What to ask a nanny or domestic worker in an interview
Updated 20 August 2026
Hiring help at home is personal. Use these guidelines to stay safer when you meet, interview, and employ someone in South Africa.
Ask a nanny
- Which ages have you looked after, and for how long?
- Walk me through a normal weekday with the children.
- What do you do if a child is ill, or if they will not listen?
- Are you willing to do school runs, homework help, or light cooking?
- Why did you leave your last role, and can I phone that family?
Ask a domestic worker
- Which of these do you do: cleaning, laundry, ironing, cooking, childcare?
- Live-in or live-out — and which days and hours?
- Have you worked with a written duty list before?
- How do you prefer to be paid, and do you have UIF from a previous employer?
- Can I take up a reference from the last home?
Interview tips
- Meet in a public place first, or video call before inviting someone home.
- Ask about experience with ages/conditions that match your home.
- Check references and ask why they left previous roles.
- Agree rates, hours, and duties in writing before the first day.
Never pay to apply
Care4SA jobs are free. A real home will never ask you for a registration fee, “admin fee”, or airtime to apply. That is the main Facebook and Gumtree scam in South Africa. Use Report + block on the job.
Red flags
- Pressure to move messaging off-platform immediately and send money.
- Refusal to share any form of ID or references.
- Inconsistent stories about experience or availability.
- Requests for payment before you have agreed terms.
Verification on Care4SA
Workers can upload a South African ID or passport, a SAPS police clearance, and proof of address. Homes see badges, never the files. After Care4SA reviews a file, we delete the original and keep only the badge dates (and the SAPS issue date). Click any badge for the exact meaning in the Trust System. A reviewed badge means Care4SA looked at the file — it is not a live criminal-record check and not a guarantee of safety. Always interview, take up references, and do your own checks.
Employment basics (SA)
Hiring a domestic worker or nanny may mean you become an employer with UIF and minimum wage obligations. Care4SA does not provide payroll or tax filings. See our legal hire guide and recommended rates guide and the Department of Employment and Labour for current rules.
Chat on Care4SA
Homes message workers inside Care4SA — not by jumping to WhatsApp with a number from a listing. We hide phone numbers, emails, and off-site links in chat and in job applications. Use Report + block if someone asks for a fee, airtime, or to move you off the app in the first messages. We can then suspend the account.
Report a concern
Use the Report button on a profile, or contact us via your dashboard. In an emergency, call local police or emergency services.
Common questions
- What questions should I ask a nanny during an interview?
- Ask which ages they have cared for, a typical day with children, how they handle illness or discipline, whether they can do school runs, and why they left the last role. Then check references, agree hours and pay in writing, and meet in public or on video before they come to the house.
- What should I ask a domestic worker?
- Ask which duties they have done (cooking, laundry, ironing, childcare add-on), live-in vs live-out, which days they can work, and how they want pay recorded. Put the duty list in writing. See the legal hire guide for UIF and minimum wage — Care4SA is not the employer.