Ask the questions that actually matter
Move past a general "is that okay with you" and ask something concrete: how she handled phone use with a previous household, how she'd want to let you know if she needs to take an urgent call, and whether she's comfortable naming what she'd consider an invasion of her space. Specific questions get specific answers, and specific answers are what you can compare and hold to later.
Pay attention to how she frames her own boundaries, not just whether she agrees to yours. A candidate who can say plainly what matters to her is showing you the same clarity she'll likely bring to the job itself, and that reads as a stronger signal than a simple yes to every question you ask.
- How did phone use work with your last employer, if any?
- How often would you want to call family, and at what times?
- What would you consider private, in terms of your belongings or your room?
Match what you offer to what you're asking
Decide your own household's position before the interview, not during it. Think through what phone use during work hours looks like in practice, how you'll handle an emergency call from her family, and what she can expect for privacy in her own space and during her own time, including any weekly rest day she's entitled to. Arriving with a clear position makes the conversation a negotiation between two prepared parties, not something you're improvising on the spot.
Whatever the two of you land on belongs in writing, alongside the other terms of the role, rather than staying a verbal understanding from the interview room. A written line is something both sides can point back to later; a remembered impression from a conversation months earlier usually isn't.
Keep the comparison fair across candidates
Ask every candidate the same core questions on phone use and privacy, in the same interview, regardless of where she's from. What you're comparing is how each individual answers, thinks through boundaries, and handles a direct question, never a guess about which nationality tends to be more trustworthy or easygoing on this topic. That kind of guess tells you nothing reliable about the person sitting in front of you.
Treat her answers here as one input alongside everything else you're weighing, such as how she answers your other interview questions and what her references confirm. A candidate's response on privacy shouldn't override those other signals, but it's a real one worth taking seriously when you're deciding between two people you're otherwise unsure about.