Babysitting - how much to charge?

scottishspendaholic

Hi everyone

Thanks so much for all your advice - I will put some posters up and chat to the (few) people I know. In Scotland the equivalent to a CRB is Disclosure Scotland and I currently have an Enhanced Disclosure as I work with young people in schools etc.

I am in my twenties and guess I could start charging about £5 an hour then see how I go.

Thanks again - I'll let you know how I get on.

Scottish Spendaholic x

Threadhead

A Fiver an hour!!!!!!

Wow - I am going to dump being a registered childminder, and start babysitting :rotfl:

elisebutt65

I use the daughter of our school secretary - about once a year (lol) and she charges £4.00 hour which I am fine with. She's at Uni as well and she's great with the kids.

Penny-Pincher!!

TBH a childminder only charges about £3.50-£4 an hr and an average day is 7.30am -7pm. The childminders look after the kids in the their own homes and feed them etc and they are qualified and have basic medical training IYKWIM. I think £4 ph before midnight is OK and £5ph after. Personally, have never used a babysitter for DD (11) have a good SIL that does the very odd bit of babysitting, but saying that we rarely go out (maybe twice a year-if im lucky LOL).

PP
xx

Lydia.42

Hi
My OH and i are looking for ways to pay off debts.
He wanted opinions on how parents would feel about a male baby-sitters............















He is 30, has been CRB checked, and is a qualified ambulance technician.
Any opinions??? Or is it better if i (30 also) as a female did it???
Sexist question i know, but i understand people wanting their children safe.

Penny-Pincher!!

Hi

I wouldnt have a problem with a male babysitter as long as CRB checked and can offer excellent refs, but this would be the same for female. I dont think a child is anymore safe being with a female to being with a male IYKWIM.

PP
xx

mjanet

I can't understand how any parent can hire a baby sitter by word of mouth and especially not by an advert .A C.R.B. check would mean nothing to me as it doesn't mean that person is 100% safe to be near your children it just means they have never been caught hurting children .When I was living away from my family members who baby sat I stayed in .My children are the most precious thing in the world to me I wouldn't leave a £1000 savings in the hands of a stranger from an advert / word of mouth so if I can't trust someone with my money then they are certainly not trustworthy enough to leave with my children.
If someone is going to hire you as a babysitter from an advert then in my opinion the sky's the limit with what you charge because they obviously think more about getting out for a night out then they do about their children.

melancholly

I think I must have got a good deal getting £20 or so for an evening, with a lift home - and that was about 8/10 years ago!
I also got more money if the kids were younger because i needed to read bed-time stories and listen to grade one clarinet practice (truly awful!) and things like that. if you get one person who wants to use you, it should open up lots of other offers since a lot of people go on personal recommendations.
I'd feel uncomfortable with a couple doing babysitting together - and i don't even have a particularly good reason... i'd sooner someone on their own - but whether they were male or female wouldn't really be the issue, the references would! (and a CRB checked ambulance technician sounds pretty impressive!)

Lydia.42

Thanks for the feedback guys.

melancholly

melancholly wrote:

(and a CRB checked ambulance technician sounds pretty impressive!)

and i'm sure he'd be a great babysitter too!