Babysitting Rates???

busygirl

We are just about to use a new babysitter, age 15. Our previous one was a maturer girl who worked in a creche. She charged €10 per hour, but because we knew her and the kids got on well with her we figured it was worth it. It did make our night out very expensive if we were out from 8 to 1 or 2 am. However due to her age it is not always possible to get her.

I don't want to set the same precedent for the new girl as this is her first babysitting job and she has only just turned 15. I feell if we ask her that she won't suggest an amount

What are the going rates, should we pay a set nightly amount or pay by the hour, we don't go out very often and when we do it is usually 8 - 12 or so.

noby

This came up before, and led to a lot of debate, I seem to recall. You can search back through older threads if you like. For us, under similar circumstances to yourself, we pay €5 per hour, plus another €5 - so for 8 - 12, that's €25 plus collected and dropped home.
I'm sure I'll be shot down, but that's the arrangement we have.

Lizzykins

My daughter is 15 and babysits from time to time. She gets about €8 euro an hour so from 8 til 1 makes €40. Wre in Dublin and that seems to be the going rate.

boardsbaby88

Hi, I'm just about to start babysitting and I'm looking for some advice. Although I have never had an official babysitting job before I do come from a large family and am used to looking after children. I am almost twenty years old, in my final year of college and living in the Dublin 6 area. I was thinking of charging about 9 euros an hour (for about 2-3 children) or a set fee of €50 per weekend night with flexible hours. Do you think these rates seem fair? Also would anyone have some tips on how best to approach potential families seeking a babysitter? Would going door to door handing out leaflets be a good idea or would this put people off? I'd appreciate any advice you could give me. Thanks

Orion

for OP - We pay our babysitter €5/hr before 12 and €10 after 12. If we're only out for a couple of hours I'll round it up a little. She seems happy enough with what we pay her. She's 17 btw.

@boardsbaby88: Stick a notice up in your local supermarket.

spinandscribble

im 20 and get 8 euro to babysit an infant. 10s a bit steep unless you've got a couple of kids. 8-7 seems to be the going rate for babysitting in my area.

angeldelight

The last time I babysat I got 60 for the night. That was from 7-12 so 12euro an hour... I'm 21, drove over and home. Was minding an almost 3 year old and a 4.5month old... maybe that's why it was a bit more?? Put both to bed too

zokrez

Just home and paid the sitter 60 lids here since 8. She has been with us about 5 years and we noticed recently that she was never available and then told us that she had increased her rate to 12.50 per hour - had been on 10 ph plus round up. She is 25 and has her own car. Add that to the taxi, drink and meal...........personally I would stay at home and watch Match of the Day and save the 100 plus euro until there is a special night. Going to bed now but no doubt the kids will decide that I need to be woken in about 3 hours or so !

Mawg

When I was 15 I babysat for people who would only give me 15 pounds for doing 6hours or more. Needless to say I didn't stay with them for long. I now occasionally do it for my neighbours when I'm home for the weekend (In college, so it's a handy bob) and they pay me €10 per hour.

I think €8 an hour is a suitable amount for a teen starting into it, afterall, that's still better than minimum wage.

annie19

hey all! i babysit 2 -3 nights a week 4 different people for the last 5 yrs. i have to say it really depends on the set up. every home is different
these are the things that i think count:

1. food
2. age of children (awake or asleep)
3. sky, broadband, give him her $ to rent a DVD if u dont have these
4. age of babysitter
5. way home????
6. i think by the way the number of children doesnt really matter (within reason, by that i mean theres no different between 1 and 4 especially if there asleep and the rooms are near each other)

so id say for a 15 year old with just a little experience, food is there, and a way home (at least) is provided 6 euros per hour would be grand. id also advise not to leave it to long b4 u use her again (no longer than a month) cause one would forget the set-up and might be shy and say she is busy especially if she doesnt know u r ur husband/patner that well. that happened me alot when i was 16. i dont know why, cause i liked the kids and the parents.... it just felt like such a long time.



hope my ranting and raving helped even a little bit:cool:

angeldelight

I think numbr of children does matter but depends on their age. E.g. I used to mind 3 kids who were 4, 6 and 9 but they're all old enough to tell you what's wrong, to persuade into bed etc.

Recently when babysitting a 2 year old and a 4 month old it was a little more complicated as the 4 month old was desperate for attention when trying to settle the 2 year old to bed so more actual calmness and skill needed.

