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?
