An Experienced Babysitter & Nanny
 
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When you are choosing a nanny, it is about what is the best for you and for your family. Hiring a nanny is a good option to take care of your child when you are not at home as your child can have one-to-one attention and care. To maintain peace and harmony in your family and in your living environment, it is vital to hire the right nanny for your family. So doing your homework before you hire your nanny can certainly help you to make this task much easier.

Before you post an advertisement to hire a nanny, figure out what exactly you want from your nanny. Make a timetable for your nanny which includes the time she should attend to work, what is the time she is allowed to go, days and times your nanny should pick your child from school/after school activities, specific time to drive your child to somewhere like park, music class, etc. Also you should make well detailed job description for nanny. Job description can include, whether you need your nanny to do household work also or not, leaves procedure, nanny pay, overtime pay etc. Signing a nanny agreement with your nanny is very important. Therefore making your nanny agreement before you rush into the nanny hiring/interviewing process is recommended. This is your bond with your nanny according to the law, so be careful when you are making it. You can ask for help from someone who has experience on making a nanny agreement.

As you may already know, arranging an interview with your nanny is equally important. You should be prepared to the interview as well as nannies. Preparing a list questions to ask from candidates at the interview is important. Few questions you can ask from each nannies would be “Why you become a nanny?, Where have you worked before?, Why did you quit from there? What is your salary expectations? Do you have any qualifications on childcare?, Do you have the knowledge on first Aid/CPR? (very important) and so forth.” You can give opportunity to candidates to ask any questions at the end of interview as well.

 
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First sort out your needs and identify what are the things that to expect from your nanny. When you are looking for your nanny through advertisement, nanny referral agency or online give the best description about yourself to them. This will give you a much better chance of finding the perfect nanny and reduce the applications from those who are not matching with your needs. To do this, define the life style and characteristics of your family. Describe your kids personality, their age, schedule, after school activities that your kids are involved in etc. You can also mention what you are willing to offer for nanny and what benefits she will get?

Then define your perfect prospective. Her characteristics, experience and educational qualifications, flexibility and specific job duties and all. When you find prospective candidates arrange interview process that consist of two interviews at least. Your children should not be presented in the first interview since in first interview you are trying to decide should I introduce my children to this person or not. You may ask questions from prospective nannies regarding creativity, dependability, strengths, weaknesses, self-esteem etc. Check their ability to communicate. Let her know about your house rules. When you will have interviewed all the prospective nannies and get enough details on them you can arrange your second interview.

Second interview must be done with all family members. Check references and contact details, driving license etc. After the second interview few candidates may have shortlisted and few can be left as prospective candidates. So give them a trial run. This will allow you to recognize the best possible nanny for your child. When you choose to offer the job to the best nanny, hire her with a well detailed written agreement. You can request her to keep a nanny's diary, You can use a nanny spy camera to monitor your nanny's activities when you are away. A new nanny does not know how your family operates and you should give her some time to get familiar with your family's environment. When you hire the nanny that match your needs, try keep a good relationship by communicating and respecting her.
 
Source : http://jacksonhenry.snappages.com/blog/2013/08/21/how-to-interview-your-prospective-nanny

When you find a prospective nanny who seems to be a matching nanny for your needs, do not offer her the job straightaway. You should interview your prospective nannies and for those who did well in the interview should get a trial run as well. This process will help you to determine who is the perfect nanny for you. So what to ask from a nanny at the interview?
    
First make a standardize question list to ask from each nanny and stick to those questions. Ask why they become a nanny? Answer should be something like they enjoy taking care of kids. Ask where they have worked previously and why quit from there. Ask about their qualifications and get to know whether they are still wiling to learn further in childcare if necessary or not. You can ask questions on their experience & training, daily routines, approach towards this job etc. After the interview, if you are satisfied about your candidate you can move forward by  arranging a second interview. There you can discuss the payment method, check their references, give the details of duties your nanny should do, talk about dress code and holidays, paying methods for extra hours and etc. Also it is better take note of each nanny's answer to your questions if there are lot of candidates.

When doing the interview try to meet your candidates with your child. Notice both nanny's and your child's reactions. Ask when she would be able to work. Check their flexibility on your work schedule. The process of a choosing a nanny can be hard. You want to make sure that you do not have to go on same process in few months time. So ask about your candidate's future plans. Even if a candidate performed well at the interview, do not give her the job without giving a trial run.  Once you have completed asking questions from your questions list give your candidate the chance to address any issues or concerns she may be wanting to clear out. Hope this helped you to have a basic idea on how to interview a nanny. Good luck!

 
Source : http://www.thebestnannyservices.com/christines-blog/2013/2/12/tips-for-parents-interviewing-nannies.html

Interviewing nannies can be difficult and stressful process because you are trying to pick the best candidate to care for your child and you want to make sure you make the correct decision.

The first thing to remember is be easy on yourself. Acknowledge and let go of the stress, remember you are in control of the situation and in charge of choosing the nanny. Trust your maternal and gut instincts. However, do not confuse instincts with being judgmental. Never judge a nanny based on what you think they are before you sit down and chat with them. Each nanny is different in her experiences, beliefs, discipline techniques, and overall personality and there is one that is a fantastic fit for your family! So remember, you are in charge and you have the maternal and instinctual skills to choose the best candidate for your family.

