How much to pay niece for babysitting

[Lavender14]

I'm a lone parent and money is tight. I've very very little support and pay for full time childcare for my 3yo which is used to enable me to go to work. I've had maybe 2 afternoons to myself in the last year.

My niece is 16 and I'm thinking about suggesting a regular babysitting agreement with her but wanted to check how much I should be paying her? Up to now I've been giving her £20 if she comes for a couple of hours to play with my son while I clean the house but I'd love to be able to leave the house to go for a run once a week or maybe join a hobby class.

Just something to feel a bit like myself again rather than always being at work or being in mummy mode.

If she comes over I'll always feed her and if we do nice things for the rest of the day she'll often come with us then.

I don't know the going rate, but:
'The minimum pay rate for a 16-year-old in the UK is £8.00 per hour'.

If it's only for a couple of hours I'd stick with the £20.

Most teens i know are happy for £5/6 pound an hour if they have no other income.

I think £20 for a couple of hours is generally fine. My teen used to get £12 an hour ten years ago (not friends and family) but we’re in an expensive part of the country.

£20 for a couple of hours sounds about right to me.

I pay non-family 16 yr olds £10 an hour.
They get £8 an HR for tedious shop work, so seem very happy with it, as enjoy playing with the kids.

😱 that’s literally criminal for a 16YO. Minimum wage is £8 an hour so definitely no less than that. I know your niece is unlikely to shop you to HMRC but still not ok to not pay minimum wage. If you’ve been doing £20 for a ‘couple of hours’ then that sounds pretty much bang on OP so stick with that.

I used to get £5 an hour in 1985…

Its hardly criminal......its adhoc work for a teenager, shes hardly sending her neice down the mines ffs.

I think £20 for a few hours is fine. Plus a meal if she’s there over a mealtime

£10 an hour seems fair if you’re feeding her as well

What your paying her sounds good especially as she probably has a good time and enjoying herself

I used to get £3 per night from one couple, which often involved a sleepover as they came home very late, back in 1980-1982. I had one more generous customer who paid £5. I once did a night for a colleague of my father whose regular baby sitter was away and was delighted to get a tenner but was made return £5 by my parents. I was gutted.

I pay a friend's daughter £20 for 2-3 hours (evening time).