just rambling things out as I think of them. Big factor for us was making sure she’d worked with kids the same age as our son. He was only 5 months old when she started and a lot of other options didn’t have much infant experience. Mostly, it was a gut feeling. We interviewed three people and I knew pretty much right away I was going to go with the first person. She’s been with us almost a year now and we love her. 
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    mesamytmesamyt member
    edited March 2018
    How much day drinking do they do?
    How many times they’ve dropped a child on their head, lost one in public?
    What is their 5 year plan or where do they see themselves in the future? (Actual question)

    eta: I used the word Hoe instead of How.  :D
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    ashin121ashin121 member
    I remember when I was considering a nanny, one question that came up all the time was whether or not they plan to file taxes or if you're paying under the table. It's more beneficial to you if both of you do so you can write some of it off but most nannies didn't want to . If it's taxed then you'll have to pay more , if not then you pay less. 

    Also consider if what you're paying is for them to cook and/or clean. 
    Ask if they have their drivers license. Some of those who applied or referred didn't. My sisters current nanny doesnt have her license but she was the best choice so they had to talk about arrangements of her getting there and what to do in case of an emergency (i.e. if her kids had go to the hospital).
    Her pay includes her daily uber ride to and from her house in Cali. 



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    melbo444melbo444 member
    I work as a part-time nanny, so I can offer the opposite perspective. I currently work for two families, one with infants and one with toddlers (both families have twins). Even though my primary career is something else, I take my work with the kiddos very seriously. 

    Most of my interviews have been really informal. I usually have had a phone interview first, and then if the family wants to move forward, they invite me over to meet the kids. Having infant experience is really important, of course, but if you click with someone who doesn't have as much, you can have them shadow you for a few days while you're still home with the baby. I have done that, and it really helps, especially since every family has different philosophies and advice that they follow. 

    Neither of my jobs require driving, but a lot of jobs out there assume that the nanny can drive the kids around. The job descriptions often are not clear about car seats. Personally, I stayed away from those kinds of jobs, because I hate driving and we recently located and I don't know the area well, so I wasn't comfortable driving around someone else's children, even if they provided extra car seats. 

    Be clear about what the nanny's responsibilities are. If you want the nanny to wash the bottles while the baby naps or do some laundry, lay that out up front. Some might charge extra to help out with household things. Personally, I don't, as long as it's all baby-related. I would charge more if the family wanted me to task me with a lot of additional housework. 

    As for pay, both of my families stated up front what they planned to pay me, and I felt the rate was fair in each case, even though the rates are not the same. I have had other families ask me what I charge, though. 
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