Important questions to ask:

  • Why have you chosen to be a nanny?
  • What are some things that you love about being a nanny?
  • What are your strengths? How do you think those help you in caring for children?
  • What are your weaknesses? Do they effect you ability to be an excellent nanny?
  • Are you comfortable driving the children to sports, school, activities, etc?
  • Are you able to swim?
  • Do you have any life threatening allergies that we should be aware of?
  • Would you be ok with staying home with my children if they are sick or unable to attend school?
  • What is your availability?
  • Do you have any days that you must have off or upcoming plans that you would need days off for (i.e. vacations, a wedding, funeral, etc?)
  • Do you have children? What are their ages? What would your plan be if your child falls ill and is unable to go to their summer camp or school?
  • How would you handle my child if they stated to have a temper tantrum while you are out? Would you handle the situation differently if you were at home? How so?
  • What are your discipline methods?
  • Would you feel comfortable adhering to our house rules and discipline methods?
  • What do you typically wear to work?
  • Are you able to make and within reason adhere to a daily schedule for the child?
  • Do you consider yourself an organized person? Can you give me an example?
  • Do you plan things out or wait until the last minute to complete tasks and assignments?



Other important questions to ask if they apply to your family
  • Are you comfortable with pets?
  • Would you be willing to travel with us?
  • Are you comfortable travelling domestically and internationally?
  • Are you comfortable taking a child around a city you are unfamiliar with to go to museums, sports, activities, etc?
  • Do you get motion sick?
  • Are you comfortable going to church with us?
  • Are you comfortable signing a confidentiality agreement?
  • Would you be able to use an epi pen if my child is going into anaphylactic shock?
  • Are you comfortable teaching our child about our religion and beliefs?
  • What is your college degree in?
  • Are you able to teach our child.... (list out things you would like the nanny to teach your child i.e. abc's, numbers, how to add and subtract, reading, etc.)
  • Are you able to adhere to our house rules, dress code/ uniform requirements?

Next ask the nanny if she has any questions for you about you, the children, the job, requirements, etc. Engage the nanny in a conversation. Ask where she was raised, what her parents do, etc. It is important for you to feel comfortable and as though you can work with and trust her. The nanny could look fantastic on paper and interview like a pro but if her personality and yours do not mix then she is not the right nanny for your family.

Remember while you want to know as much as possible about a nanny and her experience, why she left previous jobs, etc you need to remember that she is a person with feelings. She has loved and cared about each of her previous charges so you may ask about her jobs, tasks included, and skills that she believes she would bring to your family but do not ask which child or family was her favorite or least favorite. I say this because like you love each of your children in different ways for their differences nannies love their previous charges a similar way. Asking that question could make the nanny uncomfortable or awkward and honestly that information does not have anything to do with the nanny that she could be with your family.

Lastly, remember we are always here for you to help you with all of your childcare needs. Give us a call if you need help or have questions about how to properly interview a nanny! Your domestic bliss is our main priority! Give us a call at 904-471-1500 or 561-371-1067.

 
Interviewing a nanny is an essential part of the hiring process which should be made a high priority. There are a lot of advantages when preparing for a thorough interview. It can save a lot of time both in the hiring process and once you have selected a candidate knowing that she is the best fit for the role.

Consider the following items when interviewing a nanny:

Situational Interview Questions
When conducting an interview it is always standard practice to put our "best-foot-forward." It is very important to see how the applicant performed in her previous experience through situational questions. By doing this, we can get answers from the applicant based on actual experiences. Some example questions would be - "Can you give a situation when you had to go through a conflict while a child is under your care and you had to resolve it on your own?" Questions such as these can also eliminate the "hypothetical answers" an applicant can give.

Employment History
It is during the interview when you get the chance to verify the information from the applicant's resume from the applicant themselves. It is important for us to let the applicant walk through their past work experiences and describe their role, tenure, reasons for leaving each job, and the like. Getting this information from the applicant allows us to see how she performed in each of her job which definitely should be considered in hiring her.

Childcare Experience
Possibly related to employment history, yet digging deeper to the applicant's experience working with children is also a consideration during the interview. This is not only related to the nanny's paid childcare experiences but also on how comfortable she is in taking care of a child personally. The applicant may have raised children of her own which can be an advantage. You may also ask her of her strategies of establishing a relationship with a child since she is initially a complete stranger, or in cases when a child may be difficult behavior wise.

Values and Philosophy
Since the nanny role is almost like being part of the child's family knowing their values and philosophies in life is important to understand during the interview. This can gauge whether or not the nanny's values are in line with the family's values and knowing this could be an indicator if she can be a good guide and model for your child. The nanny's view of herself and her role can also be discussed in obtaining this information and would give us an idea if they can establish a good relationship with your child.

Character References
It is important to ask the nanny applicant for character references preferably from her previous employment. You can see if the applicant is confident in giving this information which will give you a clear picture if they are willing to perform a thorough background check. This would also mean that she had a good relationship with her previous employers and not afraid of any other information you may obtain from these references.

It is important to remember that it is never a waste of time to be selective during the hiring process and consider that you would only want the best nanny for your children. Preparing for the interview and knowing what to consider in selecting candidates can make the whole process less stressful. Hir-ing the best candidate doesn't only mean that the nanny has specific qualities we are looking for, but also means she is best for the role. Hiring someone is more than just taking care of children but also someone who would be a good influence on them would stay in their role in a reasonable period of time.

About the Author Crunch Care is the premier caregiver staffing service in South Florida. We pride ourselves in our flexibility and ability to fulfill almost any type of home based companion needs. If you are looking for nanny agency Miami or nanny services Miami, we believe we are your best choice.

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Jennifer - The Nanny