10 Basic Questions You Need To Ask While Interviewing A Nanny

Motherhood has always been one of the toughest roles to play in the history of mankind. But with the dawn of woman empowerment in the recent times, more and more women are working outside the boundaries of homes to contribute to the family income. Even after they become mothers, many women continue to work to provide for the family. Sometimes it is a personal choice to hold on to one's professional status, sometimes it is a necessity. For a working mother, hiring a nanny becomes extremely important to take care of the little one at home. No matter how job-oriented a mother is, her first priority is always her child. Therefore, it takes a lot of courage to leave a piece of your heart in the hands of someone else for a substantial amount of time. So getting the right nanny to look after your child is of critical importance. Before you hire a nanny, here are some basic questions you need to ask, and unless you are satisfied with the answers, do not hire.

1. Do you have letters of recommendation?

If a stranger walks into your home to get the job of a nanny, always ask for a letter of recommendation. Verify their details, speak to the previous employers in depth about their experience with the nanny. Once you have verified the details, move on to the next questions.

2. Why are you in this profession?

Here you are looking for answers to understand if the person works as a nanny because she likes the job, or if she is forced into it. If it is a forced choice, she may not be the ideal person to hire for the long term.

3. What are the age groups that you have looked after?

This question will help you determine if she has enough experience handling children who are in the same age group as your kid. If she has handled older children, taking care of an infant may be new to her, and you may have to hand hold her initially.

4. What are the things you love about kids?

Try to ascertain her level of excitement and enthusiasm as she answers this question. A person who does not like kids very much will give you prepared answers with zero excitement. This will mean that though the person is in the profession of taking care of children, she may not be best fit for it.

5. What are your concerns and worries with children of a particular age group? (Do mention the age group of your child)

Let the interviewee open up and tell you all that concerns her about this particular age group. For example, she is concerned about any food allergy, emergency medications, health concerns etc. Once you know this you can help her ease with the solutions you have to handle these areas of concern.

6. What are the ways in which you will keep my child occupied?

This question will help you understand if she is well versed in activities to keep your child engaged, instead of just switching on the television and keeping the child glued to the idiot box. Check if she knows games, rhymes and other fun things to keep your child occupied with something constructive.

7. Are you willing to do light household chores, if required?

Now nannies are mainly hired to take care of the child, but sometimes a little work here and there can be of massive help to you. So instead of expecting it from her, ask her if she is fine doing it if required. If she says a strict 'no' to it, it will be unwise for you to expect her to clean up the house after you child's play dates.

8. Can you help with my child's homework?

If you are a working mom and have to work till late at night, it is a good idea to get your child some help with his or her homework. If your nanny can do it, it is a huge plus on her resume.

9. Are you engaged or married, or single?

This is a sensitive, but important question to ask in order to understand if your nanny will be with your child for long or not. Also, ask her about her mode of transportation to work and see if she agrees to be a full time stay home nanny.

10. Can I run a verification check on your background?

No one likes to have their privacy invaded, and yet if you are planning to entrust your child to someone for the greater part of the day, you better know her well. So always run a background check, but do it with permission. If the person refuses to provide information it is best to move and schedule another interview with a different candidate.

Along with these ten important questions, you can frame your own questionnaire, to gauge your nanny's competencies clearly. Once you have honest answers and a clean background report, hire the nanny, and get the much-needed peace of mind.

Happy motherhood!

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Contributed By: Kriti Mazumdar