Contracts, Salaries, Trial Periods, Interviews & Setting Expectations
It’a an art learning how to hire a nanny, especially when welcoming someone into your home in a new country or unfamiliar environment. From defining the role and interviewing candidates to understanding salaries, contracts and trial periods, there are many important decisions to make before finding the right person for your family.
For international and expat families, the process can involve additional considerations: language skills, cultural compatibility, relocation, travel requirements and understanding local employment expectations.
Whether you’re hiring your very first nanny or expanding your household support, taking the time to carefully plan the recruitment process will help you build a long-lasting, positive working relationship from day one.
When hiring a live-in nanny abroad, a multilingual nanny for an international household, or childcare support while relocating, this guide will walk you through the key steps to finding the right fit.
Step 1: Before You Start Searching: Define Your Needs
The first step in hiring a nanny is understanding exactly what your family needs. Before looking for candidates, take time to discuss what role you want your nanny to have within your household.
Many unsuccessful placements happen because expectations were never clearly defined from the beginning.
Consider:
What responsibilities should your nanny have?
Will they:
- Provide childcare only?
- Prepare children’s meals?
- Help with children’s laundry and organisation?
- Plan activities and educational experiences?
- Support homework?
- Drive children to school or activities?
- Travel with your family?
- Help with household organisation?
Being specific now makes it much easier to find someone who genuinely enjoys and masters those responsibilities.
What type of schedule do you need?
Think about:
- Full-time or part-time?
- Live-in or live-out?
- Fixed hours or flexible support?
- Weekend availability?
- Overnight care?
- International travel?
What qualifications are important for your family?
Depending on your children’s ages and needs, you may prioritize:
- Newborn experience
- Sleep training knowledge
- Experience with multiple children
- Special educational needs training
- Teaching background
- First Aid certification
- Language skills
- Driver’s license
Consider your parenting style
A successful nanny placement depends on more than qualifications. Personality, communication style and values matter enormously.
Ask yourself:
- Do we want someone who follows a structured routine?
- Montessori or Steiner philosophies?
- Someone independent who takes their own initiative?
- Someone who works closely alongside parents?
- Someone discreet and professional?
There is no right or wrong approach—the important thing is finding someone whose style aligns with yours.
Step 2: Decide How You Will Find Your Nanny
Once you understand your needs, it is time to begin your search.
Families typically find candidates through:
- Personal recommendations
- Local parenting groups
- Facebook nanny groups
- Job platforms
- Specialist nanny agencies
For international families, finding the right nanny often requires looking beyond location. Language abilities, cultural understanding, previous international experience and flexibility around travel can all become important factors.
A nanny who understands your family’s background and lifestyle can make the transition into a new country significantly smoother.
Recruiting independently may offer a larger pool of candidates and full control over the process, but requires families to carry out reference checks, interviews and background screening themselves. This often proves to be a time consuming, hands-on process.
Working with an experienced agency reduces the amount of administration and provides additional reassurance that candidates have already been professionally vetted by someone who knows exactly what they are looking for.
Step 3: Interview Candidates Carefully
The interview is your opportunity to understand not only a candidate’s experience, but also their personality, values and approach to childcare.
When learning how to hire a nanny successfully, remember that the right fit is about more than an impressive CV.
Some useful nanny interview questions include:
Career and motivation
- Why did you choose childcare as your career?
- What motivates you most about working with children?
- What is the most challenging aspect of your job?
Experience
- Tell us about your previous nanny positions.
- What ages of children have you cared for?
- What responsibilities did you have?
- What was your longest placement?
- Why did your previous role end?
Childcare philosophy
- How would you describe your approach to childcare?
- How do you handle boundaries and discipline?
- How do you respond to challenging behavior? (be spesific, ask about: tantrums, sibling conflict, refusal to eat, bedtime struggles, emergencies)
Communication and teamwork
- How do you prefer to communicate with parents?
- How do you handle feedback?
- What does a successful relationship between parents and nanny look like to you?
- How have you handled any disagreements or conflicts with parents in previous work commitments?
Travel and flexibility
If your family travels frequently, discuss:
- Previous travel experience
- Passport requirements
- Availability for trips
- Comfort with changing environments and routines
Remember that interviews are also an opportunity for candidates to assess whether your family is the right fit for them.
