New potential nanny, what questions to ask?

[MegBusset]

I am looking into potential childcare options as am waiting to hear about a PT job which I am very keen to get. We sometimes use a local babysitter who is also a nanny, she may be available to look after the DSes and has met the boys, seems to get on fine with them and is sensible, reliable etc. (And is within our budget!)

But having never used formal childcare before, just wondering what questions I should ask her before we took her on? EG what kind of qualifications (First Aid etc) should she have as a minimum and what else would we need to agree on?

Qualifications are up to you, anyone can be a nanny. Exceptions to that are if you need to use tax credits, childcare vouchers, that sort of thing as then there is criteria for those schemes.

Make sure you understand your obligations as an employer, such as producing a written statement detailing the agreement, operating payroll and thus dealing with taxation, complying with statutory things like holiday entitlement.

Ask about what they would do during the time they cared for your children. Consider what you would want them to do - draw up a list of duties. Nannies can just care for the children but will often do other things as well such as stacking the dishwasher, general tidy up as they go along, putting on a wash load or several.

Would they need to cook meals - what would they cook?

Would they need to drive - who provides the car, car seats? Are they an experienced driver... have enough experience to satisfy you that they are competent on the road.

Check with previous people they have worked for with regard to things like timekeeping, sickness record, ability to cope with the demands of young children, would they employ them again?

Thanks for your reply :)

I think she would be self-employed as she works for another family too, she would be working ad hoc hours for us as required.

A nanny can't be self employed. Do make sure you read up on the tax implications of employing a nanny so that you do not get caught out. Some useful pages on nannypaye.

Questions I asked were about what kind of activities would they do during the day. How would they deal with the 2 older dd's having a n argument and yelling at each other. Also asked what kind of meals she liked to cook. Also asked how she would deal with naughty behaviour.