Yes, you should interview multiple au pair candidates before making your decision. Interviewing at least two to four candidates gives you a meaningful basis for comparison, helping you assess personality fit, communication style, and childcare approach before committing to a year-long arrangement. The sections below walk through exactly how to approach the process, from how many interviews to schedule to how to involve your children and make a confident final choice.
How many au pair candidates should a host family interview?
Most host families benefit from interviewing between two and four au pair candidates before making a decision. This range is practical enough to give you real comparison without overwhelming you or keeping good candidates waiting too long. Interviewing fewer than two makes it difficult to evaluate what a strong fit actually looks like, while interviewing more than five can lead to decision fatigue and unnecessary delays.
The right number also depends on your family’s specific needs. If you have a clear picture of what you are looking for and a candidate’s profile matches it closely, two interviews may be enough. If your childcare schedule is complex, you have children with particular needs, or you are hosting for the first time, speaking with three or four candidates gives you more confidence in your choice.
Keep in mind that qualified au pair candidates are often considering multiple families at the same time. Moving through your interviews at a reasonable pace and with a clear timeline is respectful to candidates and helps you secure the right match before they commit elsewhere.
What are the benefits of interviewing multiple au pair candidates?
Interviewing multiple au pair candidates gives you the perspective needed to make a genuinely informed decision. Speaking with just one candidate makes it difficult to know whether their communication style, energy, and approach to childcare are truly a good fit or simply unfamiliar. Comparison is what turns a first impression into a confident choice.
Beyond comparison, interviewing several candidates offers a number of practical advantages:
- You develop a clearer sense of your own priorities. After two or three conversations, patterns emerge. You start to notice what matters most to your family, whether that is warmth with young children, independence, communication clarity, or cultural openness.
- You reduce the risk of a mismatch. An au pair lives in your home for up to a year. A mismatch is disruptive for everyone, including your children. Taking the time to compare candidates significantly reduces that risk.
- You build confidence in your final decision. Families who have spoken with multiple candidates tend to feel more settled once they make their choice. There is less second-guessing when you have genuinely evaluated your options.
- You give candidates a fair opportunity. Some candidates present less confidently in a first interview but demonstrate excellent qualities on reflection. Interviewing more than one person ensures you are not ruling out strong matches too quickly.
The au pair selection process is not just about finding someone who seems nice. It is about finding someone whose values, habits, and approach to children will genuinely work within your household’s daily rhythm.
What questions should you ask during an au pair interview?
The most effective au pair interview questions focus on three core areas: childcare experience, daily life compatibility, and personal character. Your goal is to move beyond a polished introduction and get a real sense of how this person thinks, handles challenges, and interacts with children.
Questions about childcare experience and approach
- Can you describe your experience caring for children? What ages have you worked with?
- How do you handle a child who is upset, refuses to cooperate, or is having a difficult day?
- What activities do you enjoy doing with children?
- Have you ever dealt with a child’s minor injury or illness? What did you do?
Questions about daily life and practical fit
- What does a typical day look like for you, and how do you structure your time?
- Are you comfortable with our household’s schedule and the tasks involved?
- How do you feel about living with a family full-time, including shared mealtimes and household routines?
- Do you have any dietary needs, allergies, or lifestyle preferences we should know about?
- Can you cook basic meals such as pasta, eggs, or sandwiches?
Beyond specific questions, pay attention to how the candidate communicates. Are they listening carefully? Do they ask thoughtful questions about your children? An experienced, motivated au pair will be just as curious about your family as you are about them. That mutual interest is a positive indicator of genuine engagement with the cultural exchange aspect of the program.
What are the red flags to watch for when interviewing au pairs?
Red flags during an au pair interview are signals that a candidate may not be the right fit for your family or may not be fully prepared for the responsibilities of the program. Recognizing them early protects your family and avoids a difficult situation later in the placement year.
Watch for the following warning signs:
- Vague or inconsistent answers about childcare experience. If a candidate claims experience but struggles to describe specific situations or give concrete examples, their experience may be more limited than their profile suggests.
- A primary focus on travel, money, or Europe rather than the children. The au pair program is a cultural exchange, not a working holiday. Candidates whose motivation centers entirely on lifestyle rather than genuine interest in childcare are unlikely to thrive in the role.
