It may be a familiar adage, but it’s true. You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression—especially when you’re interviewing for a babysitting job. Even if you’re the most qualified person for the position, not nailing the babysitting job interview questions could cost you the gig. A good way to get a leg up? Know the most common babysitting interview questions in advance and have your answers ready.
While resumes and written examples of experience can be a great first indication that someone is a strong caregiver candidate, it’s still always a good idea for parents to ask about previous experience, references and have multiple in-person interviews with potential babysitters to ensure they’re confident that they’re choosing the right candidate.
One veteran babysitter of over 10 years says that she can usually predict some of the questions she’s going to get asked before her interview, explaining that a lot of the same questions often come up. She says that in addition to wanting a background check and references, she’s often asked if she’s available some weekends and if she can do light meal prep, light housework and run errands. And, of course, the question of rates usually pops up.
Got the interview? Congrats! But don’t pop a bottle just yet. Make sure you’re ultra-prepared by familiarising yourself with these common babysitting interview questions and our experts’ advice on the best ways to answer them.
Babysitting interview questions and answers
Experience and history questions
1. How long have you been babysitting?
Even if you’re just starting out as a babysitter, it’s crucial to be truthful about your experience. Be upfront with the parents about how long you’ve been caring for children and why you have chosen to do so. You can even share a favourite experience and some of the fun things you have done with children in your care in the past, as this tends to put parents at ease.
2. What age ranges of children have you cared for?
Be truthful when this question appears, since different age groups require different skill sets, i.e. newborns and preteens. Be honest about the ages of children you have cared for, and offer a reference or two for families you’ve worked with in the past who have children of similar ages—with their permission, of course.
It’s also a good idea to have an answer ready about which ages you’re most comfortable caring for. Transparency is key! Staying open and honest will help you to avoid ending up in a situation where you’re in over your head.
3. What is your experience caring for multiple children?
Families with more than one child generally tend to prefer hiring babysitters who have experience caring for multiple children of varying ages. They need the assurance that a single babysitter will be able to cope with all their kids’ needs at once.
Be prepared for these follow-up questions:
- What could a typical day or evening look like for the kids?
- What activities do you like to do with children at these ages?
4. Do you have references?
A question that’s 100% going to come up (potentially even before an interview) is if you can provide references—aka, names and numbers for a few families who can speak in favour of your babysitting skills.
Parents will obviously want to check whether the babysitter they’re thinking about hiring is someone they can trust to look after their kids, so having a number of other parents you’ve worked for in the past attest to your ability and trustworthiness is highly advantageous, and will bring peace of mind to the parents. Be sure to have a couple up your sleeve!
5. Would you be willing to consent to a background check?
For many families, background checks are a must before hiring, so they will often ask for you to provide a police check during an interview. A police check, which can be ordered easily online, will show any disclosable court outcomes such as charges, convictions and offences. To take a proactive approach, have your police check ready during the interview.
Health and safety questions
6. Are you CPR and first-aid certified?
For parents, the health and safety of their children are top priority, which is why they’ll want to know that they’re leaving them in the hands of someone who is safe and reliable, and who knows what to do in an emergency. For this reason, CPR and first-aid certification are must-haves.
If you are not certified to give first aid and CPR, you should definitely look into getting this before agreeing to look after someone else’s children. If you happen to already have these certifications, all the better. Follow up your answer by explaining why it was so important to you to obtain them.
7. What is your experience in supporting kids with unique health needs?
Parents of children with conditions like asthma will be looking for caregivers who have knowledge of the given condition, as well as experience in looking after children with these particular needs. They’ll want you to demonstrate that you know how to handle specific situations that could arise while their children are in your care.
Some follow-up questions could be:
- How would you respond if [insert health issue] happens?
- What would you do if you felt like the health situation worsened?
- When and how will you communicate with me about any issues?
Schedule and rate questions
8. What is your availability?
Parents are busy people, so it’s important to make your availability crystal clear, whether it’s just Tuesday and Thursday after school or any evening you don’t have another job booked. If you’re someone who is usually available on weekends and don’t mind a bit of weekend work here and there, but don’t want to end up locked into all weekend, every weekend, explain to the parents that you’re generally available Friday to Sunday, but there will be some weekends you won’t be able to look after the kids.
9. What is your pay rate?
Before going into an interview, research the going rate for babysitters in your area. On top of this, be sure to factor in your experience and what you bring to the table when determining your rate. Let the parents know what your desired hourly rate is before signing up to care for their children, as there’s nothing more awkward—and potentially relationship-souring—than deciding to bring up wages after you’ve already committed to providing care.
