Help - what do you ask a nanny/get her to do with kids during interview

[Shootthetombliboos]

I/vwing nannies this weekend - done interviews over the phone and got three coming that I thought sounded interesting, but I feel unless you meet someone you can't get a good sense. What should I do when meet them face to face - and what would you get them to do with DCs
And if I do like one of them - how do you proceed from there? Obv ring their references, but what about drawing up contracts and stuff
With many thanks...feel a bit lost

Try and see the nanny without the children around for an initial chat, so try and have dh or someone around to entertain them. Then call the children in and have a few of their usual toys around that they might like to show the nanny and something like puzzles and colouring (you could ask them beforehand what they would like to show her) - sit back and see what she does, hopefully she'll be down on the floor with them and chatting away. If you want you could take the chance to pop out of the room to make a coffee/phone call and observe from out of sight.

Someone else will be along in a bit to advise on the rest

I'm sure someone will come along with a more comprehensive list of interview questions but as a nanny I like to discuss the following things at interview:
Job description - hours, days ages of children, vague sort of routine (is there -a school run? classes, activities etc
-What kind of nanny the family is looking for - are they looking for someone who is part of the family, or a more formal employer/employee type relationship? What their expectations are for having a nanny/why they chose a nanny over another type of childcare. Wish I had asked this before I started my first job where I was live in and expected to eat dinner at 5 with the children and disappear to my room as soon as I had finished work at 7.30 - I spent a lot of time at friends houses!

-Their approach to parenting/child-rearing (and discipline) and how that compares/contrasts with mine

• salary guidance - I think its important to be clear about what youre looking to pay from the start, so that you dont get to the offering stage and find out a potential employee wants twice as much as youre able to pay!

I would ask them about their qualifications/experience (ask to see relevant documents to back them up), suggest some difficult situations (perhaps situations where you have had problems in the past, eg 'X child constantly messes about at meal times, how would you respond to this?)' and ask them what they would do.

I don't think I have ever been expected to 'do' anything with the children at an interview, mostly as they are usually scheduled for evenings, if the children are there I like to chat to them (if they are talking), play a little with them where possible and generally interact with them. Anything more than that - spending a few hours with them, doing an activity with them, etc - I think is best left til a second interview, once you have weeded out the ones that are definite no's, and it avoids your children getting confused by a constant stream of strangers trying to get them to paint a picture with them or go to the park!

Best of luck with your nanny search!

Wow, thanks. I'm really grateful.I guess I just need to check what people do then - is this right then?

1. Advertise
2. I/v number over phone
3. I/v smaller number face to face
4. Get them to spend 2-3 hours with DCs
5. Check refs
6. Offer job, sign contracts

I feel really nervous about this for some reason. I guess because nannies aren't registered by OFSTED like nurseries etc. Am I taking a risk? How do I know I'm doing the right thing? Sorry - sudden moment of worry

I'm starting the search for a nanny as well and I have the same worries as you. My DD is only 5months old so its all a little unnerving. I'll be watching this thread for tips too!!

I think youve got it exactly right, Shootthetombliboos!

Some nannies are registered, with Ofsted - its different with childminding in that its optional (usually done in cases when employers can gain tax relief on a portion of their salary used to pay childcare - worth investigating whether these childcare vouchers are available to you through your employer!) but all registered nannies do have to meet a minimum criteria which includes a relevant qualification (worth noting there is a short 2 day course to bring experienced but not qualified nannies up to this level), personal liability insurance, and a police check - I might be forgetting something! Anyway, I would definitely make a point of asking to see the original of their police check, and contacting as many references as you are able to, and asking plenty of questions to ensure the nanny you choose is the right one for you.

All of the jobs I have loved the most, the time between meeting and being offered the job has been one where I have had a lot of contact with the family, and gotten to know them well before being offered the job. They have asked me about my interests, shared theirs, found out what I am like as a person as well as letting me know what theyre all about, and helping to find out whether we click or not. This doesnt mean dragging it out for months on end but if you are keen to meet the nanny again/introduce them to your OH if you interviewed them alone/getthem to spend more time with your child - let them know and ask them when they can come back!

