Nanny Questions for the Job Interview

Contributed by Dorothy Popovich

So, you are thinking of being a nanny or hiring a nanny? Nannies, you know you love children and want to work with them. Families, you know you want a loving nanny to care for your children and keep them safe. You have found each other, so it seems like the perfect match. It all seems so concrete and simple. The fact is, there is much more to a nanny-family relationship than that.

In order for a nanny's relationship with a family to be lasting and rewarding for both parties, there needs to be a clear understanding between nanny and family from the beginning. How the family operates and how the nanny operates needs to be clearly articulated. The more experience nanny and family have in nanny-family relationships, the longer the interviews get, and the more questions are asked. The more questions, and topics covered in the initial interview, the more disagreements, problems, surprises and gray areas are totally avoided later. As a nanny, having questions to take with you during the interview, shows that you have maturity, professionalism and a will to make a nanny-family relationship work.

I have compiled an extensive list of questions for over my last 6 years as a professional nanny. I have tried to organize them by general subject grouping, but some overlap is inevitable. Not all questions apply to all circumstances, but I urge nanny candidates preparing for the interview to review all of the questions first. Consider it a few moments spent on professional development ... you never know what conversation during the interview could trigger a question that you may not have thought of.

This list is a work in progress. Any suggestions are appreciated, please send them to me via this website.