HI, My oldest in in kindergarten now,and since larger classes are now in session parents need to volunteer...and Im going for it. I have to find someone to watch my 6 month old and I have a few friends that recommended their nannys. Im looking for a babysitter though...so my question is Does anyone have some good questions to ask on a babysit/nany interview? It will be for a few hours every other week... Thanks Moms. Pleas know Im a bit nervous leaving her with a somewhat stranger, but the 2 references come from a good connection.....
Does the sitter have basic first aid skills (inc infant cpr)
How will problems be handled, give sitter some scenarios and ask how would you address this. Set you limits in the beginning, for example, my friend had a sitter that did nothing but watch TV all day and did not engage her child in any contact.
L
Hi My 2 Girls,
I am a Certified Professional Nanny, and I've helped parents interview nannies in the past. I like to ask the following:
1) Tell me about a stressful situation and how you handled it
2) What would a typical day with my kids be like?
3) Why do you want to work with kids? If they answer that they just love kids, they are so cute, don't hire them. We all know kids are cute, a handful and can stress you out. This isn't play time, it's work time.
4) What do you do in your off time? This person will have a lot of time with your children and you want to make sure their morals are inline with yours.
5) Provide the babysitter a real situation that you had trouble with and see how she'd handle it.
I hope these help. Do a background check & see if you can look her up on line. You don't want a party girl watching your kids, especially after drinking all night. This is from experience. I had a family who got a 2 am call from the Nanny on accident. She was out partying when she was scheduled to work that morning!!!!
Good Luck
R. Magby
I was a General Manager for a restaurant for 18 looong years...did my share of interviewing.
1) Dont be nervous, just relax
2) Encourage "chit-chat", thats how you REALLY see what and who they are.
3) Dont be afraid to just ask pre-made questions off of a list. If they are true and honest, there should be no problem.
4) Be sure and jot down little things that you may have further questions about on your prepared list.
5) Whatever you do...NEVER hire right on the spot...thank them and tell them you will call. Give yourself time to absorb the conversation. You can always have a second interview.
6) Lay it all out on the line as to what YOU want. Be very clear...WATCH their reactions.
Side note: Be aware of WHAT they are wearing. HOW they are speaking. WHY they want the job.
Good Luck in your interview!!
M.
you don't have to volunteer. your oldest will be in school for a long long long time. wait for a few years until your youngest grows up a bit then you'll feel more comfortable. volunteering in school is for parents who have the ability to do so. not for parents who then need to find care for their other children. i volunteered last year, more than i would have wanted to, and there were a few others who did as well, but we could, as we didn't have other kids to take care of.
good luck
Are you required to volunteer? Maybe the time isn't right for you just now. If you are going to hire someone, remember you will be their boss. Keep it professional. Definitely do a background check on anyone before hiring them. Start here: http://www.familywatchdog.us/search.asp HTH - GL!!
I would ask a few questions like -
1) Have you worked with infants before?
2) Do you have the appropriate training to care for an infant? Early Childhood 1&2, Infant First-Aid? etc
3) Ask for past references and actually call them. You might be surprised what people say.
4) Ask for a job history - it will show you how long they stay at a job before moving on to the next... you dont want someone that is only going to stay for a few weeks and then leaving you to go through the whole interview process with another nanny/babysitter
5) Do a background check on them... very important
You have every right to be nervous, but with all the right questions you should feel better by the end of the interview. If you are still nervous, possibly ask the person to do a few test runs with you being in the house and having the person play with your child for a couple hours. See how your child reacts with that person.
Good luck! :)
I always ask them about their personal lives especially, boyfriends, etc. Ask about cpr certification and if they would be open to getting certified. Do they have younger siblings that they had to care for, etc. Goodluck!
Are you able to take your 6mo old with you while you volunteer if it's just a couple hours every other week? What about hubby, grandmother, etc?
