Finding the perfect nanny for your family can seem like a daunting task at first. But once you have a structured plan in place for your hiring process, it’s not that complicated.
First, make a list of the top 5 things that are important for you and your family.
Here are some examples of qualities that might be important to you:
- Trustworthy,
- Attention to details,
- Newborn experience,
- Fluent in English,
- Flexible attitude (e.g. willing to sleep beside baby when I am traveling),
- Discrete
- Showing initiative/doing things without being told to
- Good at entertaining toddlers
We recommend that you distinguish between qualities that a person inherently has, and qualities that are easily taught. For example, some people have that ‘special touch’ with kids where they easily connect with the young ones. This is very difficult to ‘teach’ someone, hence if this is important to you, then look for someone with this personality.
On the other hand, doing housework like vacuuming or polishing windows in your preferred way, is something you can easily teach your nanny/maid, hence this is often not so important when you interview someone.
Once you have your list of qualities, you shortlist 2-5 nannies that you think will be a good fit. Speak to them on the phone, and for those where you get a good feeling, invite them to your home for an interview. If you have kids, this will be a good time for her to meet your kids, so you can see for yourself how she typically behave around kids.
We would recommend making your nanny as comfortable as possible during the interview session. Make sure you clearly explain where you live, how to get there, and make sure you cover the cost of transportation for her. If she is arriving stressed for the interview, you will not be able to tell how she would typically act in a day to day job situation.
The last thing we want to mention, is that while it’s important to make sure she is a good fit for your family, this also works the other way around: Are you a good fit for the candidate? A successful hire happens when expectations are made clear for the start, and the candidate is as happy with you, as you are with her.
Make sure you explain clearly to the candidate what’s expected of them in terms of:
- Providing a visa and health insurance
- Working hours
- Rest hours
- Tasks in the house (help with kids, cooking, cleaning etc.)
- Days off
- Expectations in terms of flexibility (e.g. if you are travelling a lot and need her to help with children both day time and night, which is a lot to ask, make sure this is clearly explained as well as how it will be compensated)
- Is the nanny expected to travel with you, if yes how often and for how long?
- If live in, how is the room, does she have separate bathroom etc.
That’s it. If you follow this guide, we are sure you will be able to find a perfect match in no time. We wish you good luck, and please check out our interview guide for examples of interview questions you can use.
