Page 3 | Tell me about babysitting rates...

caringcarer · 06/05/2023 01:17

Simianwalk · 06/05/2023 00:22

I can't believe he charges you!!! My DSS babysit many many times for my DC for nothing.

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I'm happy to pay him to look after dFS. He drives over to babysit so uses his fuel to get here and engaged with dFS too so plays chess with him or plays cricket in the garden with him. DFS needs entertaining most of the time, he won't just sit and watch TV on his own or scroll on his phone as most 16 years old would.

Simianwalk · 06/05/2023 00:22

caringcarer · 06/05/2023 00:16

I must be getting a bargain I ask my 27 year old son to babysit my 16 year old Foster Son with additional needs if we go out for the evening and he charges me £25 for the whole evening for about 3 hours plus, and to pay for them both to have a takeaway delivered. He has even babysat on New Year's Eve once but I did pay him £50 for that evening.

I can't believe he charges you!!! My DSS babysit many many times for my DC for nothing.

Simianwalk · 06/05/2023 00:21

NurseryNurse10 · 05/05/2023 18:48

Well if you want someone cheap you will have to employ a young teen.
I charge between £10-£12 an hour as am qualified and experienced and giving up my time.
It always baffles me that people think nothing of paying their cleaners a good hourly rate but begrudge paying someone to watch over their children. Who should be their most precious of possessions.

Cleaning is much much harder work than most babysitting. I have done years of both and babysitting, (except for SEN children or very poor sleepers) is easy. Usually get them in bed by 8 or 9 and then watch TV.

Arxx · 06/05/2023 00:19

The place I looked at for 6 hours (probably would have needed 5 but wanted to be sure we wouldn’t be back later than we said) was working out at £120 for the one off fee plus hourly rate for the agency nanny. For only 1 hour of it or maybe even less would my child actually be awake. We had tickets to a comedian which cost less than the babysitting fee

caringcarer · 06/05/2023 00:16

I must be getting a bargain I ask my 27 year old son to babysit my 16 year old Foster Son with additional needs if we go out for the evening and he charges me £25 for the whole evening for about 3 hours plus, and to pay for them both to have a takeaway delivered. He has even babysat on New Year's Eve once but I did pay him £50 for that evening.

Boomboom22 · 06/05/2023 00:08

That is very cheap, do you mean like neighbours kids or a dbs checked actual babysitter from a company?

AllOrNothingSituation · 06/05/2023 00:07

Where are you .?! That’s good! When I looked it was £15/£20 an hour with minimum 4 hour booking! And that was on childcare.co.uk

Original poster

dimpleknee · 05/05/2023 23:57

@Applequash of course.

OP posts:

Original poster

dimpleknee · 05/05/2023 23:56

WellTidy · 05/05/2023 20:22

I did a lot of babysitting in the early 1990s when I was 16-18yo. A lot of my friends did the same. We each charged £5 for the entire evening, usually about 4 hours. This was before NMW was introduced.

The Bank of England calculator says that goods and services which cost £5 back in 1992 would cost £10.29 today. So £10.29 for the evening! I was clearly underpricing my services!

Obviously I have nothing at all against babysitters today charging whatever they want though.

This is what I remember, I guess. Sounds like we were royally taken the p out of!

OP posts:

Haveallthesongsbeenwritten · 05/05/2023 22:50

dimpleknee · 05/05/2023 18:21

I'm gobsmacked by babysitting rate- just been quoted £7-10 per hour! Possibly because I'm an older Mum who only got a fiver a night back in the day. Say you go for a meal and drinks with friends, leaving home at 7, back at midnight- £50??? Really? On top of night spends? Who can afford this?

I suppose it depends where you live. I used to do a lot of babysitting when i lived in London and for like 6pm to midnight i’d get £100 and that was about 10 years ago…

SunsetsInVenice · 05/05/2023 22:48

I wouldn't ever pay under NMW, it's taking the piss.
It's expensive but kids are.
Our sitter is in her twenties. We pay £11 per hour.

