When preparing for your childcare interview it's normal to feel a little stressed: this will be unlike interviews for roles in other industries, and on top of that, you've got a whole family to impress! Luckily we've done the research and put together some information to help you prepare for your next nanny, governess or babysitting interview, as well as tips that will hopefully leave you feeling a bit more confident. Getting there Find out the route to where your interview is going to take place. If it's going to be at their house make sure that you know how to get there by whatever means that you are planning on using, and plan to arrive at least 10/15 minutes early. You can always wait outside in your car until nearer the time, but arriving at their door at least 5 minutes before the interview will show the parents that you are serious about the prospect of becoming their nanny and that they can rely on you. What to bring Remember to bring with you anything that the parents have asked to see. This could include: your CV, references and their contact details, any relevant certificates (education, CPR etc) and a printed background check or the information that they need to access it. Bring along anything else that you think might be relevant, or let them know about the official documents that you do have and ask whether they would like you to bring a copy round or email it over. This can be a little less overwhelming for parents who might otherwise just be concerned about how well you get along with their children! At the interview The interview might take place with just one or both parents, but there's a good chance that the kids will be around to test you in their own way. If you're preparing for a childcare interview, it's likely that you have spent time interacting with children and enjoy spending time with them. So if the kids are around, you shouldn't have any problems! Give them the opportunity to get to know you, spend a little time engaging with them in play or conversation, and just be yourself. That's the person that you're going to be throughout your new childcare role, and the parents are likely to be looking for somebody that is personable and kind as well as a mature and responsible for their children to spend time with. This is also important to remember when deciding what to wear to your interview, keep it fairly smart but approachable – your prospective employers are not looking for a PA. Keep in mind that childcare interviews with a family can branch off into casual conversation and chit-chat, so don't plan anything after the interview that might mean that you have to leave early – be prepared to spend at least an hour there and let the parents guide the length of time that you stay there. The questions When hiring someone to care for their children, parents may ask you questions in an interview style, or embedded into conversation. Either way, these are some of the questions that you'll want to be prepared for: What experience do you have in childcare? How would you solve a dispute between our children? What would you do in an emergency? What activities might you do with my children? Do you have a preferred age to work with? What do you do in your free time? What are your plans for the future? As well as these questions, they might ask you about your availability, schedule, and whether you're able to help out last minute or do occasional extra babysitting. Make sure that you give detailed answers to your questions, and be ready with your own questions too! Having your own questions will let the parents know that you are ready and willing to become a part of their family, and that you respect the parents' primary role in raising their children.   Here are a few questions that you might want to ask: Are there any house rules that are in place? How do they want you to help keep these rules in place? (have a look at our previous post on laying the ground rules) What will be expected of you? Is the job solely about childcare, or are you required to help with homework, prepare meals or do some light cleaning? Do you follow any religion? Do you or the children have any allergies? Are there any recurrent behavioural issues ? What are your children’s favourite activities? Once it's over You could follow up with a text or email (depending on how you have been communicating) to thank them for their time and let them know that you look forward to hearing from them. Even if you think that you've found the perfect family to work for it's important to keep applying, they may well find somebody who can fit in easier with their family routine or who has a qualification that they consider to be important. Try and relax before your childcare interview, it's as much about your qualities on paper as it is about you as a person. Families will be looking for somebody that they are happy to have around the house and who their children like and respect, so smile, be yourself, and don't be too disappointed if your first interview doesn't turn out in the way that you hoped it would. This will just be great experience and practice for the next time! If you’re keen for more job interview tips, check out our post on how to ensure your interview gets you the childcare or education job you want . Register as a job seeker with Jobs in Childcare to apply for jobs and to receive information on excellent international tutor, nanny and governess vacancies worldwide. If you are an agency then sign up to post on Jobs in Childcare to connect with the best candidates worldwide!

