How to Interview a Babysitter

Once you have found a babysitter it is a good idea to ask them over so you and your kids can meet him or her.

The first thing you should note is whether or not he or she is on time. This is an indicator of future reliability.

When the babysitter shows up you should note how he or she is dressed. Look for someone who is well-groomed and in child-friendly wear. For instance, a young woman with long fake nails that look like talons may not be as interested in child care as she claims.

You should also have a piece of paper ready with the following information to be filled out on it.

Name ______________________________

Address ______________________________

Phone ______________________________
Cell ______________________________
Reference 1 ______________________________
Reference 2 ______________________________

You can make up this short form on your computer and print it out or you can simply write it with pen and paper.

Some neighborhood babysitters may not be used to being asked for a reference particularly if they are younger. That is okay. It is just fine to simply ask who he or she has babysat with before.

Questions that you might want to ask your babysitter are –
How long have you been a babysitter?
How many other families do you babysit for?
How old are the other children you care for?
Are you still in school?
What will you do when I am not here?
Do you mind feeding my kids?
Are you able to help my kids with their homework?
What do you like to do with your free time?
What television shows do you enjoy watching/
Will you need to use my computer when I am not here?
Do you intend to have visitors here when I am not home and if so who?
What is the very worst thing that happened to you as a babysitter so far and how did you handle it?
If my child had an accident, what would be the first thing that you would do?
If you are going to be late or have to cancel the job, how will you let me know?
How much do you expect to be paid an hour?
How do you want to be paid – in cash or by check?
Most of these questions are quite 'leading' in nature and can help you tell quite a bit about the candidate's character and tendencies.
Finally the best babysitter is the one that seems like he or she wants to interview you. If the babysitter is armed with a list of questions about your children, their food preferences, what time they go to sleep and other matters then you have found a good candidate.

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How to Place An Ad for a Babysitter

The ideal place for you to post an ad that says 'Babysitter Wanted' or 'Looking for A Babysitter' is on a local community group forum or email list in your neighborhood. If this is not possible you should then consider placing an ad in your local newspaper,

Placing an ad in a newspaper is very straightforward but you want to keep it simple in order to keep costs down. Think quite simply of creating an ad that reads like the following sample –

Part Time Baby Sitter Wanted
Weekends and Evenings
River Heights Area
342-555-5555/647-000-5555
MrsWonderful@gmail.com
However before you go to the expense or the trouble of advertising anywhere on the internet to sell these books you should check out Craigslist. Craigslist is available in Canada and the United States and is the number one place to find babysitters looking for work.

To access the babysitter ads on Craigslist go to Craigslist.com and find your city. Click on it to go to your local Craigslist website. Under the “Community” heading, you should then click on the “Childcare.” On this page you’ll find listings for babysitters and nannies, or you can post a help wanted ad of your own.

However before you go to the trouble of posting your own it is always a good idea to browse through all of the nanny ads and see if any of them look promising. If they don't you can always write and post your own ad.

Keep your advertisement simple and short. You do not have to be as brief as when posting a classified ad. You can put more of your personality and requirements into the copy. Many of the ads on Craigslist are quite chatty and casual. Be sure to include the ages of your children, a description of the hours needed, the rate you want to pay, a description of the duties required and other necessary information. For instance, if you do not want a babysitter stepping outside to enjoy a smoke on your dime then it is fine to say so in the ad.

Never include any personally identifying information in any kind of ad on Craigslist. Your email and phone number is all they need to know. The beauty of using Craigslist is that you can use a blind ad that forwards into a Craigslist mailbox that keeps your email address concealed from everyone.

Once you get responses back through your email you can start phoning candidates and screening for them. Make sure you get at least three references and follow up on them!

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