How do you vet and background-check a nanny in Bali?

Start with identity, not personality. Ask to see her KTP (national ID card) and check that the name and photo match, then ask for an SKCK, a police clearance letter that any Indonesian citizen can request from their local police station. It will not show a full history the way a Western background check does, but a nanny who cannot or will not get one is a signal worth taking seriously. If you found her through an agency rather than a Facebook parent group, the agency should already hold a copy on file, along with her contract history and reasons for leaving past placements.

References matter more than anywhere else here, because Indonesia has no centralized registry a family can search. Call her past employers yourself instead of reading a message they sent her. Ask specific questions: how long she stayed, why she left, whether she was ever left alone with a baby versus older kids, and whether they would rehire her. If she has cared for other expat or nomad families, especially ones you can find through your own how families find a nanny in Bali network, those references carry more weight than a single written letter. Pay attention to how she interacts with your child during the interview and a short paid trial shift: does she get down to their level, and does she stay calm and engaged rather than rushed, including when there's a tantrum to handle.

Once you have chosen someone, formalize what you learned during vetting into a written agreement rather than leaving it as a verbal understanding. A clear nanny contract legal checklist should cover working hours, duties, house rules, and what happens with sick pay or holidays, and signing it together is itself a good final check: how she reacts to formal terms tells you something about how she'll handle the relationship long term. Keep copies of her ID, SKCK, and signed contract in one folder, and revisit the arrangement every few months rather than assuming the first month of good behavior will hold indefinitely.