- Reluctance to discuss the program’s structure or limitations. Au pairs in the Netherlands work within clearly defined program hours and responsibilities. A candidate who seems uncomfortable with those boundaries may struggle with the arrangement in practice.
- Discomfort with family life. An au pair lives as part of your household. If a candidate seems reluctant to engage with shared meals, family routines, or the idea of becoming part of a family, that is worth noting.
- Poor communication during the interview itself. Unclear answers, minimal engagement, or difficulty expressing themselves in English (the program requires at least a B1 level) are practical concerns for day-to-day life in your home.
- Unrealistic expectations about free time or independence. Some candidates underestimate how different daily life abroad will be. A lack of realistic preparation is a common early indicator of a difficult placement.
None of these signals alone is necessarily disqualifying, but a combination of them warrants careful consideration before moving forward.
Should you involve your children in the au pair selection process?
Yes, involving your children in the au pair selection process is a good idea, particularly for children old enough to have an opinion. Since the au pair will be spending significant time with your children each day, their comfort and connection with the candidate matter enormously. A child’s instinctive response to someone new can reveal things that a formal interview cannot.
How you involve your children depends on their age:
- Young children (under 5): A brief, informal video call where the candidate plays a simple game, reads a short story, or simply chats can tell you a great deal. Watch how the candidate engages, whether they get down to the child’s level, use a warm tone, and show genuine interest.
- School-age children (5 to 12): Ask your child afterwards how they felt about the person. Did they seem friendly? Did they feel comfortable? Children this age often have clear instincts about adults they meet.
- Teenagers: Older children can participate more directly in a conversation. Their buy-in matters, especially if they will be spending time at home with the au pair.
That said, the final decision should remain with you as the parent. Children may respond enthusiastically to someone entertaining in a short video call but less well to the day-to-day reality of a new person in the home. Use their input as one valuable piece of the picture, not the deciding factor.
How do you make a final decision after interviewing several au pairs?
After interviewing several au pair candidates, the best approach is to evaluate each one across the same core criteria rather than relying on a single strong impression. Gut feeling matters, but it works best when it is supported by a structured reflection on what each candidate actually demonstrated during the interview process.
Consider the following when making your final decision:
- Childcare experience and references. Has the candidate worked with children in a similar age group to yours? Are their references verified and credible?
- Communication and openness. Was the candidate clear, honest, and engaged? Did they ask questions about your family? Good communication during the interview is a reliable indicator of how they will handle daily life in your home.
- Fit with your fixed schedule. Does the candidate clearly understand and accept your family’s set weekly routine? The au pair program in the Netherlands operates within fixed, defined program hours, and candidates must be fully prepared to commit to those hours as agreed from the outset — there is no flexibility to renegotiate the schedule once the placement begins.
- Cultural readiness and attitude. Is the candidate genuinely enthusiastic about living abroad, adapting to Dutch family life, and participating in cultural exchange? Motivation matters as much as experience.
- Your overall sense of trust. After all the practical checks, ask yourself honestly whether you feel comfortable having this person live in your home and care for your children every day.
If two candidates feel equally strong, revisit your interview notes and compare specific moments rather than overall impressions. Often, one candidate will have handled a particular question or scenario more naturally, and that specificity is more reliable than a general feeling.
Once you have made your choice, move promptly. Strong candidates receive interest from multiple families, and a timely, clear decision is respectful to everyone involved.
How Sunshine Au Pair helps you find and interview the right candidates
Sunshine Au Pair takes the complexity out of the au pair interview process by presenting only pre-screened, eligible candidates who have already passed a thorough assessment for childcare experience, motivation, communication, and cultural readiness.
- Candidates are screened for eligibility, maturity, and genuine motivation before being introduced to families
- Reference checks are conducted and verified as part of the standard process
- Program Managers guide families through the interview stage and help interpret what they are seeing
- Matching is done by mutual agreement, so both the family and the au pair feel confident before moving forward
- Once a match is confirmed, the agency handles all IND paperwork and visa arrangements
Whether you are hosting for the first time or returning after a previous placement, the structured support means you can focus on finding the right person rather than managing administrative complexity. Ready to start meeting candidates? Get in touch with the Sunshine Au Pair team and take the first step toward finding your ideal match.