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Original poster

Nanny trial day

28 replies

Slana · 25/02/2010 08:20

Hi.I am just about to employ our first nanny.From a few of them , I chose 2 nannies to come for a trial day.
My question is :what should I expect from the nanny?Is it going to be like a day at work or just getting to know the house and the girls?Should I pay the nanny for the trial day?
The nannies are really different,one off them is more mature with years of experience but no qualification and the other one is young and has just 4 years experience, still studying for a childcare qualification but seems really focused and mature.My 2 year old DD like's the younger one, probably because she interacted more with her during the interview.

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Original poster
Slana · 25/02/2010 09:02

At the moment I am 50/50 about each nanny.
The mature one was asking pleeenty questions during the interview, she was really interested in finding more about the family and DD`s(probably to many questions actually ) but didnt really interact with DD.The young one asked questions,not as many as the first one , but she interacted very well with DD.Dd actually ended up giving the nanny cuddles and started crying when the nanny had to leave.That is the reason why I am confused and I will keep an eye on them.
How many hours the trial should be?

OP posts:
frakkinaround · 25/02/2010 08:38

Pay them and guide them but let them be as hands on as possible for at least half the day - they should be playing with your DDs, suggesting activities such as going to the park, feeding them, generally acting as though they would if you weren't around. The other way to do it is to structure a day very tightly and let them get on with it. I prefer the first (as a nanny) because it lets me show what I can/would do and how I'd go through the day but the second will give you a better base for comparison between the two candidates if you want to assess their actual childcare skills.

It's an opportunity for you see whether you would be able to work with them, not a handover so I wouldn't go overboard on talking to them about routine and how you do things, but definitely ask them their views and how they would fit.

Remember to take time at the end of the day to give them feedback as well.

allaboutme · 25/02/2010 08:24

yes def pay them. make sure they come on different days to each other!
I'd spend quite a bit of time telling them what your routine is and asking them questions about how they would fit in with it, but also stand back a bit and let them play with your DD alone a bit too so you can watch from a distance how they interact and get a gut reaction!