How to Interview a New Nanny

Finding a nanny can be a stressful and long ordeal. But when you have a full-service nanny placement agency — like us! — to take care of all the tedious steps in the process, you can focus on choosing the best match for your family.

In this blog post, we talk about how to interview a nanny and how Preferred ChildCare can help with the interview and hiring process.

Ask the right questions to ensure a good match

Stumped on what questions to ask a potential nanny? Here are some examples.

What do you like most about being a nanny?

Your nanny may have all the experience and qualifications down pat, but are they passionate about the job? Will they be a nanny for a while because they love it, or is it a job they’ll do until something better comes along?

This is a great question to ask that will give you insight on their dedication, commitment, and personality.

What is your approach to discipline?

You want to know how your nanny will handle tough child care challenges as they come up. The last thing you want is to be surprised by how your nanny is disciplining your children. 

You might give them an example of your child’s behavior and ask how they would respond to examine their disciplinary approach.

What kind of activities do you enjoy doing with kids?

This question, and your nanny’s answer, depends on your expectations for your children. Maybe you want a nanny who offers structure and educational activities to your children, or maybe you want a creative nanny who is more laid back and spontaneous. 

Either way, this question is similar to the previous one about discipline: it will determine whether your potential nanny aligns with your values and will meet your expectations.

These are just a few examples of the many questions you can ask a new nanny. Remember to listen to their responses and look for opportunities to ask follow-up questions. Your goal is to learn as much as you can about your potential new nanny so you can make sure they’re a good fit. 

Don’t have time to interview nannies?

Interviews can be time-consuming, and if you don’t have experience conducting them, you may miss out on important information from a prospective candidate. Our extensive preliminary interview process covers all the bases for you.

We’ll find a few ideal candidates, and once we’re ready, we’ll set up a time for you to meet them. That way you can find the perfect fit — with much less work on your end.

Streamline the process with Preferred ChildCare

When you work with Preferred ChildCare, we do a lot of the heavy lifting in the nanny placement process for you. Aside from the interview process, here’s how we help you choose the perfect nanny for your family.

Employment and taxes

Being a good employer takes dedication, effort, and knowhow. When you’re a busy parent who has enough on their plate, you may not have the time or energy to learn everything about hiring a nanny! We understand that at Preferred ChildCare, and that’s why we hire your nanny to work for you. 

Taxes, employee agreements, labor laws, salaries, benefits: we handle all of that as your nanny’s official employer. You can focus on building a happy and healthy professional relationship between your family and your nanny.

Candidate search and screening

The nanny placement process begins with a candidate search. If you’ve never hired a nanny before, you may not know what to look for. If you don’t have access to a large candidate pool, this step may take longer than you’d like.

A nanny placement agency considers a group of applicants and examines each potential candidate’s experience, qualifications, training and education, skills, and more. We also conduct background checks and character assessments, as well as talk to references, ensuring that each nanny candidate is reliable and trustworthy.    

Start your nanny search today

Are you ready to begin your nanny search in the Triad area? When you choose Preferred ChildCare for your nanny placement needs, we handle all the tough stuff: screening applicants, conducting background and reference checks, early interviews, taxes, employment, and so on. Once you’ve met and talked with a new nanny that we’ve chosen for your family, you have the final say in their hiring. 

If you’re looking for a great nanny in the Triad area, contact Preferred ChildCare to get started today. We’re ready to help!