Hiring a nanny quickly and due diligence

[Anonymous]

Hi! Our childcare situation fell through (read, my mom, who is retired, decided she wants to allocate more time to other interests!) and we need someone to start asap! We've found someone who seems great and can start very soon. This is all new to me, so 1) what are some good interview questions to ask and 2) would it be acceptable to ask her to try it out for a week and do background checks and reference checks in the meantime? Also, what goes into doing a background check? Fwiw, I'll be around at first anyhow and so can keep an eye on things.

[Anonymous]

If you're really in a hurry, use an agency. It's pricey, but they will help you through the process, and send you multiple good candidates to interview. Local listservs, this site, Care.com, Sittercity, and even Craigslist can work really well, but you need time to read applications and have multiple contacts with potential employees.

I can't emphasize enough that you should use an agency if you are in a hurry. If you try to do this yourself, you may luck upon someone wonderful, but it is far more likely that you will be overwhelmed, pressured by the time factor, and that you will pick the best of the first few people you contact even if none of them is really any good. That's a recipe to be really, really unhappy with the outcome.

[Anonymous]

If she's "trying it out for a week" then you'd better be paying her for all that time.

[Anonymous]

I would check references very thoroughly and have her come in twice for trials: once for 2-3 hours and if that goes well again for 5, but pay a minimum of 5 hours for each of the trials (so 10 hours total). A week long trial is overkill. You will get a sense of the person from the interview and first or second trial, plus the references, and you can put in the contract a two-week break close for each side and that will be insurance enough.

Sorry about your mom's decision. It's probably for the best, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would check references very thoroughly and have her come in twice for trials: once for 2-3 hours and if that goes well again for 5, but pay a minimum of 5 hours for each of the trials (so 10 hours total). A week long trial is overkill. You will get a sense of the person from the interview and first or second trial, plus the references, and you can put in the contract a two-week break close for each side and that will be insurance enough.

Sorry about your mom's decision. It's probably for the best, though.

Well, I meant start this week, maybe Tuesday if we like her (interview tomorrow) with the understanding that we still need to gather background check and references, if we haven't gotten them yet. (In your experience, how impt is a background check?) DH and I have both spoken on the phone with her and liked what we heard. DH is one of the more skeptical people and he loved her, so that pleasantly surprises me.

What questions should I ask?

And yes, of course we would pay her for that time!

[Anonymous]

I would ask what she thinks are most important traits in a nanny and in parents, and also what she feels are the most challenging parts of being a nanny. Ask what she would do in an emergency. We didn't want a disciplinarian but did want someone very responsible and these questions helped us find the right person for our family.

[Anonymous]

I am a nanny that has taken a couple position immediately. The first couple days or week was essentially a paid trial day. In our contract, employment was contingent based on good references and a background check. If you like her, check everything an finalize on the last trial day. I would run a background check but it depends on how extensive you want it. Do you need a criminal + motor vehicle check, or just a criminal check? I've had employers use enannysource. They are inexpensive and the criminal check came back in hours.

The questions you ask will depend on age of child. I tend to ask more questions that my employers. I listed a couple below. Make sure to discuss the hours, rate, if offering guaranteed hours, and benefits ( OT, vacation, sick days)

- Are you looking for long-term? Do you have an obligations that will limit the hours worked or staying long-term?
-Do you have a flexible schedule ( if needed)?
- What activities do you like to do with a child of X age?
- What housekeeping responsibilities are you comfortable with? ( She should be willing to do child-related cleaning).
- How will you get to/from my home? Are you comfortable driving? ( if you need a driver)
- Are you an active person? Would you be willing to take my child to activities ( walks, park, classes, etc.)
- Do you know how to handle breast milk and/or formula?
- What is your parental approach? Did you like working with families or a certain parental philosophy?
- How do you handle discipline?
- What do you enjoy about being a nanny?
- Have you ever had an emergency? If so, how did you handle it?

Also, make sure your nanny is CPR/First Aid certificated ( or willing to get certified). Your nanny should be willing to get a annual flu shot and get the TDap every two years.

[Anonymous]

I have to agree w/the PP who recommended you contact a reputable Nanny agency in your area vs. trying to do everything on your own.

There can never be any margin of error when it comes to your previous child.
Ever.

Plus the fact that you need someone on board almost immediately can actually make you choose a candidate prematurely due to time restraints.

You should check references as well as perform a criminal background check PRIOR to having her work w/your child.

[Anonymous]

*precious

[Anonymous]

Hello! - We have a nanny share opportunity. The nanny is already hired and has been working for us for several months. She is very experienced having worked in childcare centers for years. She has been great, but we are looking to reduce costs and introduce our son, Noah, to new friends in the neighborhood. Having a nanny has been super beneficial and Noah is developing fast with the personal attention. We would prefer to host both children in our home. She currently works from 8 am - 6 pm but we can adjust if necessary. Currently, the rate would be $1,500 per month per family (negotiable). Please let us know if you are interested and we can setup a time to discuss.

[Anonymous]

PP, how old is your son and where are you located?

[Anonymous]

He's 14 months old, and we're in Silver Spring, MD.

[Anonymous]

Make sure you Google all references. We had two applicants who faked their references. One we had loved (before figuring this out) and we almost hired her. One had a friend pose as a previous employer and with the other it was a relative. It was scary.

Also be sure to call every single reference offered.

And do the background check. It's worth it.

This is not a process to rush. The risks are too great.

[Anonymous]

Lots of good advice. We were able to get a background check in just a few days via Nanny Verify

[Anonymous]

I'm guessing based on what you posted here that you've already hired her and are really just asking about the background check/references.

Please reconsider being "blase" about this process. This is a person who will be in your home with your child all day everyday. This is not a place to cut corners. She is probably a perfectly upstanding person, but you are the kind of employer who we end up reading about who says, "we thought she was family!"