Nanny GPS: Selecting the right candidate

Finding the right childcare partner to look after your child/children is a major decision for any parent. It is extremely important that you find the best suitable match for your family and always check references before offering an Au Pair or a Nanny a position looking after your children.

During the interview process have a list of questions and issues to discuss prepared beforehand. Talk with friends, and family, about their experiences to gather some important questions for you.

During the selection process your aim is to find out as much as you can about the applicants for your childcare job and determine if they would fit into your family lifestyle. This is extremely important if you are looking for an Au Pair or Nanny to live in with your family.

For example, assessing the Au Pairs language skills will be a key consideration as you will need to be able to communicate sufficiently with them. For the candidate, details around their room, living arrangements, hours of work, salary will be important for them.

Always check at least two references personally. If the Au Pair has not worked as an Au Pair before ask for references from their school or college, previous work experiences or even talk to their parents.

Never send an Au Pair or Nanny money. Unfortunately, while the vast majority of Au Pairs and Nannies on our site are genuinely looking for work, there are a small few out to scam you out of money. Please check our Scam and warnings section for more details.