What to Ask Prospective Nannies Before You Hire

The right nanny can make your children happy, give you peace of mind, and add something special to your family dynamic. But how do you know if you’re hiring the perfect person to fit your family’s needs? Here are a few things you’ll want to ask prospective nannies before you hire.

What Kind of Experience Do You Have?

You want to know that the person you’re bringing on is capable of doing the job right. While experience certainly isn’t the only factor to consider, it can play a large role in whether or not a nanny is right for you. If a nanny has experience with childcare at many different ages, they may be with your family for a long time, which is worth keeping in mind.

Why Are You Interested in Childcare?

If you like a prospective nanny, you can always ask them about their interest in your specific family and the job down the line, but it’s vital to get a sense of why they’re interested in childcare as a whole. Childcare can be challenging work and every day offers up new experiences, so you want to know that the person you’re bringing on is passionate and looking to help for the right reasons.

How Do You Approach Discipline?

Of course, it’s vital that any nanny you bring into the home follows your guidelines about discipline and punishment, but it’s also important to get a sense of what their instinct might be and where they’re coming from. They may simply reply that they follow your direction, which is also a good sign.

Do You Have Any Experience in Tutoring or Education?

If you have older children, or even kids who just love to learn, your nanny may be helping with school projects and homework. Tutoring experience might just be the asset you need to see in order to find the perfect nanny. It’s also worth noting that tutoring and teaching take patience, which is a good trait for a nanny to have.

What, if Any, Certifications or Training Do You Have?

While an education in childcare development is an excellent asset, there are other things you’ll want to ask about as well. Bring up certifications like CPR and First-Aid, specifically CPR and First-Aid training for children, which is a separate course, lifeguard certification, safe driving designations, or anything else you feel is important to the health and safety of your child.

How Do You Feel About Our Terms?

You’ll want to have a sense of how much childcare assistance you’ll be needing in a regular week, so you can effectively communicate the schedule and expectations to a prospective nanny. Talk over the number of hours, if they’ll be doing any cooking or housework, how much driving is involved, and whether they’ll need to stay overnight at any point. You want to know if you’re on the same page from the beginning.

Do You Have Any Questions for Me?

If your prospective nanny has insightful, informative questions, about anything from allergies to how many books are read at bedtime, that can really show that they know the importance of the details and that they want to follow your rules and guidelines. Open communication is important, and you want to feel comfortable welcoming them into your home from the very start.

Find the right nanny to fit your family’s needs here at Ripplequest.com. Start your search with “childcare professionals near me” today!