When it comes to hiring a nanny, there are a lot of considerations to make. Caring for children is one of the most important and also most demanding jobs. It is important for parents to come up with a comprehensive list of nanny interview questions to ask in order to find the best nanny for their kids.

Ideally, the interview should comprise of questions on experience, training, expectations as well as temperaments. As parents review their nanny interview questions, they should be on the lookout for non-verbal and verbal cues on the candidate’s suitability.

The good news is that there are a few things or more you can learn about choosing a nanny. Use the checklist below to help you in creating interview questions and make your searching process easier.

How to Conduct an Interview with a Nanny

A nanny interview normally goes for 45 minutes or an hour at most. Using a formal structure for the interview ensures that you cover all key areas that are of interest to you. Formality is also a good way of making the process productive and fair for all candidates. However, it is important to ensure you put the nanny at ease as this makes them more responsive to the questions. Once you are both settled, you can explain how you intend to carry out the interview for the nanny to understand what to expect.

1. The Interview Structure

• Inform the nanny about your family and children.
• Explain about the nanny position and what it means to you.
• Ask the nanny to tell you a bit about themselves and what she expects from this job.
• Read through the nanny’s resume carefully and thoroughly. You can ask her to describe childcare positions.
• Run through the questions that are related to the nanny’s ability to care for the children, views on discipline, activities for the kids and so on. Also, question her on her background.
• Let the nanny ask any questions they may have.

2. Describe the Available Position for the Nanny

It is important that you describe the position you are offering in detail. Some of the issues to cover include:

• Working hours
• Duties and responsibilities to the children and the house in general. This is especially important if you are looking for something more than just nursery duties
• Routines you expect them to keep
• Discuss how the nanny is to take their holiday
• House rules
• In the case of a live-in nanny, discuss accommodation details
• The use of the car, if necessary
• Whether or not you expect her to prepare the children’s meals and notify her of any dietary requirements they need to adhere to
• Discuss any medical issues related to your children.

What Nanny Interview Questions Can You Ask?

1. Background Questions

• Experience and training

It is important to go for a nanny who has taken care of kids before. She does not need many years of experience, but she should know what she is doing.

Questions to ask include:

How long have you been a nanny?

How old were the kids you cared for before?

Do you have any formal childcare training or early development training?

Are you willing to take classes to further your childcare education?

Do you have any emergency training such as first aid or CPR?

How would you handle a sick child in the parent’s absence?

Can I run a background check on you?

• On being a nanny

Now, you need to ask them questions revolving around being a nanny and how they ended up being nannies.

Questions to ask include:

Why did you prefer to go for a nannying career?

In your own view, what are the qualities required to be a nanny?

What is the most enjoyable part of being a nanny for you?

What do you least enjoy about your job?

2. Questions on the Job

• Education and development activities

Questions to ask include:

Depending on the age of the children, what areas of development are you likely to concentrate on and what activities do you see suitable?

What would a typical day comprise of according to you?

What activities do you enjoy most with kids?

How do you plan on keeping the kids occupied during the day?

What material or equipment do you need?

Have you had to potty train a kid before and how do you go about it?

• Attitude towards children and childcare knowledge

Questions to ask include:

What are your beliefs when it comes to child rearing?

What are the qualities about you that children like most?

How do you comfort children? How do you handle separation anxiety?

What is your ideal way of disciplining children? Have you had any disciplining problems in the past?

What rules have you followed before that you think worked well?

Which rules did not work?

Are you willing to go by my rules and disciplining strategies even if they differ from yours?

3. Talents and Skills

You are the only person who fully understands your child’s needs. You need to find out if the talents and skills the nanny has can be of benefit to your child.

• Food preparation

Can the nanny cook?

What foods does the nanny’s think are ideal for your child’s age group?

• Handle a medical emergency

Are they trained for first aid? What can the nanny do in the event of a blow in the head, high fever, and choking among other emergencies?

• Driver’s license

Ask the nanny whether they have a driver’s license and whether they can drive an automatic or standard car. What type of car do they have? Does the car have rear seat belts? And what type of insurance does the nanny have?

4. Personal Questions

Questions to ask include:

Are you from a large family?

Where does your family come from?

Do you have a partner? What does he do for a living?

In case of a live-in position, how does the nanny intend to be meeting up with the partner?

What do you do in your free time?

What television shows do you enjoy watching?

What books have you read so far and what genre do you like most?

What kind of music do you listen to?

What is your ideal vacation?

What is your dream vacation place?

Where have you travelled before and which are your favorite places?

Do you smoke, drink or use inappropriate language?

5. Personality Questions

What are the best things about being a nanny?

What is most challenging to you?

When working with the parents to raise the child, what have you found to work best?

Have you ever experienced negative work situations? What have you learned from them if any?

What is the nanny’s role in disciplining a child?

How have you previously handled a difficult situation such as a child talking back at you or crying uncontrollably?

What is it being a nanny that gives you most pride?

Do you have a flexible personality that handles change well or are you more into structure and planning ahead?

6. Age Group Appropriate Questions

• Newborn to age 1

How do you handle a crying baby?

What do you do when a baby won’t stop crying?

How long should a baby be left to cry?

How often should a new born be fed?

How often should a new born be held?

Do you believe in rocking a baby to sleep?

What methods can you use to train a baby to sleep through the night?

Do you know how to baby massage?

What would you do to bond with the baby?

• Children 1 to 2 years old

What is your primary responsibility for a child in this age group?

What activities would you engage in with a child of this age?

For how long should a child in this group watch TV? What shows are appropriate?

How can you discipline a child in this age group?

How do you handle throwing of things and tearing books?

If a child wants to play or read when you’re doing something else, what do you do?

How do you handle temper tantrums at home or in a grocery store?

How do you allow children to explore their surrounding?

How do you bond with a child in this age group?

• Children 2 to 3 years old

What role does interaction with other toddlers and outdoor play have in this child’s day?

What educational activities would you involve a child of this age group in?

How much TV is appropriate for this age group?

What rainy day/ indoor activities would you engage this child in?

How would you discipline a child in this age group?

What approach will you give to potty training?

How would you bond with this kid?

• Children 3 to 5 years old

What limit setting methods or disciplining methods do you find most appropriate for this age group?

What educational activities would you engage a child in this group on?

What do you think of pre-schooling children in this age group?

What is your opinion on homeschooling?

What are the most ideal TV shows for kids in this age group?

Are you willing to supervise play groups and can you take the child to gymnastics or other activity group meetings?

How would you handle a situation where you find two 4-5 year old kids playing while naked?

• Children 5 to 12 years old

How do you feel about outdoor, unsupervised play for kids in this age group?

Can you review and assist with homework?

Are you willing to supervise other children invited to the house?

How many extracurricular activities are ideal for school-going children? What activities can you suggest based on age groups?

7. Employment Details

When can you start on the job?

What salary are you expecting?

Can you make a one year commitment on this job?

8. Questions You Cannot Ask

By law, there are several questions you are not allowed to ask a job applicant, they include:

• Race or ethnicity background
• Age
• Sexual orientation
• Religious views
• Disability
• Marital status
• If they have ever been arrested

To learn what the top 6 nanny interview questions are, watch this video below: