Nannies are a very important, as well as crucial part of today’s world. With each passing day, our lives become more hectic, and on the run. In situations like these, people with children have a specially hard time, as it gets harder for them to handle their work and family simultaneously. To people like these nannies are almost angels, however, one wouldn’t leave one’s child with just anyone. Hence, comes the problem of the interview to the caretakers and that is exactly what we are here to help you out with.
Question and Answers
1. What do you think you’ll be doing as a nanny?
To answer this you simply have to state the things that you think what a nanny is and the duties they have to carry out.
Sample answer
“Well, a nanny is a person who takes care of children on behalf of their parents or guardians. A nanny has to take care of the child and see to it that all of their needs are met. To mention a few basic things that a nanny has to do would be, making the kids food, driving and picking them up from school, cleaning after them, helping the kids with homework and their assignments, making their beds, helping them get ready, etc.”
2. Tell me about yourself?
This question is quite straightforward, you are supposed to tell about yourself. Firstly, introduce yourself and tell them a little about your background this helps build trust. Secondly, tell them about your previous experience in the field, if not, you should mention taking the care of children of family or friends. Thirdly, you can mention your interests.
3. Why did you choose to become a nanny?
Sample answer
“Being honest being a nanny wasn’t my goal, I wanted to be a pre-school teacher. However, after doing that for a year I realised in a school environment children view you as an authority and I did not want that I wanted to help them grow but not as an authoritative power but as a friendly guiding hand. Therefore, I became a full-time professional nanny”
4. What childcare qualifications do you have?
Sample Answer
“Formally none. This is the first time that I am working as a nanny. However, not having any formal qualifications does not mean I do not have any experience caring for children. See I am an elder sister to two brothers who are 4 and 6 years younger than me, I have taken care of them since I was a kid and still have to sometimes. So, I think that are my childcare qualifications.”
5. How long have you been caring for children?
Sample Answer
“Not to exaggerate but it seems like my entire life. When I was young our family used to live in a joint arrangement, and due to me being the oldest had to take care of the entire litter of children, which included my own brother, my uncle’s daughter and the neighbour’s kids and when I was in high school I took a part-time job in a daycare centre.”
6. What age groups have you cared for?
Pretty self-explanatory, this question is, you just have to state the age groups of the children that you have previously dealt with.
7. Do you have other work of life experiences that help you as nanny?
Sample Answer
“Yes, I have been a pre-school teacher for a couple of years and growing up I had two siblings. I think both of them really help me as a nanny now.”
8. What do you think is the most important aspect of a nanny’s job?
Sample Answer
“Every aspect of a nanny job is important to me. I, as a nanny deal with children and children especially small children are very impressionable. They pick up from my every action and word, so I have to carry myself in a manner that is to do them good and nothing that is to taint or harm them both physically and psychologically.”
9. What do you think are the qualities needed to be a good nanny?
Sample Answer
“The most important quality to be a good nanny is patience. Children tend to be very curious creatures, and that is mostly about everything. People might label this curiosity as mischief, which I condemn and this labelling occurs due to lack of patience in people.”
10. What do you consider to be qualities that children like and respond to in you?
Sample Answer
“For that, you might have to inquire the children themselves, but to my understanding, it is truthfulness and sharing curiosity. I tend to almost never lie to children and I share the same curiosity for life, the same as they do. If they ask me something really silly, I never tell them that they are asking the wrong question I try to answer it truthfully and if I do not have the answer we share the absurd lens of looking at the situation in question.”
11. What did you enjoy about the nanny job?
Sample Answer
“I like the appreciation, affection and love the children give back to you for something as simple as picking up their toy.”
12. What household tasks are you willing to perform?
Sample Answer
“I can prepare them food, clean after them and I do not mind washing their clothes either. However, I wouldn’t like to be treated like a maid.”
13. How do you react to temper tantrums?
Sample Answer
“Over the years I have learnt that the children are best left alone in situations like these, it doesn’t reinforce this kind of behaviour. So, I do not interfere until and unless they are harming themselves or something around them.”
14. Tell us about your last nanny job and why it ended?
Sample Answer
“I was a nanny to a 4-year-old girl. Both her parents were working so they’d leave her at my house for the day and would pick her by evening. The job ended because they had to move out of town.”
15. Was there anything you disliked about you previous job?
Sample Answer
“There was nothing that I disliked about my previous job but there was a lack of communication between me and my employer, which made it a tad bit difficult.”
16. What is your education level?
Sample Answer
“I have a master’s degree in English literature.”
17. What do you find the most challenging part of working with children?
Sample Answers
“I love working with children, every part of it. However, sometimes the parents of these children forget that I am only human too. They start to care less about the hours and my holidays.”
18. Have you ever dealt with an emergency on the job?
Sample Answer
“Once I was taking care of this boy, he was 7 years old. The family had gone to a pool for the weekend, and I was to be with him on Monday. He was a little under the weather from the beginning of the day but after a couple of hours he got really sick and I rushed him over to the nearest paediatrician.”
19. What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Sample Answers
” I like to paint and read books.”
20. What activities would you plan for my child during the day?
Sample Answers
“I do not like for children to be on screen for long. I would first, make them do their school work if any. After that, board games, reading books, going to parks.”
21. Do you have a first-aid training?
Sample Answers
“I do not have any first-aid training, but I am planning to take a basic first-aid training course very soon.”
Remember these are only sample answers, to help you frame your own. I strongly advise you against copying the same. If you enjoyed reading this share it with your friends and leave us a review in the comments.
Reeference
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0193397308000294
- https://journals.co.za/doi/abs/10.10520/EJC192461
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Sandeep Bhandari is the founder of PrepMyCareer.com website.
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