While traveling the world as an expat or living in a location other than your native country, finding a babysitter may be one of those necessities that you can’t live without. Regardless of your location, there is always that sense of safety and trust that needs to be between yourself and your babysitter. Depending on the country you live in, that trust maybe difficult to come by. However, there are many ways you can narrow down your search and find that perfect candidate for babysitting your children.

1. Resume – Although you may not require a detailed resume such as they use while looking for careers, a history of past work and experience from an individual could help you determine if he or she is right for the job. As some younger babysitters may not have an extensive background in childcare, you may not want to disregard those individuals immediately. However, some kind of previous experience is always a bonus when it comes to child development or care.

2. References – It’s always a good idea to contact a candidates references, but keep in mind that these references will usually always give the person a good review. Most of the time a person looking for a job will list references that will give them a good referral. While these referrals may describe the candidate as a shining beacon of virtue, he or she could also be running from the law for grand larceny. It is this reason that many will turn to a thorough background check if it’s available in the country you are currently residing in.

3. Scrutiny – When it comes to your children, you should always scrutinize the past of your prospective employee. Your questions need to be developed in manner than can help you determine if he or she is simply telling you what you want to hear. Construct your questions centered around your own previous experiences with your children and hear how your candidate would handle the same situation. Always assume that someone has prepared themselves for the interview process and has already practiced questions in order to answer them “correctly.” While this may seem like a dim view of humanity, you can’t be too careful when it comes to the welfare of your children.

4. Agency – There are many agencies around the world that will help individuals connect with babysitters and full-time childcare professionals. Normally, these agencies have strict guidelines of their employees. Most of these agencies in the United States will perform background checks on all employees in order to assist in hiring the most perfect childcare professional possible. These kinds of agencies are available in various parts of the world including the European Union. Sites like Babysitting.net focuses on bringing those looking for babysitters and those looking to babysit together in a safe manner.

Finding a babysitter doesn’t have to be a difficult task, but finding one you can trust with 100-percent certainty is. In the United States, you could simply run a background check on the candidate or location in order to quell some of those fears you may have. While other countries provide a similar service, not all of them do. When it comes to your children, you can never be too careful when selecting someone who is going to be with them for long periods of time. 

This article is contributed by Madoline Hatter. Madoline is a freelance writer and blog junkie from ChangeOfAddressForm.com. You can reach her at: m.hatter12 @ gmail. com.