How much is the going rate for a babysitter?

toffee65

Not sure if this is the right place for this one.

How much would you say is a fair payment?

My Daughter is going to babysit for a friends kids (10 and 7) and they've offered her 5.00 an hour.

Now we did sit there and say we thought that may be a bit too much but they were both adamant that she should have this. I think this was to do with the fact my daughter had spent a couple of hours with the kids while mum and dad were there and saw how well she entertained them.

I'm still not so sure though that this maybe too much.

PasturesNew

http://www.babysitclub.co.uk/sitrates.html

Once you get your head round the table at the top! I had to look twice, not well designed

morganb

That's what I pay our neighbour, she's 18 and a Nursery Nurse, and she told me that was her fee. I also pick her up from work if necessary. How old is your daughter?

toffee65

morganb wrote: »

That's what I pay our neighbour, she's 18 and a Nursery Nurse, and she told me that was her fee. I also pick her up from work if necessary. How old is your daughter?

My daughter is 15.

She is very mature for her age. I think the clincher for them was when she spoke about her peers behaviour on a friday/saturday night out drinking and she was not interested in any of it and finds them pathetic Shes a bit of a home girl and they seemed impressed with this attitude.

LillyJ

I used to get £5-£6.50 an hour, however that was between the ages of 20-23 and I had my own car etc so people do pay a bit of a premium. I also had a CRB and various first aid qualifications.

I think £5 is about right provided she is at least over 16. I would accept less if it were just a "sit in" sort of job (ie young kids in bed when I get there, parents home in a few hours), and got paid more (£6.50ph) when the parents expected me to supervise and help with homework, run to tennis lessons, bathe and get to bed etc.

With agencies you get about £6ph, but the parents pay more (agency fees)

No reason to suggest that this is too much.

ETA if she is a mature 15, I don't see any reason why she wouldn't accept that amount. Parents are willing to pay for someone they trust to look after their kids, and these people obviously trust your daughter!

toffee65

PasturesNew wrote: »

http://www.babysitclub.co.uk/sitrates.html

Once you get your head round the table at the top! I had to look twice, not well designed

Going by that then she is about on course for what they should be paying.

blottedcopybook

I'm surprised you're worried that she's getting too much!!

Generally I try and stick around the minimum wage level but it's so pitiful for the young 'uns that I make it up a little. I have a set of twins who babysit for me, I usually give them £15 each and get them a dominoes and that does me for around 5 hours.

Curv

We pay our sitter £5 per hour. She's a qualified Nursery Nurse, has CRB and first aid quals etc. For that, we expect her to bath the kids and put them to bed with stories etc. Sometimes she has them during the day and she is expected to play with them, not just stick them in front of the TV.

If all the sitter needed to do was listen out for children who were already in bed, I'd be looking to pay a flat rate for the night... maybe £10 - £20, depending on how long I thought I'd be out and how likely the kids were to wake up.

Smickan

I used to get a fiver for 4/5 hours! I'd snap their hands off for that an hour.

I got a tenner for four kids from 9-3 or 11-5 depending what day it was.

This for a few years too - 01-07ish. :rolleyes:

Bath, bed, feed, entertain, play teach, take out - everything.

Had a CRB and was a crech! worker at the time [later student/various child type jobs]


[I did it cos I loved the kids too though, looked after them since the youngest was 3 years old]

hulagirl79

hi
I am a nanny and i charge £8 p/h till midnight and £9 after.
Most parents i work for accept that and think thats fine

MrsTinks

Crikey I used to charge £5 per hour 12 years ago... ok so it was a little different - a lot of the kids were on the base and not many babysitters had security clearance - but not all the kids were on the base and they still paid £5 per hour - £6 after 11 unless they were regulars My favourites were an american family - best behaved kids EVER and oodles of snacks and what have you - ok there were 3 of them but they were SO easy to look after...
I'd say £5 for a mature 15 year old is absolutely fine.