The nanny before me at my current job trained me. Best situation ever! It made the transition so much easier for the kids.

(She also was the primary voice in hiring me. MB gave her a list of (in her eyes) equally qualified candidates and former nanny tried all of us out on the kids to see how the chemistry was.)

Having her be so involved in the process gave me a lot of confidence that I was making the right choice.

Lovely idea but pretty unrealistic.

I agree

I agree

I always ask to talk to previous nannies, and I also ask why they are looking for a new nanny. I'm a reference for a previous family, so I know that it's possible. If a family is unwilling and yet says that it was amicable, it's a red flag and I'm done with the interview.

I couldn't agree more OP, unfortunately that option is not always available to us. But it's a perfect idea nonetheless.

It's a lot harder for an au pair to get out of a bad match than for a nanny to quit. Especially if it's not a live in nanny.

...Just like the smart au pairs do.