nanny interview – Nannyjob blog

20 questions to ask at interview

20 questions you need to ask at interview

What are you children’s favourite activities?

Are you happy for me to arrange activities, playdates and meet up with other nannies?

Will you leave a kitty for work-related expenses?

Do your children have any allergies or health conditions?

What discipline methods do you use?

What nursery/household related duties do you expect me to do?

Why did you choose to interview me?

What are the hours?

How often do you anticipate needing overtime?

What is the rate of pay?

Are you happy to agree a gross wage in the contract and deduct my tax and National Insurance?

Live-out: Will I be able to eat meals with the children while on duty? / Live-in: What accomodation and meals do you provide?

Do you need me to be OFSTED registered?

Are you happy to pay the initial registration/renewal fee?

Do you provide a car or do you expect me to use my own?

Will you insure me on your car?/Will you pay mileage for work related journeys using my car?

How long do you see this job lasting?

What childcare have you used before?

Can I speak to your last nanny?

When do you plan to make your decision?

What gets you a nanny job?

We’ve talked before about the importance of a good profile in winning you work as a nanny, but a CV – and your experience and qualifications – will only get you as far as the interview.

Imagine opening a mystery box of chocolates. You have preferences – for example you prefer milk chocolate and don’t like nuts – and you can make decisions about what you see on the outside. That’s what your CV is for, to help the family pick out the milk chocolates and discard the nuts. Other things you can only tell by biting into the chocolate and discovering the hidden nuts inside. Sometimes a really tasty-looking chocolate can be disappointing, and sometimes a chocolate that seems plain on the outside can have a surprising centre.

Once you actually meet the parents, what is it that will land you the job?

Remember that the interview is first and foremost a chance for you and the family to interact, so don’t sit there passively! Taking an active part in the discussion and asking well- timed questions will show that you’re interested in hearing about them and their expectations as well as being prepared to answer questions about your experience and approach to childcare. Respond to the family’s cues and where they ask you what you would do in certain situations you should answer the question and then reflect it back to them to find out what their preferences are.

Let your enthusiasm for your job, and children, shine through. A happy, animated nanny who is able to describe what they do on a day to day basis is much more likeable than a coldly, professional nanny who gives textbook answers. Also show enthusiasm for the children if they are there. Try to get to know your future charges by smiling, waving and asking them questions, getting down on their level and responding to any overtures they make such as bringing you a favourite toy.

You probably have a list of questions in your head (or on paper!) that you want answered and chances are some of these will be covered before they ask whether you have any questions at the end of the interview. Pay attention to what the family say all the way through so unless you’ve genuinely forgotten the answer (in which case you should apologise and just ask them for clarification) you don’t ask for information you’ve already been given.

Also make sure your questions don’t focus solely on hours, pay and holidays, although that is obviously very important ground to cover. Ask about the children’s favourite activities, how the parents like to communicate during the day and what their priorities are as a family. Taking an interest in them as people will also help you decide whether you feel able to work with them.

The main objective of an interview is to establish a good relationship between you and the family, so you both leave with the impression that you could work well together.

Nanny references

Writing a nanny a reference can be tough. It usually means your childcarer is moving on and whether it’s your choice or theirs it’s often an emotional time. A glowing reference will help your nanny find a wonderful new job and show them how much you appreciate the job they’ve done for you.

Writing a nanny a reference can be tough. It usually means your child carer is moving on and whether it’s your choice or theirs it’s often an emotional time. A glowing reference will help your nanny find a wonderful new job and show them how much you appreciate the job they’ve done for you.

A good reference is about a page of A4 long. It often takes the form of a letter and includes your contact details so prospective employers can contact you. It should be written in the first person and split into easily readable paragraphs, each with a theme, for example your nanny’s day to day duties, their attitude to work, any particular skills they have and times they’ve gone above and beyond. You might find it helpful to refer to previous annual performance reviews when you sit down to write.

Give plenty of detail about your nanny’s current job and how that has evolved over time. If your nanny started when your child was a baby and they’re now at school you have 4+ years of very varied duties to cover! Don’t assume that a new-to-the-nannying-world prospective employer will know what ‘usual nursery duties’ or ‘daily care’ involves. Expanding on these shows what your expectations of your nanny were on a day to day basis, and of course you should comment on how well these expectations were met.

Providing specific examples will also help a prospective employer build up a complete picture of your nanny. Perhaps your nanny helped your child overcome shyness or transformed a fussy eater? By giving details of how they accomplished that you can demonstrate their approach to the children in their care as well as showcasing a positive impact they’ve had on your family.

