Tips on Interviewing Nannies

Lori Berke, co-founder of Care Check, Inc., a company designed to answer the needs of parents who hire in-home help, and co-author of Making Childcare Choices: How to Find, Hire and Keep the Best Childcare for Your Kids, gives a brief summary for interviewing potential nannies:


Thorough interviews should include:

• Will they be a caregiver and housekeeper?
  
• What will the hours be?
• How many days of the week?
• Vacation time?
• Pay?

Record and confirm all contact information:

• Name and birth certificate or passport
• Make copies of I.D.
• Confirm home address (go there or ask for utility bill as proof of residence)
• Confirm home number and/or cell phone number

Confirm references:

• Call all references
• Visit home of references (to see if they really have kids)

Do a criminal background check:

• Check for alias
• Check for numerous addresses over short period of time
• Check for past complaints and follow up on them
  

When asking a question, ask for specific examples:

• Ask what makes them frustrated and how they handle it.
• Ask about their childhood.
• Ask about their child rearing philosophy.
• Question all gaps in their work history.
• Ask about their experiences with their previous families: What worked? What would you have changed?
• What is the contact number for their next of kin?
• Ask empathy-related questions: Why do they like working with children? Why did they choose to be a nanny?