Nannynick – Nanny and Childcare Advisor

Questions You Can’t Ask A Nanny At Interview

December 11, 2011 at 2:36 pm Leave a comment

When you have short listed applicants for your nanny job, the next stage is to interview them.   You might do an initial interview over the phone, or meet with them at a coffee shop or at your home.    Depending on how many nannies you are interviewing you may have your children present, as seeing how your children interact with the prospective nanny can be an eye opener.

Recently I was sent a link to another blog (NannyJobs) which seems to me to focus on  employing a nanny in the United States.   My blog focuses on employing a nanny in the United Kingdom though some things are similar between employing a nanny in the USA and in the UK.

Asking nannies about their health can be a tricky area.  Probably better to ask them about things that are quantifiable and can be confirmed when talking to their past employers.  For example, how many days have they had off sick in the past year?     You could also ask more general questions such as if there is anything that may affect their ability to do the job.

Does the nanny go to church?  You can’t use that information as part of your decision to employ them, though it may help establish if they are a good fit with your family.   Say they had a totally different belief to you, would that still mean they were not a good fit?   Hard to know until you try it… so is knowing their religious beliefs of any help in deciding if they are a suitable nanny for your family?

Age – you can’t ask someone how old they are.  However they can tell you if they wish to do so.  You may well find such information on their online profile at nanny recruitment sites like Childcare.co.uk or you may find it on their CV.    Should age be a factor you consider – no, it’s not something that is important.  What is important is their ability to do the job.   Someone may be young, they may be old.

Are you British?   You can’t ask that, though you do have responsibility to check that they are legally allowed to work in this country so knowing what nationality they are, seeing their passport and associated paperwork is something you can ask about.   Guidance from UKBA about preventing illegal working.

When thinking about questions to ask a nanny at interview, consider if it’s reasonable to ask the question.  What do you hope to gain from asking the question.   Can you ask that same question of everyone you interview, so you can compare candidates?

Entry filed under: Employing A Nanny. Tags: age, health, identity check, illegal working, nanny, nanny employer.