Host Families - Suggested Interview Questions

Interview Guidelines when calling an au pair abroad

Childcare International will give you every assistance in selecting the best au pair for your family. Once you have reviewed some applications you will have the opportunity to telephone or skype your preferred candidate(s) to interview him/her yourself. This will enable you to learn more about the personality and past experiences of your possible future au pair and also to assess his/her language skills.

Once you advise Childcare International that you would like to speak with a particular candidate, we then inform our partner recruiting agency abroad of your proposed preferred time for an interview and naturally provide them with a copy of your family information so that the candidate(s) is aware of who will be calling.

We appreciate that you may wish to speak to a candidate on more than one occasion. Generally the first call gives the host family the opportunity to talk about their own circumstances, the area where they live, their expectations and a typical schedule of their day. Naturally they should ask some brief questions of the au pair. A follow-on second call is generally a chance for the au pair to speak more fully and ask his/her own questions of the family.

You can also arrange to exchange photos and emails before making your final decision. Either way, please keep Childcare International informed as to your progress with any particular candidate.

Because the interview is important, it is advisable to prepare some questions in advance. As a guide you may find the following list helpful as you prepare for your interview, but naturally as the list is long you need only select those questions which are relevant to your family:

• Why have you chosen to apply for an au pair position?
• Have you ever lived away from your family/home country before?
• How do you feel about leaving your family for a few months?
• How does your family feel about you coming to the UK?
• Do you have any friends who have ever been an au pair?
• Do you know anyone in England?
• Do you live in a busy or quiet area? Do you live in a large city or a rural area?
• Can you adjust to living with a foreign family and being a part of it?
• Do you drive? Have you ever driven an automatic car?
• Will you be happy to drive in England?
• Do you realise we drive on the left-hand side in the UK?
• Do you like pets?
• Are you willing to take our dog out for a walk / feed our dog?
• Do you have any dietary restrictions? Are you a vegetarian?
• Are you willing to cook meat for the children?
• Are you able to cook simple meals for the children?
• Do you smoke? Discuss your family restrictions on this point.
• What experience do you have with children?
• Have you ever bathed or put children to bed?
• What are the ages of the children you have cared for in the past?
• How would you discipline a child?
• How were you disciplined as a child?
• Do you help with the housework in your own home?
• Whilst we will welcome you as a friend to our family, do you understand that your duties will include helping with the housework and keeping our home clean and tidy?
• Are you a tidy person?
• Will you be happy to accept our household rules?
• Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend and how do they feel about your proposed stay in the UK?
• What are your hobbies?
• Are you sporty? Do you enjoy swimming/football/tennis etc. etc
• Are you artistic? Do you enjoy painting/music?
• Do your parents work?
• Please tell us something about your personality. Are you a cheerful person?
• Are you planning to go to a language school?
• Discuss holiday requirements and possible schedules
• Are you willing to join in on our family outings or holidays?
• Are you flexible? If we sometimes return home late from work, will this be a problem?
• Do you have any first-aid training?
• If we wanted you to teach our children your native language, would you mind speaking to them in your language?
• Are you in good health?
• Do you have any allergies?
• Are there any health related issues you should mention?
• Can you help the children with their homework?
• Will you read stories to the children and play with them?
• How many children do you feel confident to take care of?
• If our children have friends over to play, are you able to supervise them?
• How do you think this experience will change you as a person?
• What are your future plans?