Sorry, way too many commas in that post and not enough capital letters!

Ahhh, not enough full stops even - tired!

I recently employed a nanny and aside from regular questions, I did a small situation test. Asked, what would she do if a mindee bites somebody; what is her preferred discipline when a child misbehaves; what would be her suggested activities with children; what routine of a typical day with children she would imagine; what would she do if a child chokes. There were no right or wrong answers (except when a child chokes), but gave me an idea if she has a common sense/knowledge about what she is doing.

Thanks SuperDuperJezebel and confusedperson for practical suggestions.

I guess I met a nanny last week and just felt slightly at a loss - she was perfectly nice but i wasn't blown away - but wonder if I am looking for too much...

Well what do you want? DH wants the moon on a stick do I've had to talk his expectations down a bit!

I ask about childrearing/discipline style, what kind of activities they do and what their ideal work environment is. Plus all the nitty gritty.

I then check their first aid and common sense plus a cross check of what they've said their approach to discipline is using hypothetical situations.

I have an extensive list of questions that I adapt for each candidate based on prior info given and what we cover by just chatting plus done set situations do each candidate is on a level playing field as it were.

Just be careful checking their background and clear about what you want them to do - you can't do much more for anyone.

Well fraktious I guess I'm like your DH I want the moon on a stick! No, but I feel very much at sea. I saw a nanny last week and she had her CRB check, her OFSTED form, her written refs, her first aid cert - but I have read such horror stories of people pretending to be people they are not that I get really worried about how much I can check backgrounds.
I just don't know realistically how much I can expect of someone...and what you can expect a nanny to do. I'd love someone who makes the children feel loved and secure, but who does things with them - like colouring and painting and stuff. And who isn't going to leave them in a shop (having seen another thread on here....)

See if you can get any personal recommendations from friends, or even MN local?

That's not the moon on a stick, that's normal! DH wants a degree educated, bilingual, musical, tick every box on the agency form nanny that might be a slight exaggeration

Seriously though set a list of non-negotiables for yourself, don't interview anyone who doesn't meet those criteria, see whether you think you could get on with them, whether the DC like them, whether their views on the important things are the same as yours and have a chat about the kind of activities they'd do. A good nanny will have ideas :)

If you all gel chances are the nanny will love your DC - it's hard to care for children day after day and not love them, unless they're monsters. If the DC dislike them on sight then trust that.

You can do quite extensive checks - google is your friend and always insist on seeing original ID, call references, probe dates even if they sound positive, for any employment where a reference isn't provided then ask why and check it out. I have a family who moved to Norway and a nursery who have since closed on my CV so those written references can't be verified and then some which are verbal/contact details only so it does happen.

Once you're satisfied that you're on broadly the same page and they are who they say they are you need to commuicate your expectations very clearly. What is common sense to you might not be to someone else and most nannies won't be offended if you start "I realise I might be teaching my grandmother to suck eggs but..."

A good payroll company will provide a contract you can tailor to suit yourselves and there are good threads on here.

It is a daunting process but you will get into the swing of it.

I'd love someone who makes the children feel loved and secure, but who does things with them - like colouring and painting and stuff.

I'm a nanny and I don't do a lot of colouring and painting. Painting is done at groups, not at home... not after the last time we tried that - it's just too messy.

We have pens and crayons but they don't see the light of day that often, least not for doing drawings - more likely to be used as mini swords.

Playdough is another matter though - we make our own, a nice simple cooking activity which then becomes a play activity. We bake cakes and biscuits as well so cooking is more likely an activity in my workplace than painting/colouring. We spend time outdoors, we go quite far to see things of interest to the children - castles, trains, helicopters, the countryside / nature - one of the children loved trees and could identify many trees by the age of 4.

Every child is different, in the same way every nanny is different. So try to match what your child/children like, to what the nanny also likes. As fraktious says - on the same page - your ideal nanny is someone who gels with you and your children.

I saw a nanny last week and she had her CRB check, her OFSTED form, her written refs, her first aid cert - but I have read such horror stories of people pretending to be people they are not that I get really worried about how much I can check backgrounds.