WellTidy · 05/05/2023 20:22

I did a lot of babysitting in the early 1990s when I was 16-18yo. A lot of my friends did the same. We each charged £5 for the entire evening, usually about 4 hours. This was before NMW was introduced.

The Bank of England calculator says that goods and services which cost £5 back in 1992 would cost £10.29 today. So £10.29 for the evening! I was clearly underpricing my services!

Obviously I have nothing at all against babysitters today charging whatever they want though.

IAmTheWalrus85 · 05/05/2023 20:14

I very occasionally ask the staff from nursery to babysit and they charge £12 per hour. Which I think is more than fair enough given they’re qualified childcare professionals and working in the evenings/weekends.

Applequash · 05/05/2023 19:56

dimpleknee · 05/05/2023 18:28

I'm evidently well out of touch! 🤣

Do you not understand the concept of inflation? That things are more expensive now than way back when?

Prettybutdumb · 05/05/2023 19:09

Emailed received a couple of weeks ago from our baby sitting company - their updated rates:

‘Outside London
Daytime - £19.50/hr + £2.50 for the first hour
Nighttime - £17.50/hr + £2.50 for the first hour
In London
Daytime - £23.50/hr + £2.50 for the first hour
Nighttime - £19.50/hr + £2.50 for the first hour

Overtime rates (for all nannies, times + locations) will be charged at a 30% premium to the relevant standard rate.’

underneaththeash · 05/05/2023 19:05

NurseryNurse10 · 05/05/2023 18:53

Also, You still have to pay at least minimum wage which is
£10.42 for those aged 23 and over.
£10.18 for those aged 22-22.
£7.49 for those aged 18-20
£5.28 for under 18's

So as I said, if you want it cheap you will need to pick someone very young

No you don't as you're not employing anyone.

honeylulu · 05/05/2023 19:05

South East. £10 per hour though now my teen will agree to babysit youngest for a flat rate of £20 for the evening.

Wishawisha · 05/05/2023 19:03

I would say around £15 an hour seems to be average based on the ones I’ve found and what I’ve paid.

£7 seems reasonable to a neighbour’s teenager though, that sort of thing. Depends on how you found your babysitter. I’d love to have a reliable teenager I knew as a cheap option!

AndIKnewYouMeantIt · 05/05/2023 19:02

It depends what you mean by babysitter. I used to look after 2 kids for a working day when I was an unqualified 17 year old, and got £40 (approx 1999). If I'm an adult giving up my own Saturday night then hell yeah I'd want about £50.

Neurodiversitydoctor · 05/05/2023 18:59

I have always used sixth formers tbh.

daffodilandtulip · 05/05/2023 18:59

DD16 with First Aid and a DBS charges £9/hr.

Kaiserchief · 05/05/2023 18:58

Are you joking? Most babysitters are registered, trained, childcare professionals being trusted to look after a child. And you don’t think they even deserve minimum wage?

Our babysitter only charges minimum wage (I thought this was a bargain!) but I always tip her, more if it’s a Saturday night, and I give her a lift home if it’s dark. We only go out together a couple of times a year (our birthdays and wedding anniversary) as an extra fifty quid on top of a meal etc is a lot.

I’m sure you could find a local teenager to do it cheaper.

Disgustedandfreakedout · 05/05/2023 18:58

@FlounderingFruitcake well in my neck of the woods they don't. Min wage is average. That's why I said check childcare. Obviously I'd exodus £15/20 pH in London.

Neurodiversitydoctor · 05/05/2023 18:58

I paid £5/ hr for 15/16/17 year old sitters 10 years ago. Dd now 16 gets £7:50.

caramac04 · 05/05/2023 18:58

Blimey I’m also out of touch. Don’t need a babysitter and had thought of offering my services locally. I thought £20 for say 7pm - 11pm but maybe I should ask for £30! £10 per hour after 11pm as I like to go to bed early.