Interview Questions to Ask a Potential Nanny

A well thought out list of questions is a necessity when interviewing a Nanny.

The following list of questions will help you engage the Nanny in detailed conversation about her professional and personal background. Covers a lot of questions you may not think to ask yet are vitally important to weeding out a quality caregiver from a poor one

1) What do you think children like best about you?

2) What kinds of activities would you do with a (insert ages of your children) year old?

3) Can you give me some examples of problems you have had with kids and how you handled them?

4) What would you say is your discipline style? Can you give me some examples of when you would need to use discipline with a (insert age) year old child?

5) What do you consider to be your most important responsibility in this job?

6) At what point would you call a pediatrician or 911? Have you ever had to handle an emergency? How did you handle it?

7) Have you ever had to manage a morning routine during the school year so that all the children got off to school on time? If no, do you think you could?

8) Do you have any health related problems that would prevent you from doing this job?

9) Can you cook?

10) How do you feel about performing light housekeeping?

11) Will you be able to adjust your schedule if we need to go out of town or stay late at work from time to time? (Make sure he/she knows that this would be overtime and he/she would be compensated with additional pay).

12) What is your relationship with your family like? Do they like the idea of your being a Nanny?

13) What do you like to do in your spare time? Hobbies, activities?

14) What do you like most about yourself? What would you like to improve about yourself?

15) What was your last childcare experience? Why did it end? What were the ages of the children you cared for?

16) What do you think a typical day is like with a (insert the age of your child i.e., infant, toddler, 5 year old, 10 year old.)?

17) How do you feel about furthering your training by attending child development classes or seminars?

18) Can you drive? Do you have any driving convictions?

If your Nanny candidate has passed all of the above with flying colors, it's time to check his/her references, perform a background check and if all is well, have him/her come over and watch the kids for a trial run ( paid of course).