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Nanny GPS: Interview questions

Selecting the right candidate for your childcare job is your primary objective. You are hiring someone to look after your children and therefore have the right to ask questions that effect your child's safety, development needs and general childcare. During the interview process your aim is to get know each short listed candidate and ascertain how well they will fit into your family, and meet your childcare objectives.

Here are some suggested interview questions you may wish to consider asking during your interviews with prospective candidates.

Getting to know the candidate

You should try and get to know each candidate and why they want to work with children. Some possible questions maybe:

Talk to me about your educational background and/or your experiences caring for young children?
Why did you go into childcare?
What experience do you have caring for children? What childcare qualifications do you have?
Why do you want to be an Au Pair/Nanny and what do you hope to gain from this experience?
Talk to me about your philosophy on childcare, in particular you may be interested in toilet training, discipline?
Why do you like to work with children? What do you find most rewarding about working with children?
What do you find most challenging when working with children?
How do manage stress in your life?
In your previous experience, talk to me about a time you had to deal with an emergency.
Do you like cooking? What kind of food do you prepare for children?
What do you like to do for fun?
How do you spend the day with the children? What would a typical day be like?
Please provide the names and contact information of three references from your childcare experience?

Depending on the age of your child/children you may also want to consider asking some specific questions.

For Infants/Toddlers:

How do you deal with crying babies? For example, would you let the baby cry or pick the baby up? How long would you let the baby/toddler cry before picking them up?
What would you do if the baby did not stop crying?
What approaches have you used in the past to get a baby settled or to sleep?
How should the baby be placed for sleep?
How do you bottle feed? Do you hold the baby?
What type of activities would you engage in with the baby? Indoor? Outdoor?
What is your view on routines? Should the baby have a strict routine?
What type of food would you prepare for a baby?
What items are necessary to baby proof my home?
What do you think a baby/toddler of age X needs from you at this age? How often would you hold the baby/toddler?
Tell me about your experiences with toilet training? How did you manage it/do you believe it should be handled?
How would you respond if my child was having a temper tantrum?
How would you respond if my child refused to eat a meal you prepared for them?
What activities would you do with a toddler? Indoors, outdoors?
How would you respond if my child refused to get dressed / wear the clothes you'd picked for them?
What items are necessary to toddler proof my home?
What methods do you use to encourage positive behaviour?
What are your views on pacifiers, bottles, stuffed animals, security blankets?
What toys/materials would you like me to provide?

For preschooler:

What do you see as a typical day with my child?
How do you deal with a child who has misbehaved? Give me some examples of misbehaviour?
What types of activities would you do with my child? Indoor? Outdoor?
How do you deal with temper tantrums?
How do you discipline a pre-school child?
What methods do you use to encourage positive behaviour?
How is problem solving and personal expression encouraged?
What toys/materials would you like me to provide?

For school age:

Have you organised play dates before? How would you feel about being responsible for my child's friends when they come over to play?
Are you ok with driving my child to activities and playdates?
What are some activities you enjoy doing with older children?
What are you views on TV/computer/video games? How much time would you allow on these activities? How would you manage computer/TV/video game time?
How would you handle it if my child did not want to do homework?
What is your experience with sibling rivalry and how would you handle it?
What methods do you use to encourage positive behaviour?
How is problem solving and personal expression encouraged?
What toys/materials would you like me to provide?