How To Find The Perfect Caregiver During The Summer Holidays

Summer is already upon us and the children are out of school. However this doesn’t necessary mean that work or business stops for you as a working mum.

Are you wondering how to sort out childcare over summer ? Then continue reading this article to discover tips on how to find the perfect caregiver during the summer holidays for your little ones.

Use a reputable site such as sittercity to find a baby sitter, nanny or aupair. For pet owners you can also find a pet sitter.

Tips on How To Find the Perfect Caregiver During the Summer Holidays

1. Register as a member on sittercity and post your childcare job on the site. Remember to include as many details as possible about the type of sitter you are looking for and what their duties will be.
2. Once you’ve received responses to your childcare posting, select 5-10 sitters that you are interested in and schedule a phone interview with each of them. Here are some questions you can ask your potential sitter or nanny
3. After phone interviews, narrow it down to 3-5 of your favourites to have an in-person interview or skype interview with.
4. During your in-person/skype interview, ask questions about their experience. Here are some example questions :

• What do you like about children and childcare jobs?
• What type of family have you worked for in the past, how old were the children and what were your duties
• What type of family are you looking to work for?
• Have you ever been arrested or convicted of a felony?
• How many years have you been babysitting or taking care of children?
• Are you CPR and first aid trained?
• Do you have any other commitments that may interfere with your childcare job?
• Are you planning any vacations and would you need time off?
• What would you do with the children on a day like today?
• What was your worst experience in childcare and how did you handle it?
• Are you okay with assisting with homework and doing other household chores?

5. For in-person interviews, have the sitter or nanny meet your kids and play with them. Observe to see if your kids are comfortable with the sitter or nanny and if the sitter is friendly with them.
6. During the in-person interview, also go over your expectations to ensure the sitter or nanny is the right fit for the job and available when you need them to be.
7. Do a background check. With Sittercity, background checks are already taken care of.
8. Make sure you check references.
9. Once you’ve found your favourite candidate, offer them the job. If you liked some of the other sitters or nanny you interviewed, do contact them out of courtesy and let them know the position has been filled. You can ask if they are interested in being a back-up sitter or nanny.
10. When your sitter or nanny resumes give them a written guideline of their duties and your expectation. 

With these tips finding a perfect caregiver for your children will be a walk in the park. Sittercity are both in the US and UK so sign up as a member.