Live-In or Live-Out: Which Arrangement Suits Your Home
Both work well. The right choice depends on your hours, your space and how much of the day you actually need covered.
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An interview in your own home is the most useful half hour in the whole hiring process. Most people spend it on the wrong questions. These are the ones that actually predict how a placement will go.
Start with the practical
Ask how she will travel to you and how long the trip takes. A helper with a two hour taxi commute in each direction will struggle with an early start, no matter how willing she is. Ask what time she can realistically arrive and what time she needs to leave.
Ask about the last job, in detail
Ask what a normal day looked like in her previous position. Listen for specifics: which rooms, which days, how many children, what she cooked. Detailed answers come from real experience. Vague answers deserve a follow-up question.
Ask why she left
This is not a trap. Households move, contracts end, babies grow up. What you want to hear is a clear reason and a reference you may phone.
Cover the awkward things now
Pay, hours, public holidays, leave and what happens if she is sick. Agreeing this in the interview prevents most of the arguments that end placements.
Set a trial
A paid trial day is normal and fair. You see how she works, she sees your home, and both of you can walk away without hard feelings if it does not fit.
Need help applying any of this to your own household? Call 066 103 6914 and we will talk it through, whether or not you place through us.
