Family & Social Child Developement

When hiring a maid, baby sitter or a nanny who will be responsible for taking care of your child, the interview is a crucial step. You'll want to look for key traits like maturity, responsibility, warmth, trustworthiness, good hygiene, good communication skills, experience, and impeccable behaviour and conduct. Avoid obvious yes or no questions that don’t demonstrate any real experience, and ask follow up questions to get more details.

Here are some interview questions you can consider in order to find the best candidate for you:

Motivation and Qualifications:

1. Why did you choose to be a (baby sitter/nanny etc.)?
2. What do you enjoy most and least in baby-sitting?
3. What kind of training and qualifications do you have in child care?
4. How do you motivate yourself in the job?
5. (For non-fulltime maids) Are you willing to occasionally stay overnight as needed?
6. What is your definition of a good employer?

Experience:

1. Describe your previous employment experiences and why have you left them.
2. How many children have you cared for in your career?
3. What was the most difficult aspect in handling and taking care of a child?
4. Have you experienced any unexpected issues with kids in your past work? Cite examples and how you managed those issues.
5. What was the worst experience you had till date?
6. Have you ever hit or abused a child? If there were instances found, how have you handled the same?
7. Have you faced any emergency? What was it and how did you handle it?
8. How many hours at a time were you taking care of a child? What would be the maximum number of hours you would care before taking a break?
9. How do you communicate with the parents of the child? Do you tell them in person when they are around? Do you use a phone to call them during the day?
10. How do you take care of a sick child? Have you ever taken a sick child to the hospital without the parents being around?
11. What additional responsibilities are you comfortable in taking– cooking, laundry, cleaning etc. Have you ever done any one of these in your previous engagements? 
    1. If yes, what kind of food do you cook for children?
12. How would you keep a child safe at home and in public places?
13. Have you ever worked with stay at home or working from home parents? Are you comfortable working while the parents are around?
14. Keeping in mind my child’s age, what development areas you would concentrate on?
15. What are your favourite activities with a child?
16. How do you typically plan a day? What if, my child is an active child and does not take a nap during the day time, how do you plan to keep her engaged?

Reliability

1. How many sick leaves did you take last month in your previous engagement?
2. Do you take any other leaves other than sick leaves?

Personal Questions

1. Are you married with children? If married, what is your husband doing for a living?
2. How would your friends and closest people describe you?
3. Where is your family from?
4. What do you like to do in your free time?
5. Do you drink alcohol or smoke?

Age appropriate questions 

Infants

1. How do you handle a crying baby?
2. What methods do you use to put a baby to sleep?
3. Do you know baby massage?
4. How long do you think that a baby should be left before the next feed?
5. What kind of activities do you do to keep a baby engaged?

Toddler

1. How do you discipline toddlers? 
2. What would you do if a toddler threw a tantrum in a public place – park etc.
3. How do you build a bond with children of this age? 
4. How do you introduce good manners to children?
5. What would you do if the child lied to you?
6. What do you think of outdoor play for this age group of children?
7. Do you know anything about potty training? Have you potty trained any child before?
8. How much time should you give a child to watch television?
9. What is your opinion on letting toddlers play video games?
10. What if the child hits his or her peer? What would you do in such a situation?
11. Do you think the child should spend some time reading? Can you help them do so? 
12. Do you have any first aid training? When was the last time you used it and for what?
13. What would you do if a child locks herself in a room?
14. What would you do if a child hurts herself for example, falling down while climbing a table?

And then the final question, why are you interested in this job? By the end of the interview, both you and your candidate would know and understand the requirements. It is important for both parties to understand why they want to be a part of this job. Do discuss the salary and other financials, take your time, and don't make decisions in haste. Do remember you are not married to one child caregiver! The safety and the comfort of your child comes first and no compromise can be made on it.

References

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/helen-moon/nanny_b_2147549.html

https://www.babycenter.com/0_nanny-interview-questions_1450905.bc

https://www.tinies.com/parents/advice-for-parents/nanny-interview-tips.html

http://www.parents.com/baby/childcare/basics/tips-for-choosing-child-care/

http://childcareaware.org/families/choosing-quality-child-care/5-steps-to-choosing-care/