Not sure how to determine your hourly rate? Check out our babysitting rates calculator.
10. How do we book you?
Parents want to know how they can best reach you, so it’s a good idea to have something like a business card or digital file containing all your contact information on it.
If you’re communicating with families on a platform like Care.com, respond to babysitting requests promptly with a quick “Yes” to confirm you’re available (or ask for a quick call if you have questions) or a quick “No, maybe next time!” so families can continue their search.
11. Do you anticipate any changes in your schedule?
While most babysitting jobs are for one-time or occasional childcare, families looking to book a regular babysitter might ask this question. This is especially the case for parents who need after-school care while they’re working, and need to make sure they’re hiring a reliable babysitter for a set period of time.
That said, you shouldn’t feel the need to make yourself available at all times to get a babysitting job. Just be open with the family that you evaluate your schedule on a regular basis, and you’re happy to provide care if/when you’re available.
Questions about discipline
12. How do you approach discipline?
Before you start listing typical strategies, it’s important to make sure you’re on the same page as the parents about what form of discipline is appropriate for their children.
Consider asking parents some questions about their views on discipline, including:
- How do you encourage good behaviour?
- If the child isn’t complying with instructions, how would you handle it?
13. How do you handle conflict between siblings?
One mother, who has two girls, ages 10 and 8, always asks potential babysitters how they handle sibling conflict before hiring, as she likes to know their style isn’t the polar opposite of hers. More specifically: She likes to hear both sides and have her girls work things out together—so she’s not looking for a babysitter who’s going to point fingers or take sides.
That being said, when you’re asked this question, you can take it as an opportunity to ask the parents what works best for their family and how they would prefer you to handle things—even if you’ve already shared how you’ve handled things for other families in the past.
Questions about tasks and responsibilities
14. How do you keep the kids engaged and/or entertained?
Have a few of your favourite kids’ activities at the ready so that you’re prepared for this question. And don’t worry about being too specific. If you like nature, consider simple nature hikes. If you like theatre, think about how the kids could put on a mini play. You don’t need step-by-step instructions, just general ideas.
If you’re caring for kids who still nap, it’s a good idea to ask the parents if there’s anything they’d like you to do during that time.
15. Are you willing to prepare light meals and clean up afterwards?
A question asked by many parents is if you are willing to do light meal prep. Perhaps you’re willing to basic things like make pasta and chop veggies, but aren’t willing to handle meat. Or maybe you happen to be a trained chef and can whip up the kids tasty, wholesome meals! Just be honest about your skills in the kitchen and what you’re willing to do. You don’t want to overpromise and underdeliver when it comes to mealtime.
16. How do you handle specific dietary rules?
If the parents forbid junk food, then so should you. End of story. In fact, babysitters should be an extension of parents when it comes to all the house rules, and this includes what the kids eat, what the kids watch, how much screen time they have and anything else.
17. Are you willing to find and take the kids on outings?
When parents work from home, it can be hard to get work done—even when a babysitter is with the kids. Because of this, many parents appreciate it when sitters are willing to take the kids out to the park, the library or other kid-friendly places. However, if you’re not familiar with the area, let the family know what activities you may or may not be comfortable doing outside the home.
Personal questions
18. What do you enjoy doing?
This is a question parents love to ask, and it’s a great opportunity for you to shine and talk about your passion for looking after kids and anything else you love doing. Be sure to have one or two of your favourite reasons for working with children up your sleeve, as parents will likely want to know why you enjoy working with children and what motivates you to take on babysitting jobs.
19. Why did you become a babysitter?
Yes, the schedule and pay can be good, but beyond that, families want to know why you’ve chosen to work with children. It’s a question that can help parents determine if a babysitter or nanny is the right fit for their family.
Take this opportunity to explain why you’re so passionate about looking after kids.
Questions families cannot ask
As with any hiring process, families need to follow legal guidelines about questions they can ask. Families cannot ask about your:
- Age.
- Race/ethnic background.
- Religious views.
- Sexual orientation.
- Marital status/plans on becoming pregnant.
- Disability.
- Who you vote for.
The bottom line
While having solid answers to these common babysitting interview questions is important, keep in mind, you also need to mesh well with the kids. Some parents may even ask you to spend some time with the kids to see if it’s a good fit.
Additionally, making sure you show up on time to your interview, showing enthusiasm for the kids and answering questions thoughtfully are vital in making a good impression with the parents. If you can manage this, they’ll be more inclined to check your references, set up a first babysitting date and take it from there.