As an employer you have a duty to carry out some basic checks, so you can ask to see ID documents (not all of these are ID documents but together they build a picture of who someone is): Birth Certificate, Passport, National Insurance Card, Debit/Credit card, Driving Licence. Combine those with certificates from training courses and you should in my view have a good idea what their name is.

You can check that the Ofsted registration is still valid via the Ofsted website. Find Inspection Report then enter the URN - as a nanny my URN starts VC then has some numbers after that. It won't give a name but it will show that someone is listed by them:
In the case of a nanny it will say the following under View Provider Details

Description: Home Childcarer
Date of registration: DATE
Register type: Voluntary Childcare Register

The more documents you see which have the same Name details on the more likely someone is to be that person, in my view. Sure documents can be forged but by looking at as many as you can you can help to reassure yourself that you have done things to the best of your abilities.

UK Passport: The top code line contains their Name. Format is Passport Type | Country Code | Surname | First Name (not sure where middle names go, maybe after First Name)
The bottom line contains their Date of Birth. The format of that line is: Passport Number | Country Code | YY MM DD then some other letters and numbers which I don't know what they mean.

I don't know if that is the case for all passports worldwide but it might be as that section is computer readable.

UK Driving Licence - See Photocard for details of what the card contains and formatting of the information.
If the licence number was:MORGA657054SM9IJ
I know that the person's first name starts with S, their middle name starts with M. Their surname starts with MORGA. Their DOB is 5 July 1964, they are female.

Foreign Driving Licence - If someone has been in the UK for 12 months or longer, do not accept this licence as it should have been changed to a UK licence (unless they are a student with a community license). See Foreign Licence

Horror stories do exist but keep in mind that the chances of someone not being who they claim to be are quite low (in my view). If you make it clear that you want them to bring ID documents with them to interview, then that may help deter anyone who is not legit. Trust your instincts, if a document does not appear to be right, then check it closer - take a copy - contact a suitable helpline for advice - such as Immigration: 0300 123 4699 DVLA: 0300 790 6801

Actually you can drive until you're 70 on an EU license as a resident they actively avoid changing them now.

Ah, Sorry, missed that one... EC/EEA Licence.

Fraktious - any idea how to tell on such a licence what someones name/dob are from the licence number?

When I have a baby down I'll go look but it's likely to be different from country to country.

I could verify whether the passports are the same though!

Thanks. May help people to know if such licences can be looked at by someone without special training to spot if something isn't looking quite right. Mind you, expect forgers these days will forge the entire thing, rather than just take an existing licence and change the name, picture.

I think the thing about ID documents is to check as many as possible - get a feel for if they are all showing the same thing, of if there are differences. Differences may then need further investigation if you decide to hire that person.

When would be a time to ask to see ID documents? Some nannies will bring to first interview. Suppose if doing two rounds of interviews, then may be best to insist on documents at that second interview stage.

Shoot - how have other interviews gone, do you now have a couple of candidates who you feel you can choose between?

Hello nannynick sorry for delay in replying and thanks for all the good advice. Really really appreciate it.
So I'd seen one the week before...out of the 3 I was meant to see this weekend, one had a great CV but turned out to be not great in person - did not warm to her at all.
One was a no show - really surprised as I had thought that we had got on well over the phone for prelim interview.
The last one came and I really liked her. She seemed calm and patient, lives locally so knows the places to go to round here. Talked about doing stuff that I liked (going to the park, making xmas cards etc - although I take your point about painting!!) Was happy to cook for DCs but was honest enough to say it wasn't her favourite thing to do (which I liked - as in she wasn't trying to pretend something that she wasn't).
She only brought her passport (she's not British) - not her birth certificate, driving licence and credit cards or anything, but all her Ofsted stuff and first aid certificate, and other qualifications she had. Shd I ask for the other stuff? Her passport was in her maiden name, but that's bcs she's got married since (that seems correct to me)
I think I'm going to ask her to meet the DCs. But I'm slightly concerned that she's the only one that I have met that I would consider employing (pending of course how she gets on with DCs and refs), there isn't two to choose between so I wonder whether I have met too few?
So - I guess my final (!) questions - beside that one is:
what shd I get her do to when she meets DCs (do you hover, go in another room, what should I ask? -sorry am such a novice at this)
what do I say to DCs about her? How do I explain who she is so they are prepared?
And finally she is offering all her references other than current one. Prob there is she's still working for them so of course she doesn't want them approached until she's found another job. Reason she wants to leave is she wants to cut her hours, we only want p/t, whereas she works full time there. That seems understandable to me from my line of work, but I wonder if that's normal in nannyworld? And do I at any time get to speak to them? Should I? Sorry - this last point rather confused - hope making sense....
Apols - v long post

