30 questions to ask a nanny in Jamaica before you hire her

A full-time nanny is one of the most consequential hires a Jamaican family makes. The placement that holds for three years is a different relationship from the one that ends in three months. The difference is almost always in the interview — the families who take the conversation seriously are the families who hire well.

This is the script we use on CareLink placement interviews, and the one we recommend any family adopt. Thirty questions, six categories, and one rule: ask follow-ups. The first answer is rarely the real answer.

Category 1: Experience and background (questions 1–6)

1. Walk me through your last full-time childcare role. Who was the family, what were the ages, what were your hours?
2. What did you love about that role, and what would you change if you could go back?
3. Why did the role end?
4. How many years have you worked in childcare in total, and what ages have you cared for?
5. Have you ever worked with a child with a specific need — a health condition, neurodivergence, a behavioural challenge? Tell me about that.
6. What kind of training, certifications, or short courses have you done — CPR, first aid, ECE coursework, anything?

Category 2: Safety scenarios (questions 7–13)

The scenario block is the most important part of the interview. Watch for calm, specific, sequenced answers — not panic, and not rehearsed slogans.

7. A 14-month-old swallows a button from the floor. Walk me through what you do, in order.
8. A 6-year-old falls hard at the playground and you think she may have broken her wrist. Phone is in your bag, parents are at work. What now?
9. You arrive at the school pickup and the child is not waiting at the usual spot. What do you do in the first ten minutes?
10. A stranger arrives at the gate during the day saying he is the uncle. The parents have not mentioned an uncle. What do you do?
11. A child reaches for a hot pot on the stove. Talk me through prevention and response.
12. How do you handle screen time? What is too much, and how do you explain that to a child who pushes back?
13. What is the most stressed you have ever been on the job? How did you manage?

Category 3: Household routines (questions 14–19)

14. Walk me through a Tuesday after-school in your last family — from school pickup to bedtime.
15. How comfortable are you with meal prep? Light cooking, full family meals, or just plating?
16. What is your approach to homework — do you sit beside, prompt, or check after?
17. How do you handle bedtime resistance?
18. What household chores related to the children do you consider part of the role — laundry, packing school bags, tidying the playroom?
19. How do you keep us informed during the day? What pace of updates is comfortable for you?

Category 4: Discipline and culture (questions 20–24)

20. What is your approach to discipline? Walk me through a recent example.
21. Are there forms of discipline you will never use? Are there forms our family uses that you would be uncomfortable with?
22. How do you handle a child who is rude to you?
23. How do you handle a parent decision that you disagree with?
24. Tell me about a time you had to push back with a previous family. What did you say, what was the outcome?

Category 5: Logistics, pay, and time off (questions 25–28)

25. What hours are you available, including the bookends — early morning, late evening, occasional weekends?
26. What rate are you expecting? Why?
27. How many sick days a year is reasonable for you? How would you want us to handle a planned absence?
28. How do you prefer to be paid — bank transfer, Lynk, cash? On what cadence?

Category 6: References and her questions for you (29–30)

29. Can you give me two previous families I can call this week?
30. What do you want to ask me? A nanny with no questions back is a nanny who has not thought about whether this is the right family for her.

What you want to hear

The scenario answers should be calm, specific, and sequenced. The routine answers should show she has actually done this before. The discipline answers should match your household’s culture. The pay conversation should be direct on both sides. And in the final question, she should have at least three substantive questions for you — about hours, your communication style, the children, and what success looks like at the six-month mark.

If you would like CareLink to run this interview for you and present a shortlist of two to four caregivers who have already cleared it, see /placements. The discovery call is the first step.