Au pair interview questions that actually tell you something

Run it in three stages

Chat first. Confirm the basics in the Au Pair Nation chat: hours, start date, driving, pay range, live-in or live-out. If those don’t line up, stop there and save everyone a call.

Then a video call. Twenty minutes. Get a feel for the person, ask the situational questions below, and let them ask theirs.

Then a home visit. With the children present, at the time of day the au pair would normally be there. Watch how they interact. Show them the car if they’ll drive it. Finish by agreeing a paid trial.

Questions for families to ask

About experience

• Tell me about the children you’ve looked after. What ages, for how long, and what did a normal day look like?
• What’s the hardest situation you’ve handled with a child, and what did you do?
• Have you supervised homework before? How do you handle a child who refuses?

About the practical side

• Do you have a driver’s licence and how long have you been driving? Do you have your own car?
• Are you comfortable driving on the highway, in the rain, with three children in the back?
• Can you swim confidently? Do you have first aid training?
• Are you a smoker? Are you comfortable with dogs, cats, or whatever you have?

About reliability and fit

• What does your week look like: lectures, other work, sport? Where would our hours fit?
• When are your exams and holidays? What would you need from us then?
• How would you let us know if you were running late or couldn’t make it?
• What do you do when you’re frustrated? How do you calm down?
• What kind of family do you work best with?

Situations worth asking about

• The younger one won’t get in the car after school and the older one has cricket in fifteen minutes. What do you do?
• A child tells you something happened at school that worries you. What do you do?
• You bump the car in the car park. What happens next?
• We’re two hours late home and haven’t called. How do you feel and what do you do?

Listen for calm, practical answers and honesty about what they don’t know. Nobody has faced every situation; you want someone who would call you.

Questions for au pairs to ask

You are interviewing the family too. Ask:

• What does a normal week look like, hour by hour? Which days are the long ones?
• What happens in school holidays, and is that paid?
• Which car would I drive, who insures it, and what happens if there’s an accident?
• How is fuel paid?
• What do the children struggle with, and what helps?
• Is there anyone else in the house during the afternoon?
• How do you prefer to communicate, and how much notice do you give for changes?
• What did previous au pairs do well, and why did they leave?
• Can I see the written agreement before the trial?

Checks families should do

• See the driver’s licence and any first aid certificate.
• Call at least two references and ask what they’d want to know if they were hiring again.
• Confirm the au pair’s identity matches the profile. On Au Pair Nation, verified badges mean an ID check has been passed.

Checks au pairs should do

• Confirm the family’s name and address before visiting, and tell someone where you’re going.
• Meet at the home in daylight, or in a public place first if you prefer.
• Ask for the agreement in writing before your first full week.

After the interview

Decide within a day or two and say so either way. Families who go quiet lose good candidates; au pairs who go quiet lose good families. A paid trial of two or three afternoons is the best final test, and our contract guide covers what to write down before it starts.