nanny interview questions

[MPP]

Hi
I am looking for advice about questions to ask nannies / childminders on interviews.
I am completely new to the whole nanny / childminder thing and am interviewing a nanny tomorrow for the first time.
I remember seeing a thread on this site with a link to awebiste which has good questions but can't find it.
I also need help with drafting a contract...
Any help will be very much apprecciated.
Many thanks!

What makes you a great Nanny?

If you had to describe yourself...and don't be bashful...what would you say?

How would you cope if we had a disagreement and what would you hope I would do if I was unhappy about something?

What are the signs of Meningitis?

What would you do in a medical emergency?

Do you have a paediatric first aid qualification? If not, would you be happy for us to pay for you to attend a course?

Give me an idea of how you would spend the day with out little one.

these are just a few I have been asked in the past and thought were particularly good. Also, take a drive in their car with them to a park on a taster day with them...that way you can assess their driving too.

also look on 4nannies.com

good luck and be really friendly.Most nannies want to do a great job, love your kids and have a friendly boss who appreciates them.! xx

Are you registered with Ofsted? or Are you able to accept childcare vouchers? If not why not?

Most certainly don't employ if they can't show their paperwork re registration.

p.s. nannytax.co.uk for payroll, legal etc

Nannies aren't necessarily registered with ofsted as unlike childminders who have it paid for etc... nannies have to pay £100/yr for the priviledge and also have to pay for the course that they need to take through the MNT before they can get registration. You will find that unless a Nanny has had a family wanting to pay using childcare vouchers, she may not have bothered yet...That is not a poor reflection on her but you could offer to pay for her to become qualified to go on the register if you want to pay with vouchers...be aware though..it takes a while.

The questions I got the most telling answers to were:

If DD fell over, banged her head and didn't seem quite right what would you do? (If the answer was the ring me they were a definite no)

What do you like cooking?

If DD was refusing to eat the meal you had cooked what would you do?

Also ask about childcare practises that are important to, in my case at the time it was baby led weaning.

Which of your previous jobs did you like best? Why?

And which did you like least? Why?

Do you know any other nannies in this area? Did you get together with them for playdates? How old are the children they look after? Boys or girls? (I think that this is quite an important question. If the nanny knows other nannies in your area, she will have a much better support network (sort of like colleagues), which is a good thing, and your DC(s) may have a ready-made pool of potential future playmates).
If you have worked in this area before, what playgroups etc did you like going to?

(depending on age of DCs): How would you handle a tantrum?

Your personal situation: how long have you lived here (very important in the case of nannies new to London - I speak from experience! One very good nanny we had moved here (London) from the country to follow her boyfriend, lived in a cruddy flatshare in a very cruddy part of NW London, boyfriend dumped her and she fled back to the country, saying she had only to come to London to be with her bf - a real nuisance and great disappointment for us but couldn't even disagree with her - I wouldn't have wanted to live where she was renting either)? If moving to new city/town: why are you looking for work here? Do you know people here?

I realize you didn't ask about this but:
just as important is to check out all references very thoroughly. If the candidate seems to have moved around a lot (e.g. typical job lasts less than a year), that would set alarm bells ringing. The most important question to ask is whether the previous employers would hire her again and you are looking for an unhesitating "Yes, absolutely" to that one. Wouldn't recommend asking that as the first question, though - you need to ease into the conversation a bit. Questions to ask previous employers concern play skills (not all nannies are good at this), cooking, any food fads, attitude to nursery-related housework, flexibility, willingness to go the extra mile if necessary or clockwatcher, punctuality, any significant health issues, plus an open question about is there anything else we should know about her, then the question about would you hire her again.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

To be ofsted registered:

• You need to have public liability insurance
• You need to have a valid paediatric first-aid certificate
• You need to confirm that you have the core skills in childcare and that you are suitable to work with children. You do not require any formal qualifications.
• You are also required to have an enhanced CRB check but this will be done as part of the registration process, through the Post Office Verify System. Please note that even if you already have had a CRB check done, another one must be done (unless your previous CRB check was completed through Ofsted).

Pretty dodgy to employ someone to have sole care of your DCs who can't conform to this - and yes most employers share the cost in the same way as they contribute to car insurance etc etc

You need to confirm that you have the core skills in childcare and that you are suitable to work with children. You do not require any formal qualifications.

You need to do a course with MNT for this...and then have the certificate to show ofsted...it takes some time to organise.

Nanny Interview Questionnaire
Author: AtheneNoctua
This version: March 2008

Note: Questions will need to be revised to suit your circumstances.

Questions:

Normally our 5 year old goes to school full time (8:50 ? 3:15, M-F). Describe a typical day?s activities when school is not in session (i.e. summer break)?

Describe a typical weekly meal plan for the children (include examples for breakfast, lunch, dinner and any snacks you may offer them, keeping in mind that our 5 year old takes her lunch to school)

How would you describe your approach to discipline?

Do you have any degrees or diplomas in childhood education? Any degrees or diplomas in other subjects? If so, what subjects?

Why do you want to work in England?

If we travel as a family within the UK, would you want to join us? What about Europe? The United States?

Do you smoke? If so, how much?

Do you have any requests in terms of the accommodation we offer you?

Are you an au pair / nanny now? If not, why have you decided to become one?

What kinds of foods do you like to eat? (Please be specific and use as much space as you need.)

Do you drink alcohol? If so, how much?

How many hours do you want to work each week?

Summarise your experience with toddlers / young children.

Would you be willing to provide overnight care of the children (in the rare event that both parents are required to travel for work during the week)?

Do you have a driver?s license? From what country? How long have you had it?

Do you own a car in the UK?

