Au pair skype interviews

ClareySage I think a lot of the work needs to be done PRE Skype interview. These are the guidelines I would recommend (I've run a London nanny agency for 12 years):

1. The job advertisement

Make sure your job advert outlines the role and expectations clearly, including any household work expected, the hours, pay rate and holidays, benefits etc. This ensures that you only get applicants who understand the full demands of the role and are happy with them

1. Pre selection

Filter through the CV's and emails that come through. If you are getting hundreds of applicants delete any that don't have a good introduction email, with well written sentences, good spelling etc. If an applicant doesn't take the time to prepare their application well it doesn't bode well for their care on the job

1. Shortlisting

Shortlist the applications you like based on qualifications, experience, and references. Do not accept candidates with no references- you should ask for at least 3. They could be families the Au Pair has babysat for, or an employer from another job. Even if it is not a childcare related job their testimonial regarding the persons reliability, dedication and helpfulness is important

1. Questionnaire

Once you have a selection of 3-7 top candidates, send them a questionnaire of around 5-10 questions to complete with a completion deadline. Any who can't be bothered completing it aren't really interested in the job and I wouldn't follow them up

1. Skype Interview

Select your top three candidates and organise Skype interview times. These candidates have already invested a good amount of time in applying for your role so they should be reliable to show up on time. If you like them during the Skype interview, then arrange to call references and get a police check and proceed from there. You should also insist they have a first aid certificate or are prepared to complete a course on arrival to the UK.

Good luck! Rachel@KiwiOz Nannies

I'm in the middle of this process. Last year I had load of great applicants (I want Northern European and young and there were so many great Germans). This year I am not getting such good applicants. I can't believe how poor done of the applicants are actually. This is on au pair world. Have others noticed a similar shift?

We have had two APs now and our first was a Spanish teacher. She was absolutely fantastic, we loved her to bits and nothing at all was "beneath" her!

Tricky indeed. I am looking for a male au pair and all of the applicants are from Spain; many of them graduated as primary teachers. My option 1 has written a graduation work about ADHD (my DS has traits), option 2 is not a teacher. I actually quite like their generally positive mentality. But I don't expect them to have any teaching skills. My boys are 6 and 3. I can cope with poor English, but not sure how will they.

Missphilly: I'm not sure I'd really want an teacher as my au pair. I say that as a teacher myself! I reckon they might be slightly judgey and think banal duties such as emptying a dishwasher to be beneath them. I know I'm generalizing massively!

sj73 we had a massive influx of Spanish teachers in our area resulting in lots of them being employed in our nursery./preschool..and I would say they're not EVEN good in the classroom (from the ones I've worked with). They all claim that training as a teacher in Spain is the most difficult thing ever but there seems to be hundreds of them looking for jobs over here with absolutely no skills which would be useful in a classroom. Obviously massive generalisation but IMO.

Or if your kids are older and the au pair had enough English to cope with emergencies then go for the positive one. He'll pick up english quickly and could do an intensive course? A lot of the Spanish girls i interviewed had poor English and we ended up recruiting a Danish girl. It's a minefield. I just hope it works out.

Meadow: it's tricky. For me, English was important as my kids are young and I need to be able to explain things. I think its important though that you like them as you are going to be living with them. I would keep going if time isn't too much of a pressure.

Thank you sj73. I had to interviews so far, one felt more academic, less passionate about life (or maybe more shy?), very good English. Another one very passionate about life, positive personality, but poor English. I am in dilemma, trying to find a third candidate to interview, but there are none suitable so far.

I just used the skype conversation to get a feel for what they are like and just had a general chat about their day, their family, hobbies, why they want to come to the UK etc. I think it's important to feel comfortable during the skype chat so you can see their personality rather than getting them in 'interview' mode. You can always do a follow up interview with more specific questions.

Help! Help! Placed my ad in Au Pair world yesterday and got overwhelming loads of responses for male Spanish guys (I am actually looking for a male au pair). The first one replied and I think he sounds lovely, so I need to arrange the first interview on Skype with him.

What do I ask?
Do we have to do it via mic or webcam?
If I think that trial weekend would be good, who pays for that?

Thanks!

at answering mobile during interview

Good point Johnogroats . I have two boys so I will try look for male au pairs (their profiles first).

All of our APs except one have been French. The one exception was German. The first 7? were female, and we have just recruited our 3rd male to start in Sept. The guys we have had have all been excelent with the boys, and somewhat less complicated than some of the girls! They are much better at running around and playing with the boys, although less good at housework.

