Questions to Ask Prospective Caregiver Candidates

Questions to Ask Prospective Caregiver Candidates

Finding a caregiver you can confidently entrust your child to—someone who performs their duties with genuine care—is among the foremost priorities for any parent. In this process, you may encounter candidates with a wide range of characteristics. For example, some may be highly experienced, while others, though new to the field, might be cheerful and affable. What truly matters is identifying the person who can best address your child’s needs while respecting your values.

To achieve this, you should prepare all the questions you have in mind before interviewing the candidates. With the right questions, you can not only discern their level of experience but also determine whether they are compatible with your family. Here is our categorized list of questions to ask prospective caregiver candidates:

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1. GENERAL QUESTIONS

Begin the interview by gathering the candidate’s basic information:

How old are you?
Where were you born?
Where does your family reside?
What is your educational background?
How is your health? Do you suffer from any chronic conditions?
Do you take any medication that induces sleepiness or drowsiness?
Would you be willing to undergo a blood test for contagious diseases before starting the job?
Do you smoke?
If you are a foreign national, do you have a work permit?

2. EXPERIENCE

To understand the experience of the children's caregiver candidate consider asking:

How many years have you been working as a children's caregiver?
What types of families have you worked with previously?
Which age groups of children have you cared for?
Which age group do you feel most comfortable working with?

3. WORK STYLE AND DISCIPLINE APPROACH

Among the questions to ask prospective caregiver candidates, it is important to inquire about their work style:

How would you describe yourself as a caregiver?
What is your perspective on rules and discipline?
Suppose a child continuously throws their belongings off their high chair—how would you handle that?
What would you do if the child pushed another child in the park?
What are your thoughts on prohibiting or restricting the use of mobile phones?
How do you put children to sleep?
How do you feed children?
How would you respond if a baby refuses to eat a meal?

4. FAMILY EXPECTATIONS AND SUITABILITY

When it comes to questions for parents regarding caregivers, it is also vital that the candidate fits into your family’s routine:

When the child is asleep, can you help with household chores?
Are you able to take the child to activities such as a friend’s birthday party or a course?
Are you able to start work at 08:00 in the morning?
Would having a camera system in the home be an issue for you?
We do not want you to use your mobile phone while attending to the child. Is that acceptable?
If necessary, can you adjust your day off?
Can you assist with household tasks after the child has gone to sleep in the evening?
Would you be willing to get up and help me if the child wakes up at night?

5. PERSONAL QUESTIONS

When asking caregiver interview questions, you can also pose the following to understand their personal life and long-term plans:

Are you married?
Do you have any children?
Where do you live?
Why do you choose to work in this field?
Do you intend to pursue this as a long-term career?
What are your future plans?

6. KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Among the questions to ask prospective caregiver candidates, there should also be those that assess the candidate’s expertise:

What would you do in an emergency?
What do you know about first aid for children?
What activities can you engage in with a 3-year-old child?
What measures do you take to ensure a child’s privacy?

7. SALARY AND WORKING CONDITIONS

Finally, the subject of salary is also addressed in the list of children's caregiver interview questions. You may broach this topic right from the start and revisit it later in the interview:

What are your salary expectations?
What is your expectation regarding annual raises?
How much travel allowance do you request when you have a day off?

8. REFERENCE CHECK: VERIFYING RELIABILITY

When you contact the families listed as references by the candidate, you can ask them the following questions:

For how long did the caregiver work with you?
How did you come across them?
How old were your children at the time?
Did they work as a live-in or day caregiver?
What exactly were their responsibilities?
Did they place importance on cleanliness and hygiene?
How was their communication with the children?
Were they flexible with working days and hours when needed?
Did they exhibit any behavior that was challenging for you?
Why did they leave?

FOLLOW YOUR GUT

As you evaluate the candidate’s responses, pay close attention to their body language and demeanor. What kind of energy do they exude? Do they appear reserved, or are they active and assertive? Does their experience seem evident? For instance, do they avoid eye contact or offer vague answers? Or do they leave an impression of unease?

Such traits might eventually lead to communication issues. Therefore, trust your instincts and listen to both your mind and heart when making your decision. Also, do not hesitate to ask follow-up questions to clarify any uncertainties. In our discussion of questions to ask prospective caregiver candidates for selecting a children's caregiver, we have also highlighted that working with a reliable caregiver consultancy can simplify the selection process.

PROFESSSIONAL SUPPORT

At Lamer Consultancy we meticulously select experienced and trustworthy caregiver candidates on your behalf. By conducting thorough interviews and reference checks, we present you with the most suitable options.

This approach saves you time and effort in identifying the right person among numerous candidates. You will only meet with pre-screened, specially selected potential caregivers. Please contact us to secure a reference-backed children's caregiver who will help ensure that your child grows up in a safe and loving environment.

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Questions to Ask Prospective Caregiver Candidates

2-Year-Old Sleep Regression

1. GENERAL QUESTIONS

2. EXPERIENCE

How many years have you been working as a children's caregiver?
What types of families have you worked with previously?
Which age groups of children have you cared for?
Which age group do you feel most comfortable working with?

3. WORK STYLE AND DISCIPLINE APPROACH

4. FAMILY EXPECTATIONS AND SUITABILITY

5. PERSONAL QUESTIONS

Are you married?
Do you have any children?
Where do you live?
Why do you choose to work in this field?
Do you intend to pursue this as a long-term career?
What are your future plans?

6. KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

What would you do in an emergency?
What do you know about first aid for children?
What activities can you engage in with a 3-year-old child?
What measures do you take to ensure a child’s privacy?

7. SALARY AND WORKING CONDITIONS

What are your salary expectations?
What is your expectation regarding annual raises?
How much travel allowance do you request when you have a day off?

8. REFERENCE CHECK: VERIFYING RELIABILITY

FOLLOW YOUR GUT

PROFESSSIONAL SUPPORT

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Questions to Ask Prospective Caregiver Candidates

1. GENERAL QUESTIONS

2. EXPERIENCE

How many years have you been working as a children's caregiver?What types of families have you worked with previously? Which age groups of children have you cared for?Which age group do you feel most comfortable working with?

3. WORK STYLE AND DISCIPLINE APPROACH

4. FAMILY EXPECTATIONS AND SUITABILITY

5. PERSONAL QUESTIONS

Are you married?Do you have any children? Where do you live?Why do you choose to work in this field?Do you intend to pursue this as a long-term career? What are your future plans?

6. KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

What would you do in an emergency? What do you know about first aid for children? What activities can you engage in with a 3-year-old child?What measures do you take to ensure a child’s privacy?

7. SALARY AND WORKING CONDITIONS

What are your salary expectations?What is your expectation regarding annual raises?How much travel allowance do you request when you have a day off?

8. REFERENCE CHECK: VERIFYING RELIABILITY

FOLLOW YOUR GUT

PROFESSSIONAL SUPPORT

Call or Send a Message Now, Get the Support You Need in a Fast and Reliable Way

Quick Menu

Our Services

How many years have you been working as a children's caregiver?
What types of families have you worked with previously?
Which age groups of children have you cared for?
Which age group do you feel most comfortable working with?

Are you married?
Do you have any children?
Where do you live?
Why do you choose to work in this field?
Do you intend to pursue this as a long-term career?
What are your future plans?

What would you do in an emergency?
What do you know about first aid for children?
What activities can you engage in with a 3-year-old child?
What measures do you take to ensure a child’s privacy?

What are your salary expectations?
What is your expectation regarding annual raises?
How much travel allowance do you request when you have a day off?

Call or Send a Message Now,
Get the Support You Need in a Fast and Reliable Way