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Describe your personality?

What qualities make you well suited to be a nanny?

What is your worst habit?

Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? fiancé/fiancée? spouse? If so, where does he live?

Do you know anyone in England? Friends? Family?

What is it about our particular nanny job that appeals to you?

Would you take care of the children if they were sick? (They do not get sick a lot, I only ask as a precaution)

Do you have a credit card? A UK bank account?

Do you play any sports? Which ones? How often?

Can you provide a reference from a previous au pair/nanny/nursery job? If so, please attach to this questionnaire and/or provide contact information of previous employer(s).

How many times have you been sick in the last year? What was the illness?

Do you have any children? If so, what ages? Where do they live?

What sorts of things would you include in each entry of a nanny diary? (If it is easier to attach a sample rather than describe it here, feel free to do so)

Summarise your views on discipline, schedules, and routines for young children?

Do you wish to obtain any additional employment besides being our nanny or be involved in any other activities outside of our employment (i.e. church activities, working out, language course, other studies, etc.). If so how much time per week would you expect to spend on these activities?

Are you available for a face-to-face interview in the United Kingdom? If so, when?

What is your salary expectation?

Are you in possession of a work visa for the United Kingdom? If so, what are the restrictions?

Are you able to travel to the London area by your own means?

When would you be available to start this job?

Our almost 5 year old attends a Church of England primary school (which is affiliated with the church we attend), and our almost 3 year old will begin the nursery there in September. How might you encourage their education and participation in the Anglican community?

We are offering a membership to Amida (health club) with this position, if you want it and will use it. Is this something you would be interested in?

As this is a full time nanny position for two small children, there will obviously be some light housekeeping involved (children?s laundry, keeping their toys tidy and organised, etc.) What housekeeping/cleaning duties are you not willing to do?

• End -

Nanny Interview Questionnaire, by AtheneNoctua

How long have you been working with children?

What training have you had? Any qualifications? Are you part of a network, achieved a quality assurance qualification, look at registration certificate, insurance details, business use for car. First aid must be no more than 3 years old, food hygiene certificate, Certificate in Childminding practice or NVQ 3, Contracts and record forms

Do you enjoy being with children and why?

Can I look around, see the rooms and outside play space? If there is no outside play space - how will you make sure my child gets the chance to play outside?

Where will my child rest?

What kind of food and drink will you give? Can I see a menu?

What will my child do all day?

How do you encourage good behaviour?

Will my child be with a regular group of children? How old are they? How will their timetable fit in with my child?

How will you make sure I know how my child is getting on?

What hours is she open?

How much does she charge?

What about when my child is sick, holidays, days off

What do you do in an emergency?

When was her last Ofsted, can you see the report?

Top 10 Quality Pointers

When you visit possible childcare options, look for these Quality Pointers:

Are the children calm, safe, happy and busy?

Do children play and talk together?

Is the childminder listening to the children and answering them carefully?

Is the childminder friendly and proud of her work?

Is she joining in joining in with what the children are doing?

Are there lots of fun activities planned to help children learn and play? Can children plan some of these activities themselves?

Are there plenty of clean toys and equipment for children to use?

Is the premises clean, well kept and safe for children with a fun outside play area (or will the child go to parks and other places regularly)?

Do parents have plenty of chances to say what they want for their children?

If there are other things you want to know, don't be afraid to ask. Good childminders expect you to ask questions and will be happy to answer them.

Always take up references. You could ask for names of other parents to talk to about the service

Listen to your child and find out more if he/she is unhappy
Always trust your own feelings about your childcare - you know your child best'

~~~ End of Alibubbles list of Questions ~~~

Make sure you understand the difference between a Nanny and a Childminder.

Trust your gut instincts.

See how the person interacts with your children.

I hate it when someone says "do have a seat" and directs me to sit on a specific chair. I far prefer to sit on the floor, especially if caring for a toddler. Nanny interviews are not in my opinion formal interviews like you may have at work, it's more about interaction between nanny and children. If children are not present, then sitting around a table is fine... but if children are in the house, then conduct the interview in the lounge with your children present. Can the nanny cope with the children whilst also answering your questions? At first children may be very shy and keep a distance from the new person but after a while there should be interaction between the nanny and children.

On Saturday I met an 18 month old (whom I may be babysitting in the future) who started off
clinging to her dad. After around 15 minutes or so, she was playing 'pass/catch' with a small toy. By the end she was running around the room, without a care in the world, just as she would if it was just her parents there.

HMRC: Introduction to PAYE (includes how to register as an Employer) - You may qualify for operating Simplified PAYE (limit I think is max pay of £700 a month Gross)

NannyJob: Contract example

PAYEforNannies: Nanny Contract Tips

BusinessLink: Employing People - here you will find a Holiday Entitlement calculator, details of National Minimum Wage, Managing staff.

Tax Calculator - This will do Net to Gross, as well as Gross to Net. Agree a Gross salary with your nanny, not Net. Make sure your nanny knows the difference between Gross and Net... provide an example of the Net amount they may get, based on the Gross salary, if their tax code was usual.

Nannynick - do you have a halo? And if not, can I send you one? (sorry for hijack OP)

When we were interviewing nannies recently we sent them an outline of the day i.e. school pick ups, nap times etc. and asked the nannies to come to the interview with an idea of how s/he would fill the rest of the day plus a list of the meals s/he would provide. This told us a lot and was a good starting point.

We also asked them to demonstrate/talk through what they would do with a choking baby (under 12 months) and an older child. Another question we included was to ask the nanny to identify any safety issues in our home from what they'd seen so far. We asked about responses to biting and how this would differ according to the age of the child and also about perferred styles of behaviour management.