May I ask you, girls, which countries do you select for searching for an au-pair? I tend to select Spain, Portugal and Germany. I realize this is too narrow.

Clarey: I wonder if I interviewed the same forthright Spanish au pair as you did?? I interviewed one last night who was so forthright she scared me! She even answered her mobile during the interview ARGHGHGH.

I've had loads and loads of applications from Spanish teachers and am starting to go off the idea. Their English doesn't seem to be that good in general and I'm slightly worried that being good in the classroom doesn't necessarily mean they will be good au pairs. They might think the task is 'beneath them' and be crap at handling the more mundane stuff.

I've been emailing a few applicants and setting out exactly what I want and don't want. I've emailed them with a list of questions. I've then set up skype meetings for a few but use these meeting to try and get a feel for what kinds of person they are and whether they are likeable or not. I ask them how their day has been, hobbies etc. Very easy questions so they feel comfortable enough to be themselves so I can try and suss out what they are like.

Still haven't found anyone though....

Madrigals - yes, we are thinking about a trial weekend, but probably not for this particular prospect.

Blueshoes and Rubyslippers - I offered it via e-mail and she is getting back to us. We are not the only family who has offered her a position. I sacked off all but two others on my 'shortlist' and will keep looking in case she goes a different way.

We are always going to be competing with people who live in more well-connected parts of the country. We've been really clear about where we are, etc.but I am still getting daft questions about 'are there other au pairs where you live?'

Library, if you like the Spanish aupair, then offer her. I don't place too much store by the Skype interview. It is not the easiest medium. So long as the aupair seems normal and does not completely balls up like not turn up or look uninterested or hasn't put a comb through her hair for days, I don't think an interview on skype is definitive.

I have skyped all my aupairs and some were brilliant, others were poor and some just so-so. The important thing is she knows the score so she can decide if it is not her cup of tea and I would have saved myself a failed aupair. I have a written timetable, houserules, roster and deal with problems early on rather than let them fester.

If it becomes obvious it is not working after performance management, then I move them on quite quickly. It is not possible to get the hiring process 100% or even 70% right, so if it looks like it could work with this candidate, just play it by ear. Great if it works but don't beat yourself up if it does not. The hiring can be much of a muchness.

Offer it over email / she sounds good, interviewed well so go for it

Lay out routine, pay and notice period etc

Thank you, Rubyslippers and Blueshoes. We did the Skype interview an hour ago. She was one of the first girls we matched with, and yes Blueshoes, there has been beaucoup de 'dross'! It is overwhelming.

This young woman is not a teacher, but a chemistry graduate and her references checked out. As she lives in a resort, she also had babysitting experience for English families. She seemed lovely in the interview, and DD liked her. Her English was good.

Thing is, I have no compelling urge to Skype any of the others on my not-very-short shortlist. There's nothing that makes any of them stand out, and in truth, I am still waiting for references from the majority of them. My au pair-world stats say that I have fielded 157 applications, and sent 246 messages or replies in the fourteen days since I registered (for some reason it seems like longer). I'd quite like to do something else of an evening.

Would it be silly to offer the role to the first I've Skyped? We have been talking a lot via e-mail, and I've laid everything out for her. How do I actually offer her the 'job'? Just message her, and if she accepts, send a contract?

I have a male au pair

He's fabulous

rubyslippers, you are overwhelmed with male applicants? Lol

I only skype my top candidates, usually 1-2 candidates only. I use it as the final interview like for a job.

The initial interviews are done via email. There I lay out the pocket money and explain the role (good and bad) and set out the timetable, answer any of their questions and make them answer a detailed questionnaire. Most aupairs will drop out along the way which could be because they don't like the terms, the family, English was not good enough (one of our requirements is good English) or weren't that interested in being an aupair in the first place. I get 100s of applicants for the role, get in touch with about 10-15. By the end of the emailing process, maybe 1 or 2 are left standing. I then set a date and time to skype them with the children, having already spoken to the references they have provided me via email. That way, I have a pretty good feel for the aupair by the time of the skype interview that she is a good prospect.

If she is generally pleasant over skype and shows interest in the children and her spoken English and comprehension is good, I give her the job over the phone and use that opportunity to arrange for when she starts and pick up from the airport/train station.

All my aupairs have made the skype interview on time with no hitches.

There is a lot of dross. It would probably be best to do more filtering before the skype interview to avoid drop outs and no shows.