In saying that I love babies so would mind 2 younger babies for less than 2 older kids just cause I'd get to cuddle them lol isn't that terrible

annie19

:)i dont agree
4 month may want attention
its called soft singing

oonah

have u checked out babysitters.ie?? I'm in the same boat, looking for babysitting job for the weekends, i'm 26, trying to save and earn extra cash. that web site looks kinda alright

flynnc8

First off I dont think that a 15year old will be expecting an hourly rate.... i'd say that 25euro would be adequate if home before 12am... and maybe 10euro for every hour after...

Of course this is only sufficent if the babysitter has a lift home and something to eat during the night.. If these are not supplied then an addition taxi fare or take away money should be supplied.

In saying that, i am lucky enough to have a 16year old sister who is also my daughters god mother. So she tends to just want money for a take away during the night..

Piste

I'm 16 and earn €7 an hour babysitting for my neighbours, I have friends who sometimes earn loads more though (damn blackrock girls!) so I would have thought 7€ would be the minimum.

watna

oonah wrote: »

have u checked out babysitters.ie?? I'm in the same boat, looking for babysitting job for the weekends, i'm 26, trying to save and earn extra cash. that web site looks kinda alright

Hmm, Oonagh, I'd be interested to see how you got on, or if anyone here has used it. I'm 24 and used to babysit a lot until I was about 22 (the family I'd babysat for for 7 years got too old for babystitters - made me feel old!). I'm going travelling in 2 months and would love the extra cash and something to get me out of the house without spending money.

cooperguy

Mawg wrote: »

I think €8 an hour is a suitable amount for a teen starting into it, afterall, that's still better than minimum wage.

Minimum wage is €8.65

Limestone1

cooperguy wrote: »

Minimum wage is €8.65

The legislation does not apply to a person employed by a close relative (for example, a spouse or parent) nor does it apply to those in statutory apprenticeships. Also some employees such as young people under 18 and trainees are only guaranteed a reduced or sub-minimum rate of the national minimum wage.

Loopy

God I am out of the 'loop'.. haven't needed to get a sitter ever cos someone in my family is always around to babysit..

Cannot believe how expensive it is.. I used to do it and get a fiver if I was lucky and an out of date pkt of tayto...

BIRDCAGE

watna wrote: »

I'd be interested to see how you got on, or if anyone here has used it. .

As a parent we discoverd babysitters.ie a few months ago and signed up for a month. we found a very nice local girl who is great with our two boys. the site is a very good idea, it gets rid of the hassle for parents searching shop windows etc for notices and also gives the sitter some security about the parents.

run_Forrest_run

looptheloop wrote: »

God I am out of the 'loop'.. haven't needed to get a sitter ever cos someone in my family is always around to babysit..

Cannot believe how expensive it is.. I used to do it and get a fiver if I was lucky and an out of date pkt of tayto...

well from reading this thread there still seems to be some people in the same 'out of the loop' situation as yourself there

We used to get girls from the local creche (where our little one went at the time) and we paid them €10 per hour, pricey but they were qualified (FETAC?) in the creche and the little one knew them.

But now that she is with a child minder we have used the child minder twice and now we have started using child minder's daughter (16 yr old) to try keep costs down but I still end up paying her between 8 and 10 euro per hour...I dunno, I'm just a generous guy

We don't go out much really so the expense can be managed once in a while.

I agree with Zakrze, sometimes it's nearly more attractive to just stay in and get take out and a movie!

LolaDub

Sometimes i have to work on Sats and need a childminder, usually end up paying 12-14 an hour for the day on sat for my 1 1/2 year old. Includes food, change visit to park etc but makes my working day quite the rip off. On my street there are 2 girls who babysit both about 16 but 5 families with kiddies. So Sat and Fri nights are impossible and the girls tend to use an auction system and babysit for the highest bidder! Generally i have family members who will babysit but when its a particular occassion that i really need someone i've paid up to 20 an hour!!! To be honest most of the time if i have to look for a babysitter i end up staying in, its too expensive on top of all the other baby costs. Recently though i babysat for a cousins friend and they gave me 10 an hour from 9 - 2 fri night.

Twee.

I babysit for my aunt so she probably gives me a bit more than others, but I get €10 an hour and put three kids (aged 2,4 and 5) to bed. If they go out early, say seven o'clock, I might have to cook a bit of pasta of something for them. I'd do a bit of a clean up as well- put away toys, tidy the kitchen.

cuckoo

As mentioned upthread, i think it's important to pay extra for the hours after midnight.

When i was on the babysitting circuit as a teenager there was one couple that all the area's babysitters sat for - once. They stayed out until 3.30am, the heating in the house switched off at 11pm, they only had RTE tv, no food to be found anywhere and no books/newspapers/mags in the living room either.

