Are you still on the lookout for your ideal babysitter? Well in this blog post we are going to discuss some key characteristics that you might want your babysitter to have. These are especially true if you want your babysitter to help with teaching and talking in English to achieve a more natural fluency. They can be remembered with a simple anagram so that in your next interview with a babysitter you can easily check them off your list in your head. INGLES!

You want your babysitter to have a bit of flair about them and the love for playing and creating with the children. They need a good imagination so they can create games, activities and crafts rather than just having the children in front of the TV the whole time. You can often tell if they have a more playful personality in the activities they suggest they could do with the children during the interview. If they are more playful and creative this will form a much better environment for the children to be in, especially if they are speaking in their second language at the same time.

You want your babysitter to have some past experience so they know if they are good with children and then they know what the best solution is when a problem occurs. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean they need years of working professionally with children because this isn’t always possible. However, as long as they can give examples of times they have spent with children and what they did with them, and then you can get a good idea of how they will be with your children. You want to check the babysitter is quick thinking so you know they can respond to your children swiftly, if needed. Also, if you are looking to have you babysitter help the children with their English then you want them to be able to communicate clearly with them and intellectually about certain topics.

If you are leaving your children with someone you want to know that they are authentic and not just working there to get some money. If the babysitter really likes spending time with children then it will create a more relaxed and enjoyable environment. In the interview you could ask them why they love spending time with children, why do this instead of a job in a cafe? By listening to their answer you will be able to tell if they have a genuine passion for working with children and what about the job they enjoy.

You want to be able to depend on this person and trust them. If you need them there at 6 till 8 then you want to know they will be on time. Also if you have a set number of hours that they will work next week you don’t want them to flake and say they are no longer available. Make sure you ask in the interview what other priorities they might. Do they have another job, education or weekly sport they do that may interfere with the hours you want them to work? Then you know you can rely on your babysitter when you need them.

This characteristic ties into them being genuine and imaginative. During their time working as a babysitter you want to make sure they are passionate when playing and entertaining your children. It is good to have an active babysitter who would like to take the children to the park or out to play a sport. So when interviewing the babysitter you could ask about their hobbies and what they enjoy doing in their free time. From this, you can gather if they are active and enjoy being outside instead of just watching TV.

People who are working with or around children need to ensure that they can put the children’s needs first. As a babysitter you need to be attentive and willing to read that book or play that game to make the children are happy even if you don’t want to do it. Then if the child gets upset for any reason you want the babysitter to be there to comfort them and make sure the child feels better. You need the babysitter to be sensitive to the child’s emotions and feeling.

I hope these six characteristics have made you think about what your family needs in a babysitter. If you are still looking for a babysitter, in your next interview consider these different characteristics to see if you think they would be a good fit for your family. Ask a few questions about their hobbies, why they love children and when have they worked with them in the past to get a good idea of if they have the characteristics you require. Hope this helped you in your journey to finding a new babysitter. If you are not yet registered online it is free and gets you one step close towards getting your dream babysitter.