Questions to ask a potential Nanny?

[trini]

It's about time to finally hire someone to look after my 14mt old son for 2-3 hrs 3 times per week.
What do i look for and what questions do i ask?
What is a reasonable price?
Thanks.

[Alvito]

is it just looking after him in your house? or do u want him/her to cook and clean and do chores?

i'd say anywhere from 8-15 dollars an hour based on their qualifications.

[Jareds_Mommy]

What is your philosophy about discipline?
Do you have children of your own? Do you have younger siblings?
Why do you do this work?
Have you ever been in an emergency situation while babysitting?
What is your opinion of drugs and alcohol?
Describe the best child you ever babysat for. Describe the worst child you ever babysat for.
Can you give me some examples of problems you have had with kids and how you handled them?
What if my child fails to obey you when you ask him to do something? What if he is doing something dangerous?
How do you handle fighting between brothers and sisters?
How do you handle tantrums?
How would you react if a child bit or hit you?
What do you do when you become angry with a child?
What if my child asked you to keep a secret? What would your response be?
What if she revealed something to you that you knew I wouldn't approve of?
Can you swim? Would you be willing to go in the pool with our child?
At what point would you call a pediatrician or 911?
Do you prefer to work with boys or girls and why?
Does she have her infant & child CPR certification?
Does she have excellent references?
Does she drive and have a car? Is she a driver?
Is she a non-smoker?
Is she aware of and responsive to the many developmental stages of infants & children?

[volan]

We're on our 4th nanny now. They usually come here to make a better life for themselves. If you're thinking of hiring a foreign nanny (on the live-in caregiver program) you should know that 2 years after entry in to Canada they are allowed to apply for a work visa that will allow them to work anywhere. The visa application can take up to a year, so realistically they will be a nanny for up to 3 years before going to work at a nursing home, or Timmies or something like that.

I don't know what the market is like in your area but in Calgary it's impossible to get and keep good nannies. We made 2 offers to 2 nannies we thought were OK and both decided to work elsewhere. One nanny we got worked for us for 1 month and then took a job at a nursing home.

You should also keep in mind that no nanny will ever take care of your children the way you do so right away you need to lower your expectations.

It's good to ask a lot of questions because then hopefully you know what you're getting, but you may find that the ideal candidate just doesn't show up.

Just keep your expectations realistic. Remember that most nannies are here to put in their time until they can do something else.

[glaswegian]

In terms of references, make sure you really go to town on that one. People give aquaintances as references all the time, knowing they are going to say good things about them.

Contractors are bad for this. If anything, try going through an agency instead as they do all the legwork for you, and if something goes wrong, you can go after them instead.

It's how the Au Pair business works in Europe.

[bubble.tea]

An interesting though is when reading the thread title who thought of a 30yr old woman...and who thought of a 30yr old male?

Anybody have a MALE nanny? Any sexist preferences people have against a MALE nanny?

[Grassgreen]

No questions necessary if she is hot.

[nannycanada]

Interviewing a nanny is extremely important, and many potential problems in the employer/employee relationship can be avoided if the interview is properly conducted. If you only learn two things about interviewing let them be these: 1) depend on your intuition; and 2) interview twice before hiring.

Be prepared to ask the right questions to tune into your feelings, since feelings are usually a good indicator in choosing the right nanny. Alth9ough you need to know about experience, training, background, specialized knowledge, driving record, etc., the more personalized questions will reflect your own priorities and be key to a successful match. "What if" questions are often helpful.

When describing family expectations, be specific about duties, hours, salary, time off, etc. Seeing and hearing the candidate's reaction can provide valuable clues. Observe the nanny with your children. How do they interact? Is the nanny quiet or loud, shy or outgoing? Do the children like the nanny?

Carefully weigh all information, double-check references (even if they come from an agency) and interview the candidate(s) you like a second time. Listen to your intuition and remember that this person will be a part of your private life. Is this the person you want in your home working with your children?

[mrsmagoo2001]

Do they have police clearance?

[FunkyLady94]

You could also use a nanny agency, but it will cost a bit more. They can probably take care of a lot of the security/liability issues for you. Here's an article that tells you more about how to use them:

http://www.parentsconnect.com/articles/Dealing_with_Nanny_Agency.jhtml

"If you deal with a nanny agency, you should expect to pay a placement fee that's roughly equivalent to one month of the nanny's salary. What's more, you might also have to pick up the tab for the nanny's airfare if she's relocating in order to take the job. For its part, the agency should do some initial prescreening, weed out unqualified candidates, run a criminal reference check on the nanny and provide some sort of placement guarantee. However, the onus is on you to ensure that the agency actually follows through and delivers what it promises. That means making sure that you're provided with an agency agreement up front and that the agency lives up to the letter of that agreement."

[trini]

Thanks for the info.
She was hired, she practically lives next door, has a child a little older than mine and was more than qualified and this actually fits in with her free time.
I have worked in a few daycares as a cook a while back, i just wanted to double check if i may have missed anything on the list etc.
Police clearance was the first thing i asked for, an agency is something i will never consider, i have my reasons.

[FunkyLady94]

Thanks for the info.
She was hired, she practically lives next door, has a child a little older than mine and was more than qualified and this actually fits in with her free time.
I have worked in a few daycares as a cook a while back, i just wanted to double check if i may have missed anything on the list etc.
Police clearance was the first thing i asked for, an agency is something i will never consider, i have my reasons.

I'm intrigued about your reasons to not use an agency...?