Choosing a babysitter - I can't do it!?

it sounds like the woman you did find was a good option but I think the alarm bells that went off were just nerves. I think you'd be worried even if mother theresa walked through the door. if this woman seems perfect, ask her for references and ask her to talk to her friends/family/teachers. you are perfectly allowed to do a background check too. for what it's worth, it's obviously hard to get your PhD and it's even harder to hold down a regular job while trying to get it. she's probably trying to find a babysitting job in order to fill odd hours because you can't do that with a regular job (just an aside). it sounds like you've found a good one, I'd get in contact with her if you can.