So, by the time they came back i was tired, cold, hungry and very bored. And, they gave me a tenner. Oh, and both of them were drunk and created a bit of a scene when i said that i would prefer to be walked to the corner of my road then get into the car with one of them driving.:mad:

I heard later that they couldn't get anyone at all to babysit, so they started leaving the eldest in charge (i think she was 10 or so).

....shell....

im 17 going on 18...most id expect for babysitting is 7or8....i wouldn expect big money at all as im working most of the time so i wouldnt really need the extra money..but saying that the people i babysit for would pay about a tenner a hour even tho i said 7..they wouldnt be out that late either so its grand...

lawgirl

cuckoo wrote: »

As mentioned upthread, i think it's important to pay extra for the hours after midnight.

When i was on the babysitting circuit as a teenager there was one couple that all the area's babysitters sat for - once. They stayed out until 3.30am, the heating in the house switched off at 11pm, they only had RTE tv, no food to be found anywhere and no books/newspapers/mags in the living room either.

So, by the time they came back i was tired, cold, hungry and very bored. And, they gave me a tenner. Oh, and both of them were drunk and created a bit of a scene when i said that i would prefer to be walked to the corner of my road then get into the car with one of them driving.:mad:

I heard later that they couldn't get anyone at all to babysit, so they started leaving the eldest in charge (i think she was 10 or so).

OMG that sounds exactly like a couple i babysat (once) for! To top it all off the kids were really bold too and one pee'd through the landing railings down into the hall floor too:mad: (he was about 6) he just did it for the laugh. Needless to say I never went back again!! They stayed out hours and only gave me a tenner too! My mother went mad said I was never allowed babysit again for them!

cuppcakes!

Was wondering if anyone thinks this rate is unfair?

Am 16 and have just begun babysitting for my aunt's friends who have a four month old baby and an 11 year old.

I babysit Saturday nights from 7pm and stay over and on one school night, from 8pm to about 2am.

My parents drive me over and the kids' parents drop me home.

I get €20 a night?

Twee.

cuppcakes! wrote: »

Was wondering if anyone thinks this rate is unfair?

Am 16 and have just begun babysitting for my aunt's friends who have a four month old baby and an 11 year old.

I babysit Saturday nights from 7pm and stay over and on one school night, from 8pm to about 2am.

My parents drive me over and the kids' parents drop me home.

I get €20 a night?

I think it's a bit unfair, considering the minimum wage is more than €8 per hour, and they're staying out a fair bit past midnight, or else you have to stay there. A four month old is also a lot of responsibility. Maybe they think they can go cheap because you're their friends' niece.

deisemum

Twee. wrote: »

I think it's a bit unfair, considering the minimum wage is more than €8 per hour, and they're staying out a fair bit past midnight, or else you have to stay there. A four month old is also a lot of responsibility. Maybe they think they can go cheap because you're their friends' niece.

The minimum wage rate only applies to experienced adults aged over 18, under 18 is a lower rate.

As a lot of people are now unemployed there are a lot of people including adults and qualified childcare workers now willing to babysit and in some places the rates are as low as €5 per hour.

LolaDub

8 until 2 is 6 hours, 20 euro for that means cupcakes is being paid just over 3 euro an hour. Cupcakes where are you located? I think its a bit low tbh but a lot of factors can weigh in here like experience, how much they can afford, how much work you do, what perks you have etc. I would be concerned at a 16 year old minding my daughter when she was 4 months old tbh.

Michellenman

That doesn't seem fair at all.
I'm 19 and babysit for three families. My neighbours who have a 9 y/o and a 6 y/o. They usually stay out until about 1am or so and I go over at 7pm so it's about 5 hours and I get maybe €40. This includes giving them their tea and putting them to bed. As well as maybe bits of homework with the eldest. €8/hour I'd say is the average.

The other families are my aunt and uncle and then they pimped me out around their sons class. Their kids are 7 and 4 and my mam looks after them during the day 3 times a week so we know each other well. They pay me about €9.50/€10 an hour which I don't think is fair for them! It's quite a lot I think, considering they're in bed by the time I get there and they sleep all night through.

It's the same for the last family too. They're children are 18 months, 3 and 6. Although they stay out until after 2 and they're children wake up a lot during the night so I think €10 an hour is fair. Also, to begin with I said I thought it was too much but they said they said they hadn't been out in over a year and that they felt I was worth it

OP, if you feel it's not fair maybe broach the subject with them. Obviously everyone is different so have a think and try to decide how best to bring it up. They don't want to lose you so try to make an arrangement with them that you both agree with.