Step 4: Check References Thoroughly
Speaking with previous employers is one of the most valuable steps in the hiring process, often providing insights that cannot be gained during an interview alone.
Ask former families about: the nanny’s reliability, communication style, relationship with the children, ability to work independently, initiative and organization, how they handled challenges, why the role ended, and whether they would hire them again.
If you’re hiring for an international or travelling household, it’s also worth asking about their experience adapting to new cultures, travelling with families, language abilities and flexibility in unfamiliar environments.
Step 5: Understanding Nanny Salaries: What Should You Expect to Pay?
Salary is an important part of attracting and retaining high-quality childcare professionals. A nanny’s compensation should reflect the responsibilities, expectations and complexity of the role. In general, a position requiring greater flexibility, travels, experience or responsibility should be compensated accordingly.
Factors that often influence salary include:
- Number and ages of children
- Newborn or infant care
- Overnight responsibilities
- Travel requirements
- Flexible or irregular schedules
- Live-in arrangements
- Household management duties
- Driving responsibilities
- Additional languages
- Educational background
- Professional childcare qualifications
- Specialist experience
For international families, expectations around childcare responsibilities and household support may differ between countries, so it is important to clearly define the role before discussing compensation.
A competitive salary significantly increases your chances of attracting experienced, career nannies with strong references and long-term commitment.
Step 6: Create a Clear Nanny Contract
One of the most important steps in how to hire a nanny successfully is creating a clear written agreement before employment begins.
Even when both parties have the best intentions, misunderstandings can happen if expectations are not clearly defined.
A nanny contract protects both the family and the nanny by ensuring everyone understands the terms of the working relationship.
A comprehensive nanny contract should include:
- Job title and clearly defined responsibilities
- Working hours and weekly schedule
- Salary and payment arrangements
- Overtime expectations
- Holiday entitlement
- Sick leave
- Public holidays
- Trial period
- Notice period
- Travel expectations
- Accommodation arrangements (for live-in roles)
- Use of family vehicles
- Confidentiality expectations
- Phone and technology use during working hours
- Household responsibilities
- Any additional agreements specific to your family
For expat families, it is particularly important to understand local employment requirements. Rules around contracts, working hours, holidays and social security obligations can vary significantly between countries.
If you are hiring a nanny abroad, consider seeking professional guidance to ensure your agreement complies with local regulations.
A clear contract is not about creating distance between a family and nanny—it creates security, professionalism and transparency for everyone involved.
Step 7: Two Week Trial Period
Before committing to a long-term arrangement, we strongly recommend agreeing on a formal two-week nanny trial period.
Even though an interview has been successful and all lights are green, introducing a formal trial period is a wise and important step in the hiring process. This gives you the opportunity to assess the nanny while working and adapting into your family and getting to know your children before making any commitments.
We recommend a two week trial period:
A shorter period often does not allow enough time for everyone to properly adjust. Starting a new role is a significant transition for the nanny, the children and the parents, and the first few days may not always reflect the long-term relationship.
Children need time to build trust with a new person. Nannies need time to understand routines, family dynamics and individual personalities.
At the same time, extending a trial period for too long can create unnecessary uncertainty for both parties.
During the trial period, consider:
- How does communication feel between parents and nanny?
- Does the nanny build a positive relationship with the children?
- Do they take initiative?
- Are they proactive in organising activities?
- Do they anticipate children’s needs?
- Are they reliable and organized?
- How do they handle unexpected situations?
- Does their personality feel like a natural fit within your household?
Most importantly, trust your gut and intuition – if it doesn’t feel right after the two weeks, there’s a reason.
A nanny may have an excellent CV, but long-term success depends on trust, communication and compatibility.
Step 8: Hiring a Nanny Abroad: Additional Considerations for International Families
For families relocating, travelling frequently or living between countries, hiring a nanny can involve additional considerations beyond traditional childcare needs.
Before making a decision, think about:
Language and cultural compatibility: Would you like your nanny to speak your children’s native language? Are you looking for a nanny that can speak to your children in the native language of the country you are relocating to? Perhaps you would like the reassurance of a nanny who speaks both?
