A nanny plays a crucial role in many family’s lives.  They don’t only take care of your children, they also help you maintain a career, keep your sanity and otherwise live a normal, stress-free life.  But not all nannies are perfect and some of them may even mean bad news.  So how to screen your nanny?  Do it the way a private eye should.  Here are some tips you can use:

Look for a professional nanny service
Unless you know the nanny very well, best hire someone who works for a nanny service agency.  These are companies that screen, hire and deploy nannies to households.  What they do is to essentially function as the nanny’s employers and offering the nanny’s services on his/her behalf.

Always look for an agency that has had good standing.  If the agency has sufficient experience, they will be able to offer you guaranteed service – which, in the long run, will keep you and your children safe.

Ask for a resume
Nannies should have a list of employers on their resume.  This piece of paper should give you a good idea of the extent of the nanny’s experience.  Review the list carefully and take note of certain information, such as:

- the nanny’s employers
- the number of children under their care
- the length of service
- types of services she can perform such as tutoring

Ask for referrals
The nanny’s list of referrals is very important information.  The list should have the complete name of these referrals, along with their contact information such as addresses and phone numbers.

Referrals are generally the nanny’s former employers – the family who hired them and the agencies they worked with.  Get in touch with these referrals and ask them about how the nanny performed while in their employ.  This should give you a good idea of the nanny’s skills, temperament and overall capability in taking care of your children.

If the list of referrals is not enough for you, don’t hesitate to ask for more.  Or, you could get in touch with the list of employers found in your nanny’s resume.

Interview the nanny
Never hire a nanny that you haven’t talked to.  Always schedule an interview with a potential candidate to assess what they are like in person.  Introduce them to your child and see how they interact.

Do a background check
Once you’ve narrowed down the list of nannies that you can potentially hire, you might want to screen further.  Always check your nanny’s criminal background.  If your potential nanny’s past is littered with crimes such as theft, robbery, assault and the like, they should have no business raising your kids.

If you need help, you could also hire a professional private eye to assist you.  This is if you don’t have the time or resources necessary to help you perform the screening yourself.  A private eye should be able to give you the information you need within 3 to 5 days, cutting your screening period significantly.

image credits to sxc.hu

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