How do you go about interviewing a nanny?

[momm]

Going to start itnerviewing nannies.
how many times do you meet them before? With kids, without, first meeting?
what questions do you ask?
how do you judge them?

any tips would be so helpful!!! Thank you!

[westwoodmom04]

I usually just meet them once, twice if I'm stuck between two I really like. Definitely do not meet with kids (can have them meet kids further in process if you want to see how they interact, but better to tell nanny first week or two area trial basis for which they are paid of course)., you should go to a neutral location. I typically ask their background, why they want to nanny, how they would react in certain common situations with kids (kids fighting, baby is sick, etc. . . --depending on kid's age). I find there are always one or two that I really like and the rest that just don't feel right for their family. If they make it to the final round, I interview each and every refernce they give me (including asking if the reference is aware of other families the nanny worked for, in case they aren't references, I will want to talk to them or know why I can't), and I ask permission to do a criminal record check. If I was about to hire someone, I would make an offer but it was always contingent on them giving me a copy of their driving history since they would drive my kids. I always had a written contract with the nanny which I would review with her before she started.

[kit]

After having a not so great experience with the first nanny I interviewed (who came with amazing, glowing references), I did alot more research on the nanny hiring process for the second go-around, with a much better result. Love my current nanny! I found this website the most helpful:

http://www.parkslopeparents.com/Nanny-101/nanny101intro.html

I also decided to use a nanny agency, which at least in my area is really pricey if you end up hiring someone through them. But, I found it really helpful because they fed me alot of candidates to interview and I got a much better sense of the quality of candidate available and at what salary point. And at least with the agency I used, they don't bar you from looking on your own, so I ended up finding someone great on my own, and I felt alot more comfortable that they were the right candidate because I could compare to all the quality candidates that the agency had found.

Good luck!