Laying and implementing the ground rules can be difficult in your role as a nanny, and is a common concern for many people working in childcare. You'll want to make sure that you respect the wishes of the parents that you work for, whilst ensuring that the children in your care respect your authority and decision making. Here are a few tips about how to effectively lay and encourage your charges to follow the ground rules.   Work with the parents The most important thing when deciding on rules and disciplinary action is that you work with the parents. Sharing the views of the parents that you work for is vital and ensures that you will reduce the likelihood of any conflict in how you go about treating any difficult behaviour. Always be open with the parents and if you're unsure, ask! It is most likely the case that your charges already have house and behaviour rules in place, so if this is something that you haven't discussed with your employers then set a time to do this. It's probably best that you don't create your own rules, but if there is a rule that you feel may be particularly important for your charges to respect during their time spent with you then ask the parents how they feel about this, and make sure that you inform the children about the new rules together.   Talk about the rules Take the time to sit down with your charges and discuss the ground rules that are already in place, and any that the parents have agreed for you to add. This way the children will be aware that you are familiar with the behaviour and actions that are expected at home, and are less likely to push the boundaries and 'test' you. You could ask the children to write the rules out and maybe add a couple of their own reasonable rules to help them feel more involved with the process. Once they are written out, you will all have a reference point for the behaviour that is expected as well as any jobs that the children should be doing around the house – this can make it much easier to implement rules!   Have respect The surest way to ensure that the ground rules are adhered to is by earning respect from your charges, and giving them respect in return. To gain their respect you will need trust: take the time to show them that they can trust you to be honest and fair as their caregiver.   Responding to rule breaking The actions that you take when responding to naughty behaviour and rule breaking is something that you will need to discuss with the parents – you'll want to find out whether 'time out' or a punishment (such as withdrawing TV time or internet access) is something that the parents are happy with. If parents have already got disciplinary procedures in place, it's best that you stick to these so that there is some consistency.  Try to be non-emotional in your responses to rule breaking, and reward good behaviour over being negative and critical of bad behaviour. If one child refuses to help load the dishwasher, praise the child that is helping – children crave attention and positive reinforcement, so this is a more effective way to ensure that your charges abide by the house rules. If your charges are young, it's important to remember that they have very little control over their emotions, so simply remain calm in response to a temper tantrum – disciplinary action will only make the problem worse, and it's best to wait until the episode is over. If you're working as a governess and caring for more than one child, it's likely that at some point you will come across disputes regarding an object and a reluctance to share. Give the children time and support in coming to their own solution, and if unable to do so then simply remove the object until they can. This helps to involve the child in the outcome of the situation, and can be a good way to avoid the same conflict next time.   Make it fun If there is a time of day that you find particularly tricky to get through, try making it fun for the kids. If it's the lead up to bedtime, create a before bed 'to do' list and ask the children to tick each task off as they complete it. Maybe it's the after dinner mess that your charges are reluctant to help with...try setting a timer and see whether they can clear the table and load the dishwasher within a certain time. You can also find reward charts to encourage task completion and exemplary behaviour here . As a childcare provider hoping to implement good behaviour, the best thing that you can do is to remain kind, loving and consistent in your role. Your charges will look to you as more of an equal than they do their parents, so be their friend, show them that you respect them, and in return it is much more likely that they will follow the ground rules. Register as a job seeker with Jobs in Childcare to apply for jobs and to receive information on excellent international tutor, nanny and governess vacancies worldwide. If you are an agency then sign up to post on Jobs in Childcare to connect with the best candidates worldwide!

When it’s holiday time and you’re caring for the kids while their mums and dads are busy at work, it can be taxing on any nanny to try to dream up new and exciting ideas to engage them. They need entertainment, but of course you don’t want to let them loose on the iPads just yet . You can’t take them out for ice cream all the time, so how about getting them to learn something and have fun while doing it? Here are 7 fun ways your charges can learn under your watchful eye these summer holidays!   Blind them with science Not literally, of course. Depending on the ages of the children, you can choose science kits that suit their needs. You can order crystal growing, geodes, science volcanoes and even slime on Amazon -  choose next day delivery and your kids will have a great time learning about science in a hands-on way.   Take them to see music or the arts Learning isn’t all about studying from books or memorizing facts. One of the best ways to get your charges to learn something is to bring them to a cultural event like a jazz concert, dance performance, or even an art exhibition . Ask them questions to engage them with the material such as what instruments are being used, the styles of art you’re viewing, and so on. If you want to make it more academic, encourage them to write a short report after the show!   Play a game of chess While this surely won’t work on younger children, elementary-aged kids can learn the basics of this classic game. It teaches strategy and how to think critically, something that is wonderful for young minds. Try downloading and printing some simple chess puzzles to help your charges grasp the basic moves of the game. Design your own game Kids of any age will adore this idea, though arguably, younger ones will need you to work with them. Older ones can busy themselves dreaming up ideas in their rooms and presenting them to you during teatime. Let them design their own board games and then, the real fun begins when you get to play them together. It allows them to explore their creativity while coming up with logical rules to devise the game.    Cook dinner together for Mum and Dad Cooking is such a fun way for kids to learn! Even little ones can get in on the fun. It’s also very scientific, especially if you’re baking. You can teach them how to measure and have them follow the recipes , not to mention proper kitchen safety. Plus, you’ll have help getting food on the table and that will make everyone happy; for picky kids, encouraging cooking their own food is a great way to ensure that they eat what they make. Create a mini-book club Reading is a learning activity that never goes out of style. But instead of commanding your charges to go and read for a spell, take them to the library and have them select a book to read. Read it too and assign a reasonable number of pages to cover in a designated time frame, then discuss it together.    Make art And finally, one of our favourite ways to sneak some learning in with the fun is to have the kids create art. Allow them to try to imitate Mum and Dad’s painting over the mantel or devise their own artful cover for a favourite book or DVD. If you can’t handle mess from paint, allow them to design it digitally.  With these fun learning ideas to use over holiday, kids won’t even notice they’re learning; that’s the best way to make it stick! Register as a job seeker with Jobs in Childcare to apply for jobs and to receive information on excellent international tutor, nanny and governess vacancies worldwide. If you are an agency then sign up to post on Jobs in Childcare to connect with the best candidates worldwide