Guide to Hiring a Nanny

Parents often hire a nanny without checking references or doing a background check. Parents need to be more careful when hiring a nanny. People can often fool us and put on act of being a friendly nice person in general when really some of them are child molesters or sometimes criminals of some sort such as con artists.

How can I find a nanny?

You can go contact some of the nanny agencies in your local area. Another method is to place a ad in the newspaper, but it is a little risky. You can also ask around through friends and family members if anyone recommends a nanny. You can look in the phone book to learn about the nanny agencies along with contact information in your local area.

During the Interview with the Nanny

When you have the interview with the Nanny just please make sure to hide all valuable expensive items that you may have. Don’t wear expensive earrings or display that you have tons of money. Don’t let them know right away if you drive an expensive vehicle. Don’t give them the opportunity to steal anything or to scam you somehow or some form of deception.

What information should I ask a nanny?

Ask for personal references and business references. Ask the nanny about any prior experience with babysitting kids and small children. Test them with trick questions such as ask them about examples of a bad experience and good experiences and how they handled the situation. If the nanny has any gaps in employment then ask why.

References and Warning Signs

Make sure that the references aren’t a fake reference and also make sure it isn’t just a friend that owns a company. People who have something to hid often use fake references. Also do a background check on all people that apply to become your nanny. Make sure that the person has allot of patience with kids. When you do the reference checks make sure to ask the persons overall character and what the person thinks of them. Ask the reference how he or she knows the person.

If the nanny has references that haven’t known the person for very long then take that as a warning sign. There is reason why if a person gives you references that they haven’t know them very long. Make sure the references that someone has the person for is at least for a few years or so. Also when you call the references make sure to ask them if there is any reason why the person shouldn’t work with kids.

Check your local county courthouse for any restraining orders against the person and also to find out any other information that doesn’t show up on regular background checks. Make sure to get a copy of all cases that the person may have been involved in the past with police or anything of that sort. It is important to check out all of this information on people since hiring a nanny is a important decision due to your kids being with them. Your kids safety is most important so make sure to go the extreme in background checking. It is better to be safe and over protective when hiring someone to watch your kids than nothing at all.