This article has been written for the Koru Kids Nanny Service for nannies who are looking for a role with a family.
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Congratulations on being offered an in-person interview. Before you meet the family, please make sure you read through these top tips for making your interview a success.
The essentials:
Be on time. Leave plenty of time for possible delays and work out your route on Google Maps or Citymapper beforehand. Be sure to arrive bang on time. Timekeeping is a big part of the role, so this will be the first chance to show the family you’ve got that nailed!
Be positive and enthusiastic. Show the parents how excited you are about the prospect of becoming their nanny. It’s a good idea to have some questions prepared (check below for some suggestions).
Engage with the kids. After all, they’re the ones you will be working with! If you're meeting the children, be sure to engage with them. Ask them about their hobbies and what they like doing, then suggest some activities to do with them so they’ll want you to come back! (You could even have a quick game or fun activity planned for the interview itself).
Here's some recent feedback from a parent about a Koru Kids nanny. It's a great example of what the family are looking for in a nanny at interview:
"She was right on time, which is always a good sign, and extremely polite from the moment she entered the house. She was very pleasant, kept smiling and showed an interest in my daughter by asking questions, which was really nice."
Be prepared - here are some questions the family might ask you:
What prior experience do you have? This is one of the questions most commonly asked by parents, so be ready to talk confidently about your previous work with children. Think about examples of the responsibilities and duties you’ve had while looking after kids which will help to make you a great nanny. Don’t downplay your experience - babysitting for example is still great preparation for the role. The more detail you can give, the more confidence you'll give the parents that you're right for the role.
What kind of fun activities would you like to do with our children? Parents will be really impressed if you can suggest some great activities to do with their kids. Remember to read the family’s profile carefully before the meeting so you can suggest something appropriate for the age of the children, and suited to their interests. If you want some fun activity ideas, check out the Koru Kids Activity Generator.
What would you like to bring to the role? This is a good chance to talk about what you enjoy doing in your free time, and any skills or talents that you'd like to share with their children .This could be anything from introducing them to a new language or musical instrument to teaching them how to paint, bake, code or play cricket.
Why are you interested in becoming an after school nanny? Everyone will have a slightly different answer for this, but our nannies are constantly telling us how fun and rewarding they find working with kids!
Would you be happy to do some cooking for the kids? Be honest about your confidence and skill level here. Most of our nannies cook simple meals for the kids, often from scratch. We have a recipe book to give you great ideas for this, but families will often make the choice for you too.
Here are some suggestions for good questions to ask the family:
What are your kids like? What do they love doing? This is the most important thing to ask about - it shows you are engaged, keen to get to know the kids better, and knowing what they like will help you to bond with them and plan activities.
How would you describe your parenting style? It’s important to get an idea of their parenting style, so you know what might be expected of you in the role, and what kind of things the kids are used to responding to.
What do the kids enjoy eating?
Remember to confirm the days and hours they are looking for care, and when they want someone to start.
Meeting multiple families? Be transparent:
If you’re due to meet multiple families and you want to have these meetings before deciding on which family to work with, make sure you let the families know. When you thank them for their time at the end of the interview, just politely let them know when your other meetings should be done by, and that you'll be in touch again soon.
After the interview:
It's always a good idea to drop the family a message after your interview. Thank them for taking the time to meet you, tell them how much you enjoyed meeting them (and the children), and let them know that you're looking forward to hearing from them.
Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, or if you’d like any guidance on your upcoming interview. You can email us at care@korukids.co.uk or click the live chat message button to chat with the team.
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Tags: meeting other families - openness - being transparent - setting expectations