How much to pay for baby sitting?

[AlwaysHopeful]

My niece is baby sitting for my two DCs tomorrow night. We haven't spoken about payment yet.... What's the going rate where you are? She's staying overnight if that makes any difference, which I don't think it should.

[AlwaysHopeful]

Should add that niece is 16 and DCs are 6 today and 3

[louby44]

My DS14 babysits for my nephew and niece, my brother gives him £10. But I know people give more.

[Norudeshitrequired]

I pay £11 per hour but that is for an agency sitter.
For a neice I would pay around £20 for the evening and the taxi fare home.

[Norudeshitrequired]

Sorry just realised she's staying overnight, so no need for taxi fare.

[YDdraigGoch]

My DDs get £5 per hour in north wilts, and someone drives them home. I think they get a bit extra if it goes over midnight.

[IAlwaysThought]

My 16 year old get £6 an hour until midnight and double afterwards.
I think £5 an hour is OK. It's the normal rate where I live .

[bigTillyMint]

My DD(14) gets £5-7 an hour, sitting for neighbours.

[AlwaysHopeful]

Thank you ladies

[Wallison]

£3 an hour round here. Which is pretty good considering that childminders get £3.50 an hour for doing quite a lot more.

[jellybeans]

My teen DDs get between 5 and 15 pounds and happy with whatever extra money. I would probably give 10 to 15.

[Weegiemum]

We pay the 18yo next door £5 an hour. Worth it, she's very reliable and our dc are 9,11,13 so not in bed at 8pm (though sitter is quite happy to watch endless Big Bang with them on a Friday night!

We had an awesome babysitter at our old house - the dc still talk about "Goth Girl". She looked awful but was brilliant with the kids. One night she asked if I'd let a friend come with her - we came home to 4 un communicating goth teens playing 3D chess in our lounge! She taught the kids too and now ds (11) can beat dh who is a former national finalist.

She used to bake bright pink cakes with them too. I think a part of her was rejecting the Goth!

[Nataleejah]

Pay a minimum hourly wage

[flow4]

Here on Yorkshire, the going rate is a tenner if the kids are in bed and you're back before midnight, up to £20 if not.

When I first needed a sitter for my own children, I was shocked to discover the going rate was lower than I'd been paid myself in North London 15-20 years before! Now 15 or so years on, the going rate hasn't changed...

This reflects low adult wages round here too: there's no way parents could afford to pay £5/hour cash, since many of them are only earning £6.30/hr themselves, and paying tax and raising their kids on that.

[mathanxiety]

DD3 has a twice weekly gig from 4 to 7 pm looking after three children aged 5, 8 and 10, and makes about €42 per week for basically 6 hours of work. She supervises homework, prepares dinner and then supervises cleanup afterwards.

Everyone she babysits for asks how much she charges per hour. She expects a fiver or more per hour and it really doesn't matter how many children or what she has to do with them (feed, wash, do homework, mop toilet accidents, change nappies, clean kitchen, etc). I think it's fair to pay the minimum hourly wage.

[mathanxiety]

I think an overnight stay warrants at least a tenner, with an hourly rate up to 11 pm on top of that.

[Norudeshitrequired]

£3 an hour round here. Which is pretty good considering that childminders get £3.50 an hour for doing quite a lot more.

But the childminder gets £3.50 per child, whereas the babysitter might be looking after more than one child so it isn't really comparable.

[Wallison]

flow4, same here - most people in this neck of the woods are on minimum wage. None of us can afford to give a fiver an hour to a teenager to sit and watch telly.

[BackforGood]

Well, my dd looks after her cousins occasionally, and she does it for free
I think when it's a young relative, then think min wage- £3.72 for U18s, so maybe £15 - £20 ?
That said, if they are going to just be sitting on the sofa watching tele for most of the evening, it's different from if they've actually go lots to do. I know my dd would be delighted if someone were to give her a tenner for an evening's sitting.

[bruffin]

My dd gets £5 an hour.

[Greenkit]

DD is 17 and in her second year of a 'childcare' course, she has a CRB and is trained in First Aid, we live in Bristol.

She charges £3.50 per hour and £4.00 after midnight.

[mummyzoe2012]

I got 10 a hour when i baby sat from the age of 14. Use to baby sit up to 4 times a week for a min of 4 hours a time. Two over nighters a month and still got 10 a hour all night. Only rule was if i wanted take away for tea i payed for it for me and the two children. Could have the now dh round when ever i wanted. How i miss that job now.

[apocketfulofposy]

20 quid for a 16 year old,i used to get that much when i was 15-18 and that was ten years ago.