Legal requirements across borders:
- Is the nanny legally able to work in your chosen country?
- Are visas or permits required?
- What employment regulations apply?
- Are contracts and taxes handled correctly?
Travel expectations: Does your nanny have previous travel experience? Are they confident to navigate airports, new countries, long travel days? Can they support in logistics? Do they have a travel-friendly passport? What kind of visa’s do they have? What is considered working hours when travelling? Accommodation arrangements?
Long-term lifestyle fit
For international families, the right nanny is not only someone who provides excellent childcare—they are someone who can adapt to your family’s lifestyle and support your children through transitions, new experiences and changing environments.
Welcoming Your Nanny Into Your Household
Once you have found the right person, the relationship continues to grow.
The first weeks are about learning each other’s routines and creating a comfortable working environment.
Help your nanny settle in by:
- Clearly explaining family routines
- Sharing important information about your children
- Encouraging questions
- Scheduling regular check-ins
- Giving constructive feedback
- Recognising their contribution
Remember that a nanny is also adjusting to a new environment. Just as children need time to build trust, a nanny needs time to understand your household and feel confident in their role.
A successful nanny placement is a partnership. When both the family and nanny feel respected and supported, children benefit the most.
Read:
How To Build A Good Relationship With Your Nanny
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring a Nanny
Before making your final decision, keep these common mistakes in mind:
- Hiring too quickly. Take time to interview, check references and assess personality fit—not only experience. Need some extra tips & tricks from an experienced expat nanny recruitment agency?
More Than a CV: How We Select Our Trusted Babysitters for Travelling Families - Leaving expectations unclear. Discuss responsibilities, working hours, communication expectations and household routines from the beginning.
- Skipping the trial period. A two-week trial gives everyone time to adjust and understand whether the arrangement is the right fit.
- Not matching salary to responsibility. Greater flexibility, qualifications, experience and additional duties should be reflected in compensation.
- Overlooking compatibility. Skills matter, but trust, communication and shared values create successful long-term relationships.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hiring a Nanny
1. How long does it take to hire a nanny?
The timeline varies depending on your family’s requirements, your location and the availability of suitable candidates. While some families find the right nanny within a few weeks – let’s say you live in a city, looking for a day-time, full-time, live-out local childminder. Specialised searches—such as multilingual, live-in, rural location or Montessori-trained specialist—can take anywhere from one to three months with professional agency help. Starting your search well before you need childcare gives you more time to find the right long-term fit.
2. Should I hire a live-in or live-out nanny?
Both options have advantages. A live-in nanny can offer greater flexibility and may be ideal for families who travel frequently or have demanding schedules, while a live-out nanny provides a clearer separation between work and home life. The right choice depends on your family’s routine, available space and childcare needs.
3. What are the biggest red flags when hiring a nanny?
Be cautious of candidates who are unwilling to provide references, have unexplained gaps in employment, arrive unprepared for interviews or have only stayed in short-term commitments. Equally important is your own intuition—if communication feels difficult or values don’t align, it’s worth continuing your search.
4. When should you start looking for a nanny?
We recommend to begin your search one to three months before you need childcare. This gives you enough time to interview candidates, check references, organize one or two trial periods and avoid making a rushed decision.
Need Support Finding the Right Nanny?
Finding the right nanny takes time, careful screening and thoughtful planning. For many families—especially those relocating internationally, travelling frequently or managing homes across different countries—the process is time-consuming, complex and sometimes confusing.
At Tripsitta, we support families across Europe with personalized nanny recruitment, helping parents define their needs, find suitable candidates and create successful long-term placements.
Our team assists with:
- Defining the nanny role and responsibilities
- Salary suggestions based on specific local standards and qualifications
- Sourcing suitable candidates
- Candidate screening and complete background checks
- Interview preparation
- Contract guidance
- Trial period organization
- Placement support
Whether you are looking for a live-in nanny, live-out nanny, full-time support, part-time childcare or a multilingual nanny for an international household, we can help you find someone who fits your family’s lifestyle.
Read more about how our permanent nanny placement service works here:
Our Permanent Nanny Finding Service
