Ask the nanny’s name and the spelling. You may need this for security checks later, so get the spelling right.

Ask her age and where she lives.

If her English is not good enough, and you can tell already, tell her right away that you’re very sorry, but you need to hire someone with better English, and thank her for answering your ad – and then hang up.

Do not allow yourself to get talked into spending time on people who are not right for you. You do not want to waste your time or theirs. There is a job for everyone and they will find the job that is right for them. If yours isn’t, do everyone the favor and stop the interview train on that particular candidate.

Are you working now? If so, why are you looking for a new job?

If you’re not working now, what was your last job?

Some nannies are looking for a second job in your job, and that’s fine, but you want to find out what their schedule is, currently. Some nannies are looking for a better job than the one that they currently have, and that’s okay, too, but you should find out what they don’t like about the job they are currently in, and how long they have had it.

If they have only been in the current job for a short amount of time, and are looking for something better, then find out how long their last job was.

What you want to avoid is hiring someone who job-hops frequently. This is not an advertising agency, and if they are leaving one job to get a better one on a serial basis, they are leaving children and families without regard.

There is nothing wrong with leaving a job for a good reason, but you want to eliminate a nanny who is leaving jobs because she doesn’t really know what she wants, and she’s figuring it out the hard way – hard on everyone else. If she is leaving for more money, then you need to ask her how much she really wants to make, or what it would take to get her to stay in your job for a one-year commitment.

There are creative ways to keep a job hopper if you really like her. One way is to offer a bonus at the end of six months and another one at the end of 12 months. Another way is to graduate payment, offering, say, $300 a week for the first 10 weeks, and $325 for the next ten weeks, etc.