Think about the kind of skills or attributes you really appreciate in your nanny. If your nanny is very organised or an excellent time-keeper then mention that in their reference. If the children are always laughing when you come home in the evening or they always have something they created that day to show you then share that with prospective employers. Bear in mind when writing a reference that your nanny may not always work as a nanny, or even in childcare, so highlight two or three highly transferrable skills.

A trickier task is writing a reference for a nanny who has been less than satisfactory. In this case a brief reference confirming length of employment and duties with an invitation for prospective employers to contact you will be more than sufficient.

Expect to be contacted whether you give a positive or neutral reference. Prospective employers will want to both check the veracity of your reference and ask detailed questions of their own. Be factual and honest – if they ask whether you ever needed to use a disciplinary procedure and you did then you should answer the question fully and truthfully. If that was the cause for terminating the nanny’s employment you are allowed to share that. If it was resolved satisfactorily use it as an example of how your nanny took your feedback on board and improved their performance.

Writing a reference is one of the kindest and most lasting things you can do for an excellent nanny and it will serve them all through their career, so it’s worth taking the time to do the task fully and well.

Online Safety Tips for Nannies

Over the past few years, we’ve seen a significant rise in internet fraud, phishing scams and other ‘traps’ that aim to trick victims into handing over money, providing sensitive information or even putting themselves in physical danger.

To help you stay safe when applying for your next nanny job, we’ve put together our top online safety tips for nannies:

Continue reading “Online Safety Tips for Nannies”

Points to consider before signing a contract with your employee

Once you have decided to employ a nanny, and give them an offer letter, it is advisable to

include the key terms and conditions of the role, such as:

Job title,

Job description,

Days/hours of work,

Holiday entitlement,

Notice period,

Statutory payments,

Disciplinary and Grievance procedures

It is essential that all the terms and conditions of the employment are addressed in the form

of a contract of employment and this must be given to nanny to sign within 2 months of them

starting the position.

Once nanny accepts your offer of employment, you have entered into a legal arrangement,

(subject to satisfactory references) therefore the sooner a contract is drawn up between the

employer and the nanny, the better.

How to Spot Potential Problems with Your New Nanny

Hiring a new nanny for your children can be a stressful experience. Whether you’re hiring a replacement or hiring your first nanny, this can be a trying time for you and your children as you go through numerous interviews to find the perfect nanny for your family.

During interviews and the initial induction period, it’s important to be on the lookout for any red-flags about your new nanny and their behaviour to avoid a constant stream of new nannies in your children’s lives.

That’s why we’ve put together this guide to help you spot any negative traits when looking for a new nanny.

Continue reading “How to Spot Potential Problems with Your New Nanny”

What Should You Watch Out for in Nanny Job Listings?

When looking for your next nanny job, it’s important to thoroughly read through the nanny job listing and to be on the lookout for any warning signs that could spell trouble in the future.

The first step is to remember that not everyone knows exactly what a nanny is or what duties fall under the job title. First-time parents, especially can be slightly confused about what they can and can’t ask a nanny to do and so it’s important that you take the time to read through each listing and note down any questions that need clarifying by the employer during the interview or before-hand over the phone.

Top Tip: If possible, try to contact the employer over the phone as this will give you a better feel for who they are and what they want than communicating via email. It’s also a great way to make yourself stand out from the competition as they’ll be able to start getting to know you before you even set foot in the interview.

To help you identify the good listings from the bad, we’ve made a list of the most important red-flags that you should lookout for in a nanny job listing and interview.

Continue reading “What Should You Watch Out for in Nanny Job Listings?”

Why Nannies Should Include Volunteer Work on Their Resume

When applying for your first job as a nanny, whether you’re a student, a graduate or if you’re moving from another field of work, it’s guaranteed that you won’t be the only one submitting an application.

What makes you stand out from the hundreds of other nanny applicants trying to get the same position?

We’ve put together this quick article to show you how volunteering can help you stand out from the crowd.

Continue reading “Why Nannies Should Include Volunteer Work on Their Resume”

Why Nannies Should Ask Parents for References

It’s only natural for a parent to ask a nanny for their past references and recommendations. They are, after all, entrusting the happiness, health and safety of their children to a complete stranger.

Why then, shouldn’t this also apply to nannies? Nannies, particularly live-in nannies, put their own livelihood and safety into the hands of the family they are becoming a part of and so common sense would suggest that a nanny should also obtain references from the parent(s) so that they are fully aware of the professional and personal nature of their new employer(s).

That’s why we’ve put together our top tips to help ensure that you only work with trustworthy, reliable employers:

Continue reading “Why Nannies Should Ask Parents for References”

Tag: nanny interview