Nanny Agency Jobs Explainer

In a co-nanny interview, ask how the household divides responsibility when both nannies are working. “You'll work as a team” leaves important questions unanswered: which children or tasks are assigned to you, how plans change, and who resolves conflicting requests. Ask for a description of the working relationship alongside the individual job description.

The International Nanny Association describes co-nannies as two or more nannies serving one family, working together or on alternating schedules. This guide focuses on working together during the same shift. For alternating coverage, see our ROTA handover questions.

Ask how responsibilities are assigned

Start with a recent example: “How did the two nannies divide yesterday afternoon?” Ask whether responsibilities are assigned by child, activity or task, and whether that arrangement changes during the day. A general answer such as “everyone helps wherever needed” deserves a practical follow-up.

Ask who agrees the initial division and how each nanny knows the other has accepted a change. If one person begins preparing materials, for example, what discussion establishes the other person's responsibilities during that time? You are trying to understand how assignments become explicit, rather than designing the household's care arrangements at interview.

Clarify whether the advertised duties belong to your role, the other nanny's role, or both. If both job descriptions include the same household tasks, ask how completion is allocated. Otherwise, you could enter the job with a different understanding of your workload from the person already doing it.

Discuss changes before separate activities

Explore what happens when the day's activities require the nannies to work in different places. Ask the family to explain an existing arrangement, including who takes responsibility for each activity and who approves changes.

Useful interview questions include:

  • Before separating: “What do you expect us to confirm with each other before beginning different activities?”
  • Changed plans: “If a planned activity is cancelled, who decides the replacement arrangement?”
  • Additional requests: “If a parent asks one of us to do something else, how is the existing division reviewed?”
  • Shared resources: “How do we resolve competing plans for the same vehicle, room or materials?”

Avoid treating “be flexible” as a complete answer. Ask for an example of an acceptable adjustment and an example that requires parental approval. The difference helps you understand your discretion without assuming that you can rearrange a colleague's work.

Clarify instructions and decision authority

Ask who gives you instructions and whether the same person directs your colleague. If several adults can make requests, ask how the household resolves requests that conflict or cannot all be completed within the planned day.

A colleague's longer service does not tell you what authority the employer has assigned them. Ask whether there is a designated lead, whether the nannies are peers, and which decisions belong to each role. If a lead role exists, request a description of its responsibilities rather than inferring them from a title.

Also discuss requests received by only one nanny. How should a new instruction reach the other person when it affects shared work? Who confirms that it replaces the earlier plan? Ask the family to identify the person who can resolve uncertainty, so neither nanny is expected to interpret contradictory instructions alone.

You can phrase this neutrally: “I want to understand how you would like us to handle two different requests for the same period.”

Find out how disagreements receive support

Ask what the family expects when two nannies propose different ways of organising the work. Request an example of how a scheduling or task-allocation disagreement would be discussed. Keep the question about the process rather than asking for criticism of a current or former employee.

Clarify which matters the nannies can settle together and which require the employer's decision. Ask when there is an opportunity to raise recurring workload questions, and whether both people can explain their understanding. A vague instruction to “sort it out between yourselves” may still leave the underlying authority unclear.

If possible within the recruitment process, request a conversation with the nanny you would work alongside. Ask about how the team plans together, what makes communication useful and what the incoming person should learn first. Treat their account as one perspective to reconcile with the family's brief, not as a substitute for the employer confirming your responsibilities.

Complete a same-shift working agreement worksheet

Use these prompts to summarise the interview. They are a discussion worksheet, not a completed employment agreement. For each answer, note who confirmed it and what still needs resolution.

  • Initial allocation: Who agrees which children, activities and tasks each nanny is responsible for?
  • Changes: How do both people confirm a revised division before acting on it?
  • Separate activities: What must be agreed before the plans take you to different places?
  • Requests: Who resolves competing instructions and communicates the resulting decision?
  • Authority: Which decisions are yours, shared, or reserved for a designated lead or parent?
  • Support: How can either nanny raise a recurring difficulty and obtain a clear answer?

Fictional example: Jordan interviews for a role alongside an established nanny. Both job descriptions include preparing the children's activity materials, and both candidates' schedules show the same preparation period. Jordan asks who allocates that work and what each person would be responsible for while it happens. The family clarifies the division with both nannies and names the parent who approves later changes. The conversation resolves an ambiguous assignment without assuming that either nanny is the other's supervisor.

Before proceeding, ask the recruiter to reconcile the worksheet with your proposed role. A useful team brief should make the responsibilities understandable to both people who will share the shift.

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