Interview Questions for Nannies

The interview questions you need to ask when hiring a nanny in Australia

If only all nannies could be like Maria von Trapp, the character made famous by Julie Andrews in “The Sound of Music.” Sadly, real life isn’t all “raindrops on roses,” nor is trying to find the right nanny as easy as “do-re-mi.” 

Before you put your ideal candidate on the nanny payroll, sharpen up your interview technique with our set of probing questions. 

Key Characteristics to Look For When Employing a Nanny

When hiring a nanny, make a list of the competencies you want your prospective candidates to have. These could be things like:

• Previous experience and educational qualifications
• Proven resilience, particularly if you are hiring from a distant location
• A friendly, empathetic personality and an ability to communicate well
• A love of children

Your gut will tell you if you believe this is a person you’ll get on with. Once that’s out of the way, it’s time to put on your detective hat and check over the evidence submitted by your candidates.

Top Tips for Your Interviews

Less is more. Limit the number of questions you’ll be asking when hiring a nanny. This will give you time to ask further follow-up questions after each answer. Take notes during the interview. 

Starter Questions

A good place to begin is to ask about personal background. A happy family life often creates a happy, loving person. Here are your opening questions:

• Could you tell me a little about your own childhood and family?
• Why do you want to become/continue being a nanny?

Remote Interview Questions

You may be hiring a nanny from afar and conducting your interview online. 

Let’s say you live in Sydney but your candidate is in Brisbane. If so, you must make sure that a prospective candidate is mature enough to set up home in a new destination. Check for resilience:

• Have you lived away from your hometown before?
• If not, what makes you believe you will fit into a new location?
• Have you ever run your own home before?
• Can you give an example of a favourite recipe you enjoy preparing?

Education and Experience

Part of your job is to double-check and probe the details given on any application. Here are the questions you need:

• How long have you been a nanny and tell me about your proudest achievement?
• Can you take me through your childcare qualifications?
• Do you have First Aid training?
• In your previous role(s) as a nanny, can you tell me about a problem you solved?

Nannying Style

You need to be sure that a prospective nanny’s style matches your own so that your kids don’t get a load of mixed messages. Here’s what to ask:

• Can you give an example of why and how you have disciplined a child?
• How do you deal with phones, computers and video games?
• Which kind of outdoor activities would you encourage?
• Which kinds of problems would you refer to me to sort out?

The Nanny Role

The answers to these questions are likely to be real game-changers. This is what you need to ask:

• How flexible is your schedule and do you have your own transport?
• If I get stuck at work, how likely will you be able to help out?
• Can you talk me through a weekly plan for meals and snacks?
• Are you willing to carry out some housework and run occasional errands?

Found Your Mary Poppins?

Your new nanny has accepted your offer. You’ll now need to sort out all the admin’ from contracts to taxes when employing a nanny. That’s where we have you covered. 

Don’t let your nanny payroll needs become Super-cali-fragi-tragic. Get in touch with us now and we’ll sort it all for you. (We’d love it too if you could give us a like over on our Facebook page).