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Sat 25 Mar, 2006 11:13 am
I realized I have no idea of the cost of babysitters these days, and I'm curious.
Can anyone help?
Please indicate where you live--I have a feeling that urban sitters are much more expensive than rural sitters.
I have limited experience with babysitters (we do a lot of quid pro quo, I watch somebody's kid and later they watch mine, or variations thereof), but $20 seems high to me. Depending on what kind of babysitter, I guess. Standard-issue high school girls tend more towards $5/ hour around here...
$20.00? Can somebody direct me to the diaper changing thread?
Minimum wage is $5.05 and as of 10/1/06 will increase to $5.35.
Roger--
Cleaning women make $20-$30 an hour these days.
I make somewhere around 15/hour.
The house cleaners my sister uses get closer to 30/hour
At $20/hour, I guess we won't be going out any time soon.
I would be curious though - what are parents in general paying for a teenager to watch their children. We are targeting a couple of teenagers that we know their family to try to get a teenager that we trust to watch our children on a rare night out. I was guessing some where about $5/hour, but I certainly can be wrong since I haven't hired any yet.
chr42690 wrote:$20 an hour.
No Way!
Are you talking about a responsible high school kid?
Who could afford to go out?
We don't hire sitters often but when we do -- we pay our 13 year old neighbor $10 per hour.
She has taken the Red Cross baby sitting classes so she knows all the essential safety stuff. Plus, her mom and dad are just across the street if there is any kind of problem that needs immediate attention.
Rates here in Austin are $8/hour for one kid, $10/hour for two. Plus we generally add some. Trust-worthy sitters are tough to find.
DrewDad, how do you find them?
We really want to find a local teenager who is not booked solid with extra-curricular activities. Much harder to do so than I expected.
Lots of college kids here who want to study and earn money at the same time.
Some of the sororities even keep lists of girls who want to babysit.
Or refresh the page until "babysitter" turns green with a double-underline....
Sororities, eh? Good tip, thanks.
Lots of college kids here, too.
The kid's area at my gym is staffed by college students (education majors), was thinking of making a proposition if sozlet seemed to bond with one of 'em.
How do you know if they're trustworthy, tho? References?
I have seen a bunch of people on craigslist who look good, but I keep getting stuck on the trustworthy thing. Sororities sound a bit more accountable.
I guess at some point you just have to trust your gut and make that leap.
We were thinking of some older siblings that are friends of my daughter - some of her friends have teenage daughters and since we know the family, we have a level of trust with them. Unfortunately there are none in the neighborhood, but to me that is ideal. That way, if there is any problems they have their parents nearby.
Yeah, that'd be ideal. The teenagers we know of around here are the booked solid types. We had an arrangement with one, but then every time we actually called her she was busy. (Swimming, band, this, that...)
sozobe wrote:Sororities, eh? ....
My sorority, in Columbus:
http://ohiounion.osu.edu/greek_life/chapters.asp?Organization=24
If you need a connection, I'm a Massachusetts Alpha (Boston U.).
Nowadays, most babysitters have got a "babysitter certificate" here (by the Red Cross and other institutions) - otherwise it would be rather dificult to get a job. They are paid between 5 and 7.50 ( $ 6 to $9).
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