Interviewing

 

If you are conducting the first interview with a childcarer at a time your children will be awake, decide whether or not you want them present. Think about whether they would be a distraction or if in fact you would like to see straight off how the childcarer interacts with them. It is common to do interviews in two stages, the first usually being in the evening to get to know the childcarer and go through all the details and the second, should you wish to take things further with a candidate, for the children to be present and you to observe how the candidate interacts with them and also how the children respond. One way to combine the two is to have someone looking after your children for the first part of the interview, then once you have had a chance to talk uninterrupted, then bring the children in.

 

It is a good idea to have your partner or a friend with you at the interview. Before you start, have an idea in your head of what you want to ask. Take notes at each interview so you can reflect when making your final decision.

 

 

First Interview

 

 

We have included a list of typical interview questions, some of which you may wish to use. These are just examples, you do not need to reel off the whole list, just pick what you feel is relevant or just use them to prompt you in discussions.

 

Make sure you cover the points listed in the section ‘THINGS TO DISCUSS’ -   it is important everybody is clear on all aspects of the job and what is involved.

 

Interviewing for a childcare position is more of a two way process than in most professions, so make sure the childcarer gets their chance to ask any questions they may have.

 

When interviewing, try to get to know the childcarer’s personality, you can not find your perfect childcarer by going on qualifications alone. A more relaxed second interview may offer more opportunity for this.

 

Second Interview

 

A second interview is a good chance to bring back any prospective childcarer and learn some more. This is the perfect time to introduce the children and see how everybody gets along. If the childcarer is currently in employment it may be best to do this at weekends -  try to pick a good time in your children’s routine so that they are not tired and grumpy for example!

 

Some candidates may be a little nervous or shy, try not to let this cloud your judgement on whether they are suitable to take good care of your children.

 

If you have a good feeling about a childcarer at this stage, use this chance to show them around the house and go through the children’s routines and clarify again what would be expected of them.

 

Suggestions for interview questions

 

• How long have you been in childcare?
• Why did you go into childcare?
• What do you enjoy about working with children?
• What are your strengths when working with children?
• What ages of children have you worked with?
• What was involved in your previous positions?
• What key things do you consider important for a happy relationship between childcarer and family?
• What are your views on discipline, manners etc?
• Can you suggest some age related activities for my children?
• Can you cook? What sort of meals can you prepare?
• What would you do if……( make up various problems or emergency situations)
• Have you ever had to deal with a medical emergency? If so, what did you do?
• Why did you or why are you leaving your previous / present job?
• Question any gaps in employment

 

Things to discuss

 

• Your views on discipline – tell the childcarer what your views are and what methods you use etc. Ask if she would comply with these. If you are looking for some suggestions, ask them to make some. Ask would they be happy to work with you on any behaviour issues etc
• Your views on TV viewing, computer games etc. Make it clear what you do and do not allow. Do the same for things such as sweets, treats etc

 

 

After making an offer of employment to one of our candidates and they have started working for you you will become their employer and will have a number of legal obligations.

 

You will be required to pay their Tax and National Insurance, do not be tempted to pay cash, this is now illegal and could result in you being fined. We recommend NannyTax as a hassle free way of paying your childcarer, Please vist our 'Nannytax' page by clicking the link below for further information

 

 

You will also be responsible for statutory sick pay, maternity pay and holiday pay. You should provide your childcarer with a written job description, this should cover all the duties required, the working hours and location. Make it as precise as possible and agree it with your childcarer in advance of them starting.

 

You will also neet to issue an employment contract, it is a legal requirement to do this. We can supply a sample contract for you to use, both you and your childcarer should sign it and each keep a copy.

 

Further information on employment regulations and becoming an employer can be found by clicking the following link.

 

 

To reduce your tax liability you can look at the possibility of claiming childcare tax credits, you can find more information on this by clicking the link below.

 

 

 

You may also wish to use childcare vouchers, if you recieve them from your employer, to help pay your childcarer. You will find more information on this on our 'Ofsted' page, click the link below to be taken there.

 

 

 

Dont forget you can also contact us with any questions you may have