£5 an hour to babysit!!!!!!

My friend does 4 children overnights all aspects of care for 7. She has had tube fed children before and got same rate

I think in general you get what you pay for.

We have two Dc and one of them has some additional needs which means I would definitely not feel it appropriate to leave hi. With a teenage babysitter, also my eldest feels a bit nervous just having us out of the house.

We pay around £10 per hour to one of the senior staff members at DC's nursery ( what we actually pay is a flat rate of £50 but we are usually gone around 5 hours).

The two people we use are both degree level educated in child are, and know our youngest very well and I actually feel confident leaving him with them ( over and above my own Mum!). So it's worth it for us.

You don't live in London then! Haha

The rates of pay here reflect the higher cost of living. My neighbour sold their one bed flat (no garden) for £350,000 last month!!!! So no £5p/h jobs for me!

London, nannies paid approx £13 gross +. Nursery teachers less. It's always been that way.
45 children / 8 staff, plus manager is 5 children each. However if one is sick, or needs extra help staff can assist and add one to each group if needed, usually in one location in nursery and just childcare.

Nannies could also have 5 children to look after, but all aspects of care from education, hospital trips, travel abroad whilst caring for them in foreign places, huge age ranges, household stuff related. I have been a nanny, full time is 60+ hrs, 4 children, x2 spherical needs, foreign travel, care overnight etc. I have x2 degrees with firsts and a post grad, plus all child related stuff and medical extras. I'm afraid I don't work for less than x amount. Always been full

Depends where you are I have enough for mortgage, car, 2 foriegn hols, 2 uk ones a year on that income with dh on roughly same

I don't think I would do anything for £5p/h hahahaha I'm not 14yrs old, and I don't need £20 that badly. I'm always being asked to babysit at £7.50p/h, and yes I think I'm worth more than a nursery managers wage. (They are paid appallingly btw)

When it comes to extra hrs babysitting, you get what you pay for.

I earn 7 an hour for managing team of 8 with 45 children. I have to write reports for social services and attend core group meetings as well as many other professionals. I have a 2.1, first aid, 2 nvqs, child protection, forest school leader, ecdl, all rsa typing qualifications, gcses, foundation and modern apprentice etc etc. I am well paid for what I do imo.

Nannies charge 7 an hour here as my friend is one. We are in the south. All the nursery staff have 2.1 degrees and above if management. They are usually responsible for 45 children and a team of staff. I will rip you hand of for a fiver as such easy money!

Melissa - where do you live? Ie in London it will cost prob £5 for someone to get there and back. So £12 for 3 hrs is only £2 per hr profit! Most people I know who babysit here are nannies. With several degrees, up to date qualifications and first aid, with day to day experience of being alone with 1 child or more. so much more qualified than nursery manager, who usually works in a team so rarely alone having to manage a few children as have other staff to assist.
You wouldn't like new year here in London, most nannies I know charge £15 per hr normally, and triple rates New Year's Eve ie £45 an hr. Most are already booked by January for the following new year

100s of babysitters here for 3 or 4 quid an hour. Degree or nvq 3/4 qualified, first aid, child protection, years of experience.

Are care centers open for casual babysitting though, including evenings? If so, that would be the obvious option for most parents. If not, they would simply have to pay any available babysitter what they are asking. As a 'customer', they also have the right to shop around for the best deal too.

For those age children you could have care in day for 2.40 each an hour here with 3 full meals and trips to cinema, parks etc.

When my DD was very little I only employed nannies/au pairs (working FT for my friends) as casual babysitters as I wanted someone experienced and responsible. I therefore expected to pay nanny rates.

When she got older I employed teen neighbours and paid less!

People will pay £10 an hour for a cleaner, £25 an hour for a hairdresser, £50 for a plumber - but begrudge a paltry £5 an hour for someone who takes responsibility for their children's safety and well-being.

wow

Management usually get paid 6.75 to 8.50. Higher end is with a degree and many years experience.

If nursery managers are getting less than £5 an at work, they are working below minimum wage. If they agree to £5 an hour outside of work, that's their business. It's a poor reflection on their generally crap wages if they need to take on that extra work at that rate. It doesn't mean the OP has to agree to it. If the mother in the OP really had a plethora of workers willing to work for a lower rate, she wouldn't have bothered mentioning it to OP - she was just trying to 'bargain' her down I think. The children in question are not toddlers either, I doubt they would be in bed by eight.

So you think you should get more an hour than a nursery manager? okkaay then

The rare times I babysit, the kids (under 5's) are still awake and running round the house at 8pm. Long gone seem the days when children would be asleep in bed and you did not hear from them all evening.

If you want lots of work, set rates low. If you don't want to do it often set rates higher.

Well, why is she telling you if she really found a better deal? If I were in your place, I'd reply "I am glad for you that you found someone you believe to be suitable. My rates remain the same if you wish to call me in future" and leave it at that. There is no way I would babysit for that rate, even for one child. It's something my almost 14 year old with little experience might consider though.

I earned £4 per hour when I was 15, 30 years ago!!

I charge £10 per hour now, been a nanny 28 years, loads of baby experience. I have a great job, earning a good salary, I don't need to babysit so ask for £10 per hour, minimum of 4 hours (they go out for 3, they pay me for 4) I sit maybe 10-15 times a year.

I'm working this weekend, looking after a toddler who is in a great routine, is easy as pie to look after, will (probably touches wood) sleep 7-7 and I will get paid £15 during the day and £10 from 7-7. I work for this family because they appreciate that I am giving up my free time to help them out. So they can have a weekend away and know that their child will be well cared for. I work long hours (7:30 finish time) so don't have much time or energy to go out after work so don't give up my free time for nothing.

Just to add, if you are over 21 £5p/h is considerably less than minimum wage (may also be less if your 18) so I would flat refuse to work for that!

I charge £7.50p/h in NLondon, £10 if I have two children.

I'm a experienced CM, and often get called on to babysit by my parents. I charge that because it's my free time, and children will occasionally wake up. It wouldn't be worth my while to work for £5p/h, I work 11Hr days, so earning £20 for an extra 4hrs work is just not worth it, however earning £40 is!

We pay £8ph. Qualified nursery workers. I think that's reasonable - it's the same as we pay our cleaner and although 4 out of 5 times the cleaner would have the harder job, I'd still feel bad paying more for the house to be looked after than my children. And the 1 time out of 5 more than makes up for it! We round up and leave them a meal/drinks.

I'm a qualified nanny of 19 years. Maternity nurse experience, work with children who have sen and/or serious medical conditions for my day job.
I charge £5 for babysitting. In Sussex for context. I'm sitting on my bum watching TV, reading etc. I generally pit the kids to bed and then that that. If there was a problem I deal with it. Easy money if nothing happens and I get the TV remote instead of watching blinking sports all evening.

If you'd like more money, why not suggest you can do some ironing/clean out the fridge etc when the children are asleep to ensure you get the hourly rate?