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Leaving our children with any outside of our family or close circle of friends can be nerve-racking but asking the right questions beforehand can help put your mind at ease as much as possible when you finally do have to hire one of your potential candidates. Here are somethings to
include in your interview:
1) What prior experience with children do you have? And, can you provide me with references to cross check these experiences? Don't be afraid to call other families the candidate has worked for in the past, it's best to get all sides of a story to be sure you'll feel comfortable and be happy with the service they provide you in the future.
2)What ages were the children you cared for?
3) Do you have any special qualifications? ex. CPR classes, Babysitting classes, etc.
4) Why do you want to babysit? Money is obviously a driving force here but the right candidate will have other reasons as well.
5) Have you learned anything valuable from previous jobs?
6) How do you respond when a child breaks a rule?
7) How would you respond to a child who is following the rules?
8) Outline your house rules and ask if they have questions or concerns about any of them.
9) Do you have any experience handling emergencies?
10) What would you do if there was a fire?
11) How would you handle it if one of the children got hurt?
12) What kind of things do you do while babysitting? Ask them to be specific, do they focus on board games, books, rambunctious play - a good answer could be any of the above, just ensure it fits in well with your family dynamic.
13) How would you conduct meal times?
14) Discuss compensation. Ask them what they normally charge and set an amount that would be satisfactory to both of you should he/she start working for you in the future.
Keep in mind throughout this that he/she may not answer every question with the way that YOU would do things, but what you're looking for is for them to do things in a way that makes you comfortable and feel that your child is in good hands, even if it's not identical to your way. Hope this helps.
(October 2006) (
