Because they’re going to play a part in raising your children, choosing a nanny is a decision that you’re obviously not going to take lightly. Since it is a big decision, many parents end up getting overwhelmed and can’t decide who they want to hire. While it’s important to take your time and choose wisely, at the end of the day, you need to hire someone.
Given the fact that you want to be able to transition from looking for a nanny to hiring one and bringing her into your home, the good news is there are steps you can take to speed up this process without settling for a less than ideal candidate. One of the best ways to ensure that your evaluation process is both effective and manageable is to know exactly what criteria to use when you’re comparing candidates to each other.
By clearly defining what you’re looking for in a nanny, you can remove any grey areas from the selection process and make it as objective as possible. Not only will this give you the ability to decide which candidate is the best fit for your family, but it will also allow you to avoid inadvertently wasting time looking at aspects of your candidates that ultimately don’t matter.
When you decide to start reviewing and interviewing nanny candidates, here’s exactly what you need to use to compare and evaluate them:
How Much Experience?
While people who don’t have kids may assume that being a nanny is a pretty easy gig, parents know that taking care of children for over forty hours a week is anything but easy. Because this type of work can be stressful, it’s important for your nanny to have experience so that you know she’ll be able to handle the work.
Do They Communicate Well?
Your nanny is going to see things that you don’t. Your children may also tell their nanny certain things before they bring them up to you. Because the ideal relationship between a parent and a nanny is one of collaboration, you need to pay attention to your nanny’s communication skills. You want a nanny who’s going to be honest and never feel uncomfortable talking to you about any issues related to your children.
What’s Their Education?
Even though a candidate doesn’t necessarily need tons of advanced education to be a great nanny, if they’ve taken the time to go through training courses and/or attended professional nanny conferences, it shows that they’re truly dedicated to this line of work.
Are They Passionate?
A nanny is completely different from a teenage babysitter who’s just looking to make some extra spending money. Because of the impact a nanny is going to have on your children’s lives, you want to make sure that they truly care about their work.
Will They Be Reliable?
The last thing you want is a nanny who’s going to flake out when you need her most. The best way to objectively evaluate a candidate’s reliability is to discuss it with the employer references she gives you.
John Wisenheimer is a writer for www.nanny.net which is a site that connects parents and nannies.