Also I googled her (under both maiden and married name) and can't find any refs to her.....is that normal or not?

Are you needing her to drive - if so, ask her to bring licence with her for second interview.

You are not saying that you were concerned at all about any of the documentation she did bring with her, so asking for more should not be necessary.

No problem in my view only meeting one person who you would consider employing. Sometimes you get lucky on the first person you see, especially if an agency has done the initial sifting of applicants. Sometimes you find that you line up interviews for a few people, some don't show, some you don't gel with, so you can then be left with just one who meets the criteria, has great timekeeping and who you gel with.

Do your DCs know about having a nanny come to care for them? If not, then start talking to them about that, saying why it is you will not be there to care for them, that you are looking for someone lovely to care for them and that you would like them to meet someone.

In the past I've offered references except for current - as I had not told them I was considering leaving. Once you make a job offer and she accepts, then she can resign her existing job and request a reference from that employer. At that point ideally she will then let you know their phone number so that you can speak with them. Yes, you should call them, though do anticipate that they may not be overly delighted that their nanny has decided to leave. With luck they will be nice and provide the nanny with a glowing reference and say how much they will miss her.

These days nannies are often preferring to work part-time, so changing from full to part time makes sense to me (I work 4 days a week). Keep in mind that a part-time nanny job can be more hours than a full time office based job. Nannies also may want to avoid burning out, so will cut down how much work they do as time goes on.

Yes she arrived five mins early which gets brownie points in my book!
I sifted the applicants myself rather than using an agency so this is why I feel nervous. I've never done this before..
No she doesn't need to drive so not concerned about that....
She wants to go part time bcs doing a college course, but was convincing on being committed to nannying for the next 3 years while doing it....and as the course is on the days we don't need her, I think it could work. It could of course all implode but I think no more than if a p/t nanny really wanted a full time job or something similar
My main prob with DCs is that DC1 currently goes to a childminder whom we haven't said we are thinking of changing care - nothing wrong except that with 2 children I'd prefer a nanny and CM is v much (as she is entitled to be) 'my way or highway' so I can't insist on stuff I wd like - and I don't want to rock the boat until something new sorted out.
DC1 has an excellent vocab however and am slightly worried about what she may say to CM which cd end up awkward . My own fault I know - but can't work out a way of doing this....

You are going to have to mention it to the CM at some point - better to come from you than DC1. Could you not tell your CM that you are considering childcare options now that you have 2 children - also means you could ask them about what ability they have to take both your children should you decide that being with a CM still works for you.

If you don't fancy that, then maybe introduce them as a potential evening babysitter. Not ideal though as DC1 may then be confused when they stop going to the childminder and instead stays at home with the new babysitter, if they are used to having babysitters only in the evening.

Wonder if any parents can offer you their view on this... maybe I'm not the best person to answer such questions given I've not been in that position myself.

Hi Shootthetombliboos, just jumping in here- hope the process is going well for you. One wee thing to check with your potential nanny is if her course hours change each term. I own an agency and this is one thing we have come across in placements before! Often each term the course timetable changes.

We have a nanny toolkit that we give to all of our families, its great for working through the employment process, organising your contract and outlining your expectations for your nanny. I'd be happy to send through for you for free if you'd like to PM me- you can read about it here: kiwioznannies.co.uk/my-nanny-toolkit.html.

Good luck!