Questions to Ask a Nanny, and What the Answers Tell You
The interview questions that show how a nanny actually works, how to check references properly, and what to agree in writing before the first day.
Most nanny interviews go well. The candidate is warm, the children like them, and it all feels right. The trouble is that almost every candidate interviews well. What separates them is specifics, and you only get specifics if you ask for them, ask everyone the same way, and write down what you hear.
Write the job down first
Before the first interview, write down the children's names and ages, the days and hours (including any early starts or late finishes), the duties, the must-haves (driving, swimming, first aid) and the pay you are offering. It keeps every interview on the same job, and it stops you drifting towards the candidate who was simply the most charming.
Experience
- Tell me about the families you have worked for. How old were the children?
- What did a typical day look like in your last job?
- Why did that job end?
Listen for names, ages and routines. "I love kids" is not an answer about experience.
Safety
- What first aid or CPR training do you have, and when does it run out?
- A child has a high temperature and you cannot reach us. What do you do?
- How do you handle a child who wanders off at a playground?
Good answers are calm and in order: what they would do first, who they would call, and what they would tell you afterwards.
Approach
- A child refuses to get dressed for school. Walk me through it.
- How do you handle screen time?
- What do you do when you disagree with how a parent wants something done?
There is no single right answer. You are looking for one that fits how you already run your home, and for a candidate who can say "I would do it your way, and here is what I would suggest" without friction.
The practical side
- Are these hours and days workable, including late finishes?
- Do you drive? Would you use your car or ours?
- Are you comfortable with our pets and household rules?
- What pay are you looking for, and how do you like to be paid?
With the children, briefly
A short, supervised meeting tells you a lot. Does the candidate get down to the child's level? Do they follow the child's lead in play or take over? How do they respond to a small frustration or a no?
Score straight after
Score each candidate out of five on experience, safety, approach, logistics and how they were with the children, before you talk yourselves into or out of anyone. If there are two parents, score separately and then compare.
Call the references
Call rather than email; tone tells you as much as the words. Confirm each referee is who they say they are, and ask:
- How long did they work for you, and how old were the children?
- What were they like day to day?
- Were they reliable with time?
- How did they handle a hard day or an emergency?
- Why did the job end?
- Would you hire them again?
The last question matters most, and the pause before the answer matters more.
Agree the terms in writing
Most disagreements with a nanny are about things nobody wrote down: overtime, paid holidays, what happens when the family travels, car use, phones, notice. Agree them before the first day and put them in writing. Pay, tax and employment rules for household employers differ by place, so check yours with your tax authority, labour department or an adviser.
Then a paid trial day, and a slow first week
A paid trial day shows how a candidate works with your children and your routine. After the hire, overlap on the first day, let the nanny lead on the second with a parent nearby, and check in properly at the end of the week.
If you want this as worksheets
The Nanny Hiring and Family Binder turns all of the above into a nine-page hiring guide (the questions with room for notes, a scoring sheet, a reference-check record, a terms worksheet and a trial-day plan) and an editable family binder to fill in and hand over: contacts, a page for each child, a medication log, the daily rhythm and more. It is not legal, tax or employment advice.