How much to charge for babysitting?

italiastar

I have only used a babysitter once and that was for an hour - gave her £5, but I don't think you'll get many people queing up for £5 per night - even £10 at that - OK I'm on the London / Surrey borders and there must be regional diffrences. I'd think that anything below the minimum wage has got to be exploitation. Consider how much the night out is going to cost - A concert £100, a cab to get there and back £20, a meal out £60.

Why not look at local small ads in windows to gauge what others are charging.

elliebean_2

We're in the Midlands and my daughter who's 16 gets paid approx £3 an hour but the girl she sits for is 11. If her mother is out very late or for a particularly long time she gets a little more and she always gets a paid taxi home. As I understand it from my daughter's friends who babysit, if the children are younger or there's more than one, the rate is usually higher (£4-£5 an hour) as the children are obviously more demanding.

Roxie

I think £3 per hour is reasonable before midnight and I have paid £5 per hour after midnight. I always leave a contact number with a babysitter. Normally a friend's neice babysits for me and if we are expecting to be home 1am or later she will stay the night or I take her home as I'm not a drinker. I think its very important to ensure your babysitter gets home safely at the end of the evening.

I did a lot of babysitting, almost every week, as a 14/15/16 year old for half a dozen families along our road. Being from quite a large family myself I loved the peace as generally the children were in bed or went to bed as I arrived. I generally took school work with me to do which I could concentrate on a lot better than in my own home.

Like a lot of teenage babysitters I knew the families, they knew my parents, and I was hardly going to 'get up to no good' in those circumstances, especially when most of the houses I babysat at were within sight of my parents' house.

Only ever had one problem when a child knocked a tooth out as she fell up the step ladder getting into top bunk. I called the restaurant her parents were at straight away and they returned home, mainly because the child was upset rather than the fact she had lost her tooth.

salli9

My 16yr old daughter gets £25 in the week, (6.30-10-30) £30 weekends, bit later and £40 if she sleeps over, they are friends of mine......yes I want the job!!!!!!!

andycarmi

£5 pound an hour sounds good for a 15year old! I used to be in a babysitting agency last year and they charge £5.00 an hour for qualifed Nursery Nurses over 18, with first aid certifacte...

summerday

For a 15 year old I would have thought £3.00-£3.50 an hour would be appropriate. I still babysit now (am in my mid 20's) and as I have so much childcare experience (au pair, caring for disabled children, loads of babysitting) I charge between £4 and £5.50 an hour depending on circumstances.