People always want to turn a house into a home, but what happens when you bring someone outside to start living in your home? For many families, their homes are full with Mom, Dad, and the kids.

Adding a grandparent or family member can be a tough step for some and adding someone from outside the family can even be a bigger adjustment period. Nannies can be great additions. They can help with the cooking, cleaning, childcare, driving and just about anything else you could possibly think of.

Are you thinking about hiring a nanny? Look at these tips below to help you start the process and maybe welcome someone else into your home.

The Search Process

The first step to consider is how you’re going to search for your nanny. Are you going to ask around with friends and family? Head out to social media? Stand on the corner and approach strangers?

Most families go through an agency or job board. There, you can filter what exactly you’re looking for in a nanny from age, education, full-time or part-time and a lot of other features. It’s a good way to lead you in the right direction and stay on track.

You might be posting a job yourself and if that’s the case, then you should really consider...

The Nanny’s Role

While many believe a nanny’s role is already carved out for them before they step in the door, there are plenty of things to think about when they start working.

What exactly will they be doing? Are you looking for someone to only take care of the children? Will they be responsible for cooking and cleaning? Are they going to be there full-time or only when you’re at work?

While a nanny’s eventual role may be flexible, you’re going to want to set up the ground rules ahead of time so there’s no confusion. Be very clear about the job description from the beginning!

Perhaps you’re going to go the route of nanny-sharing, a more popular option that has sprung up in the past few years.

The Nanny’s Skills

Many families take advantage of the extracurricular skills a nanny can bring into one’s household. Perhaps you are looking at hiring a foreign nanny because you want to impart language skills and cultural appreciation on your child from a young age.

The nanny may also be an accomplished musician and could double as your child’s piano teacher or help them get interested in music in general.

You’ll also want your nanny to match your children’s activities. Having a super active, sporty child and a nanny that would rather sit inside may not make for the best combination.

Selecting the Right Candidate

There is no blanket answer for choosing the right nanny, but there are some blanket questions for the interview process.

• Do you have any experience with children? Any past childcare jobs?
• What do you see as fair discipline?
• What activities do you like to do with children?
• How do you react in pressure situations?
• Why do you want to be a nanny?
• Tell us about your daily schedule at your last nanny position.
• Why did you leave the last family?

Take each question seriously. This is your family and house this new person will be coming into.

No matter which candidate you end up choosing, make sure and run a background check on them. Ask for references as well, even if their most recent positions were just babysitting jobs. Anything that will help you get a more clear picture of who they are and what they can do for your family.

Payment

When it comes to bringing a nanny into your home, payment is going to be between you and the nanny. Not only how much they will be paid, but how often. If you’re not sure on the amount, it’s a good idea to do some research and find out where you should start. Payment will likely depend on a number of factors, but it’s up to you to nail down the structure.

If you’re going to require your nanny to sign a contract, look for some examples online about how best to structure one so you have all your bases covered. When tax season rolls around, make sure you’ve been paying the nanny legally and have kept records and receipts of everything.

Payment doesn’t have to be a big roadblock but can be if you are not taking care of the steps early.